ASSESSMENT OF YOUR OWN WORK. WHAT DID YOU DO WELL? WHAT WOULD YOU IMPROVE UPON AND WHY?
NEXT STEPS THAT YOU PLAN TO DO/QUESTIONS (depending on how the client responds what follow—up questions would you ask next) (2-4 pages double spaced). APA 7 formatting.
Case 1 – Social Worker
Group members will choose which of the 3 family members they will role play below:
The family consists of the father, André, age 36; mother, Marie Clothilde, age 32; and their adopted son, Michel, age 10, who is also Marie Clothilde’S nephew. André Laurent immigrated to the United States as a young teenager when his parents fled Haiti after the first overthrow of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in the early 1990s. They settled in the greater Boston area, where André attended school and learned to speak English fluently. He graduated from a technical high school, where he studied information technology, and since graduation he has been consistently employed in IT services in the pharmaceutical industry. Marie Clothilde immigrated more recently, coming to the United States in 2005 to stay with an older sister in the hopes of finding work to help support her family back in Haiti. Because Marie Clothilde spoke very little English, her employment options here were limited. She worked primarily on a cleaning crew that maintains office buildings at night. Shortly after she arrived in this country, she met André through a cousin. They married in 2007. Even though André had a good-paying job, Marie Clothilde continued to work after their marriage so that she could send money back to her poverty-stricken family in Port-au-Prince.
THE PRESENTING SITUATION
Everything changed for André and Marie Clothilde on January 12, 2010, the date of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Marie Clothilde spent frantic days after the disaster trying to find out what had happened to her family. Eventually, through a family friend, she learned that her entire family in Port-au-Prince had been killed, with the exception of her sister’s son, Michel, who was dug out of the rubble of the extended family home still alive two days after the earthquake. With the aid of her priest, who is also Haitian, she was able to locate Michel in a makeshift orphanage in Port-au-Prince and arrange for him to come to this country. Michel, who lost his only parent and grandparents in the earthquake, along with his uncle, aunt, and two young cousins, was still in shock when he arrived at Logan Airport in Boston in April 2010, to begin a new life in a strange country with adoptive parents he hardly knew.
Marie Clothilde was struggling emotionally as well. Her family had been decimated in the earthquake, and she barely had time to process the loss when she was confronted with an emotionally distraught child to care for. She assumed the role of mother, a new one for her, and relinquished the role of wage earner because Michel required all of her time and attention at home. André, feeling he needed to make up financially for Marie Clothilde’s lost income and not a little displaced in his wife’s attentions by his new son, began to spend more time at work.
Marie Clothilde enrolled Michel in the neighborhood elementary school, but her inability to speak much English prevented her from fully communicating what had happened to Michel with school personnel. Thus, school personnel, who placed Michel in a mixed class of children who were non-English speaking, were totally unprepared for the problems he began to manifest. For one thing, Michel was unable to sit quietly at a desk for any length of time. He would begin to pace the classroom and, if requested to return to his seat, would begin screaming and thrashing about, pulling at his hair and babbling in Haitian Creole. If a teacher attempted to touch him to guide him back to his seat, Michel would shrink away, sobbing and crying, flailing his arms and shouting about petro loas (evil spirits) who were possessing him. At these times, Marie Clothilde would be summoned to the school and told to calm Michel down or take him home until he gained better control of himself.
One day Michel became so out-of-control, alternatively cowering under his desk, crying and shaking uncontrollably, and striking out aggressively, cursing at anyone who tried to come near him, that the school contacted the family. In consultation with André, who had rushed to the school from his job, and Marie Clothilde, the school recommended that Michel and the family attend therapy.
Today the family is in session with you, the clinician. Complete a 30-minute session with the family and conclude with 3 goals to complete over the next 1 week when they return to next session.
Case 2 – Social Worker
The family (fellow group members will role play family members below):
- Bridget (late twenties) graduated high school but left college in mid-twenties and currently works at a local daycare
- John (early thirties) left school without any qualifications and has been out of work.
- Jayden (age 7) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Social services have been involved with the family for about a year. The child was briefly placed on the ‘at risk register’ and considered to be at risk of physical abuse. John was involved with social services when he was a child himself.
John has a history of offending since his teens. There is a history of domestic violence in the family.
Bridget tried to defer to John for discipline and reinforcement while she nurtures the family relationship and navigates between what she sees as household duties and responsibilities.
The child was at risk of offending and anti-social behavior due to John’s repeated offending and family attitudes to offending. Prior to the removal of Jayden from the home, the family has been asked to seek therapy.
You have the family in session today. How would you engage each of them? Spend 20 minutes facilitating a helping process and conclude with the next steps and an activity you would like the family to engage in for the next week.
