The family services certificate prepares students for work in the family and human services industry. In addition, students who complete this certificate will develop skills of effective advocacy, interpersonal communication, and teaching.

This certificate is offered by BYU-Idaho, with support and resources from BYU-Pathway Worldwide.

Why choose this certificate?

The family services certificate emphasizes the development of employable skills, such as effective communication and other interpersonal skills related to helping those in need. These skills can help students obtain employment in a variety of work settings, such as family services and other positions that emphasize interpersonal communication (e.g., sales, customer service, etc.). The family services certificate will provide students with a deeper understanding of principles that are pivotal in helping individuals and families respond effectively to stress and hardship.

BYU-Pathway has found that certain combinations of certificates lead to better job opportunities. Most degrees have a recommended plan of certificates that will help students increase their income and improve their employment possibilities.

South Africa family playing a memory game

Looking Ahead

Potential Employment

When seeking employment in the field of family and human services, these search terms may be helpful:

Human services assistant
Juvenile services
Childcare worker/teacher
Social and human service assistant
Psychiatric technician
Personal care aide
Case aide

Or, search for jobs requiring the skills obtained in this certificate, such as communication, problem solving, leadership, conflict resolution, or customer service.

Essential Knowledge and Skills

Outcomes

Advocate effectively for the family
Apply effective interpersonal skills pertaining to human service work
Demonstrate effective teaching skills pertaining to family life education
Advocate with Christlike attributes

Certificate of Family Services

Program Requirements

This certificate builds into the Family and Human Services degree.

This is an advanced certificate. You must first complete Family Relations.

Certificate

16 CREDITS

Associate

60 CREDITS

Bachelor's

90–96 CREDITS

Certificate of Family Services

Course Code

Course Name

# of Credits

FAML360

Family Stress and Coping

FAML360 — 3 credits

Family Stress and Coping

This course involves a study of families under stress, including the many external and internal influences that play a role in determining a family’s experience of stress. An ecological model will be used to understand potential risk factors that pose problems for families, along with protective factors that help families to be resilient. Focus will be maintained to learn ways to help families under stress.

FAML420

The Helping Relationship

FAML420 — 3 credits

The Helping Relationship

This skill based course prepares students to effectively use interpersonal communication skills associated with helping individuals and families in a variety of settings. Role playing will be one of the primary learning methods. These skills are especially valuable for students planning to enter a human service profession, counseling/therapy, or planning to pursue graduate studies.

FAML445

Teaching Family Life Education

FAML445 — 4 credits

Teaching Family Life Education

Students will apply what they have learned in the major by teaching family life education. Students will also create a professional portfolio of the professional activities associated with the educational program.

FAML460

Child and Family Advocacy

FAML460 — 3 credits

Child and Family Advocacy

The essence of this course is to learn how to promote and protect both the optimal well-being of children and the core strength of the family unit at all levels in society. To do this, students will use a bioecological systems approach to discern potential harm and/or benefit to children and families and effective solutions at each level. These levels or systems include the micro, meso, exo, macro, and chronosystems. Additionally, this course is multidisciplinary in that utilizes the fields of sociology, family studies, child development, political science, philosophy, and communications. Related skills such as researching, writing, speaking, and social media will be taught. Child and family advocacy will teach students why the family is the most humane, economical, and powerful system known for building competence and character in people. Finally, the course equips students to see how the majority of challenges that children and families face are connected or interrelated, and thus the solutions are similarly correlated.

The focus of this course is on the interaction between social science, moral systems, public policies, and gospel doctrines relating to the well-being of children and families.

PUBH460

Drugs of Use and Abuse

PUBH460 — 3 credits

Drugs of Use and Abuse

This course is designed to give students the nature and effects of specific drugs from all major classes on human beings from the physiological, psychological, and sociological viewpoints.

For questions about this program, contact BYU-Pathway Support