The life span development perspective offers many vibrant ideas immediately applicable to clinical and counseling practice with adults and children. We will explore the interweaving of nature and nurture over the course of development. We will consider the influence of genes, the development of thought and gender awareness, issues in family development and aging, and the effects of social contexts, culture and poverty. Such understanding can enliven our work with clients and deepen our appreciation for the stresses they confront, the environments in which they live and the unfolding of their personalities. Using lecture material, case examples and in-depth discussion, we will collaboratively explore the wonder that is human development.

You'll learn to:

• Discuss the ongoing interaction, across the life span, between heredity and environment.
• Explain how multiple ecological contexts - including family, community and the larger society - influence development.
• Explore some of the grand themes of development: gender awareness and identification, thought, aging, and the effects of poverty, trauma, and deprivation.
• Discuss methods for applying knowledge of development to your work with clients.