Case 3 – Social Worker
Group members will play role as:
- Andrea
- Vincent
- John
Andrea is a 27year old Caucasian woman who lives with her 9-year-old son, Vincent in a one-bedroom apartment in Queens that is described as spacious and clean. She is unemployed and receives $23 daily in food stamps, $68.50 biweekly in cash, and $624 monthly for SSI due to Vincent’s autism/chronic asthma. Vincent’s father, John, is 33-year-old and is unemployed. He receives SSI due to an accident that occurred when he was 14 and left him unable to use his arm. John provides Andrea with occasional financial support and is involved with Vincent, visiting him 3 times a month. Both Andrea and John report having positive experiences with each other.
The caseworker, conducting the initial contact, gathered the following information:
- There have been five prior reports dating from 2001 to January 2007 against this family. In January 2001 an anonymous source reported Andrea for corporal punishment, inadequate guardianship, and drug and alcohol misuse. It was noted that Vincent communicated by crying, yelling, and making loud noises. After investigation and evaluation of the boy by an early intervention program, he was referred to a specialized hospital program and the case was closed, unfounded. In November of the same year allegations of inadequate guardianship, lacerations, welts and bruises were made against Vincent’s father John. The allegation was first made by a police officer to whom Andrea complained after her son returned home from a visit with his father with a black and blue mark under his eye. A social worker at the hospital where his mother took him for treatment made the same allegation. The father claimed that the bruise resulted from Vincent falling off a bed and onto a toy. Andrea said that he had returned from other visits with bruises, so she became suspicious. The doctor who saw Vincent at the hospital did not think the bruise could have occurred as a result of an accident, and that it had to be deliberately inflicted. However, after an extensive investigation including several home visits, and interviews with the boy, his father, his paternal grandmother, with whom John lives, the doctor, and Andrea, the worker concluded that he “did not obtain any evidence to confirm the allegations.” The case was closed, unfounded.
- Presently a social worker at the school Vincent is attending made allegations of inadequate guardianship and inadequate food, clothing, and shelter against both parents. It was alleged that Vincent often seemed uncared for, goes to school in clothes that are often dirty or stained, and misses a day of school a week. Also, Andrea usually failed to call the school when he was ill. During an interview, Vincent told the CPS worker that his mother was “nice and taking good care of him.” He denied that his mother hit him and said that his mother would talk with him when he would do something bad. Vincent added that he had been helping his mother to clean the home since she was not feeling well. Vincent also explained that he makes his mother feel better by listening to her, watching television and being quiet. Asked about his father, Vincent said he sees his father on a regular basis. He likes to see his father because they go to the movies and the park.
The worker concluded that both father and mother lacked knowledge of the child’s developmental needs and referred them to family counseling for support.
You have the family in session today. How would you engage each of them? Spend 20 minutes facilitating a helping process and conclude with the next steps and an activity you would like the family to engage in for the next week.
CASE 4 – SOCIAL WORKER
- Mother: Christine Velasquez, age 36
- Father: Gene Velasquez, age 39
- Paternal Grandmother: Gina Velasquez, age 69
- Child: Patti Velasquez, age 5
- Child: Katie Velasquez, age 7 months
- Child: Palo Velasquez, age 3
The Velasquez family became involved with Children and Youth when the oldest child, Patti, began missing a lot of school. This prompted the home school visitor to visit the Velasquez home. At that time, she found the other children unsupervised. She was able to reach Gene at work to address her immediate concerns. A subsequent referral was then made.
The caseworker, conducting the initial contact, gathered the following information:
- Following the birth of her 7-month-old daughter, Christine began experiencing symptoms of depression. Christine did not have any previous difficulty following the birth of the older two children. There is a great deal of concern about the care of the children as Christine’s symptoms do not seem to be improving. Christine continues to sleep throughout the day and has a “complete lack of regard for the children”. She does not feed or supervise the children and expresses that she does not wish to do so.
- Gene has taken family medical leave from work to stay home and care for the children; however his family medical leave is now exhausted. The paternal grandmother has been staying with Christine and the children during the day; however, she has personal obligations that require her to leave on occasion. When this occurs, Gene has been coming home to care for the kids. Gene’s job is now in jeopardy because he has been leaving work frequently and the family does not know what to do. The family is also at risk of losing their home due to the reduction in income over the past 7 months. They are able to resolve this problem, but Gene must continue to work.
- The family does have close ties to their church and two church members have offered themselves as resources to the family. Gene’s mother is willing to continue caring for the children during the day, but also needs to be able to attend to her own personal obligations.
You have the family in session today. How would you engage each of them? Spend 20 minutes facilitating a helping process and conclude with the next steps and an activity you would like the family to engage in for the next week.