At the age of fifty-four Joey was arrested for online solicitation of a minor. Joey has two children, Alex (age 23) and Amberlynn (age 18). Up until the day of Joey’s arrest, he had been actively involved in his children’s lives. Alex was a master’s student at the University of Oklahoma at the time of his father’s arrest and Amberlynn was a senior at China Spring High School at the time of the arrest. Joey spent a week in the McLennan County Jail before being released on bond for five days. After those five days, Joey was re-arrested with twenty-two counts of online solicitation of a minor and five accounts of child pornography. Even though Alex and Amberlynn were never sexually violated by their father, they were effected emotionally from day one. According to F.J. Turner (2011), theories and concepts allow us to analyze better and have a “dynamic understanding” of the families we are looking at. Buford Farris (1975) states that organization is needed in order to fully understand social work theories and concepts and to apply them to a family system.
The theory of psychodynamic perspective can be applied to Joey. This theory states that “internal processes such as needs, drives, and emotions motivate human behavior; early childhood experiences are central to problems of living throughout life.” As a young child Joey was sexually molested by his step-father. This molestation has impacted Joey throughout his life. The concepts of psychological age, which has both behavioral and perceptual components, and opportunities, which are making the best out of the life situation you have been placed in either by your own doing or someone else’s doing, can be applied to Joey.
Joey’s early childhood experiences have impacted his whole lif...
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...essed them. Some things can never be given back, such as Amberlynn’s high school graduation and others will take years to regain like the trust between this father and his children. Even though this family has a long road to full recovery, they are off to a good start and seem to be moving in the right direction.
Works Cited
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When a person becomes a parent, their role in life undoubtedly changes. The person must become a teacher, a guide, and a helping hand in the life of the child. Research has shown that there is a distinct connection between how a child is raised and their overall developmental outcome. John Bowlby’s attachment theory emphasizes the importance of the regular and sustained contact between the parent-infant or parent-child relationship (Travis & Waul 2003). Yet, what happens when the only physical contact a child can share with their parent is a hand pressed on the shield of glass that separates the two? What happens when the last memory of their mother or father was from the corner of their own living room as they watched their parent become handcuffed? In 2007, there was an estimate of approximately 1.7 million children of incarcerated parents in the United States (Poehlmann, Dallaire, Loper & Shear 2010). Of those 1.7 million children, 58% of those children are under the age of 10, with the mean age being 8 (Travis & Waul 2003). The children of incarcerated parents are often moved from one family and one school to the next. The child must cope with this issue in home and in school, and may find it especially hard to cope with during school. Schools, however, can be a safe place for these children. This research explored the psychological effects of parent incarceration on the child, the school-based problems that occur as a result, and what educators can do to support children of incarcerated parents.
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Social workers are well-versed, resourceful, and upbeat in responding to developing organizational, community and societal contexts at all levels of practice. Social workers distinguish that the framework of practice is vigorous, and use knowledge and skill to respond proactively. In generalist training, social workers practice at whatever level is required with whatever style system, depending on the complications and powers in focus as considered from an ecological-systems perspective. The generalist may be working at a particular practice level at a given time or with more than one level simultaneously or sequentially.
In 2007 there were approximately 77,200 fathers and 65,600 mothers incarcerated in the United States (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2007). As our society continues to grow, our jail and prison population are growing as well. When a parent or guardian is taken into custody the juvenile (child) is taken and released to a relative or child protective services. The children are either given to a close family member or a surrogate parent, meaning a foster home. This may have an emotional impact on the juvenile involved, which may lead them to committing delinquent acts. The children sometimes feel they are left to fend for themselves emotionally and the stress of these emotions are left upon the guardian at the time. These intense sufferings sometimes leave the juveniles in a harmful mental state resembling depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and feelings of abandonment from their parents/guardians. Children with incarcerated parents are five times more likely than their peers to commit crimes (Texas Department of Criminal Justice, 2008).
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The challenges of children who grow up with parents whom were incarcerated at some point in their childhood can have a major effect on their life. The incarceration of parents can at times begin to affect the child even at birth. Now with prison nurseries the impregnated mother can keep her baby during her time in jail. With the loss of their parent the child can begin to develop behavioral problems with being obedient, temper tantrums, and the loss of simple social skills. Never learning to live in a society they are deprived of a normal social life. “The enormous increase incarceration led to a parallel, but far less documented, increase in the proportion of children who grew up with a parent incarcerated during their childhood” (Johnson 2007). This means the consequences of the children of the incarcerated parents receive no attention from the media, or academic research. The academic research done in this paper is to strengthen the research already worked by many other people. The impact of the parent’s incarceration on these children can at times be both positive and negative. The incarceration of a parent can be the upshot to the change of child’s everyday life, behavioral problems, and depriving them a normal social life.
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Over the course of the semester, I have learned a variety of many things regarding social work. These things vary from learning how to help oneself to understanding how to help others. Not only were the textbooks very useful, but also the materials that furthered this textbook learning. The in class presentation, activities, and guest speakers gave us insight and a different perspective on the material we were learning. I feel like this course has given me a good foundation and prepared me as a future social worker (1).
There are many models and theories that shape the practice of social work and the ways in which professional social workers engage with their clients. Most of the models and theories that shape the practice are interchangeable and closely related or intertwined ideas but the oldest models like the Remedial Model, Reciprocal Model and the Social Goals models are the foundation for social work practice and the models and theories that govern it. In order to fully grasp the concepts of any of the resulting models and how to use any model in your practice, you as a practitioner must first master the definition and conceptional use of these models in practice.