Chronic illness is a major life-altering experience that impacts families around the world. In this article, a nontraditional, culturally appropriate family therapy assessment procedure is presented that can serve as a catalyst for creating change in families with a chronically ill member. As an ecological and holistic assessment tool, the Intervention Based Family Assessment Procedure (IBFA) helps to build a family's story by identifying needs, exploring sources of stress, assessing coping strategies, and determining how support systems are activated to help the family with the care of a chronically ill family member