Rape Case Study

723 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of social workers

Resolutions and Options Since rape is a sensitive issue, there are limited options that the social worker could take. One option would be to respect the self-determination of Rose to not discuss the assault again despite the fact she is showing poor mental health. By doing this, the social worker is not fulfilling her obligation to address client’s wellbeing. The second option would be to disclose the assault to her parents in an effort to encourage Rose to seek help. This, though, does not guarantee that Rose will be willing to seek help. In fact, telling her parents might harm Rose more as it is unknown how her parents will react. She may also not be ready for her parents to know. In addition, reporting to her parents can be seen as a betrayal …show more content…

The third option would be to meet with Rose and provide her with information about resources as well as stating her rights while assuring her that she is not obligated to talk about the assault, seek help, or use …show more content…

Although the social worker wanted encourage Rose to disclose to others in an effort to address well-being, it is important for the social worker to not impose her own ideas about should be done. Social workers need to be cautions when working with rape victims and understand where they are in the recovery process. The fact that Rose was able to open up to the social worker is a big step for Rose and should not be overlooked. Her disclosure to the social worker provides hope that Rose may later be comfortable to disclose to her family or seek assistance. Additionally, disclosing about the assault, as mention in the paper, may cause more harm to the client’s well-being. To encourage disclosure may be seen as rash and impulsive on the part of the social worker as Rose may not be ready yet. Thus, the decision to uphold self-determination for the time being, in addition to providing Rose with support and information on possible services is preferred. This option helps the social worker maintain a trusting relationship, uphold professional standards, and consider the well-being of the client without violating her

Show More
Related

  • The Social Construction of Rape

    1580 Words  | 4 Pages

    Oftentimes, the things individuals take for granted as preexisting facts are merely the products of social construction, which exert tremendous impacts on belief and action. Men and women are socially constructed categories inscribed by norms of masculinity and femininity that enables rape to occur. Catharine MacKinnon claims that rape is defined in a male perspective, which lacks the account of female experience. On the other hand, Sharon Marcus argues that rape is a constructed language that scripts the female body. As bell hooks points out, black men celebrate “rape culture” as a mean of expressing patriarchal dominance and endorsing female subordination. In order to redefine rape and to develop effective rape prevention, it is crucial to deconstruct the predetermined assumptions about men and women. Rape is socially constructed, through the ways how individuals possess misogynistic ideologies and endorse patriarchal power, turning the erotic fantasy of male dominance into “reality”.

    Read More

  • Understanding College Life: A Bittersweet Transition

    1408 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to the authors of “Enhancing Care and Advocacy for Sexual Assault Survivors on Canadian Campuses”, “Sexual assault has immediate and long-term health consequences for victims including suicide, HIV infection, depression, and social isolation,” (Quinlan, Clarke, and Miller). Another common side effect these victims face is post-traumatic stress disorder. Someone experiencing PTSD may have random outburst of anger, have trouble concentrating on day to day tasks, or may even have flashbacks of their attack. These consequences make it hard for victims to get back into the normal routine of everyday life (“Effects of Sexual Assault”). In a case at Amherst College a young women named Angie Epifano faced many of these consequences after she was raped by an acquaintance in one of the college’s dormitories. While immediately choosing to ignore what had happened to her Epifano soon became an emotional wreck. Before the attack Epifano had believed herself to be an extremely strong and independent individual. In an article done on Epifano’s story she stated “Everything I had believed myself to be was gone in 30 minutes,” (Epifano). Sexual assault takes away a piece of someone. With their hopes and dreams clouded by the tragedy they have endured, victims face a lifetime of

    Read More

  • Melinda Sordino Trauma

    1526 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Often it isn’t the initiating trauma that creates seemingly insurmountable pain, but the lack of support after.” (Harrell) There is a lot of trauma a victim of sexual assault goes through. This trauma can last years if not dealt with properly, in fact, ninety-four percent of women who are raped experience post-traumatic stress disorder and seventy percent of victims experience moderate to severe distress. Melinda Sordino is also a victim of sexual assault, she’s seen going through the life of a grade nine girl trying to fit into a new environment, make new friends, and find herself, all while coping with her past. Melinda’s distant relationship with her parents leads to her lack of confidence to ask for support and becomes one of the major

    Read More

  • Koss Case Essay

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    While there is no official agreement that battered women’s action of killing their abusers should be justified, people need to understand that battered women are in different positions with relation to justice than defendants in general cases of homicide. Perhaps, victim advocates, the judge, attorneys, psychologists/psychiatrists, and social workers from women’s shelters should consider alternative approaches, such as creating a more comprehensive system to review and assess past cases where battered women have been convicted of killing their abusers from a legal, medical, and psychological perspective. Although it may not be practical to alter the law, it is possible to amend the legal system to support those battered women who deserve more freedom from their abuse with fair judgments.

    Read More

  • Child Abuse And Neglect In The Brandon's Case Study

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Obviously, working with survivors of child sexual abuse, neglect, and trauma: The approach taken by the social worker in the Brandon’s case shall begin with “assessment and beginning treatment of the family because child abuse is one of a wide range practice situation in which systems concepts can be applied to help to understand the dynamics involved” in the road for healing and recovery from the physical and psychological effect of the trauma by providing adequate resources available for counseling and therapy due to the devastating impacts of child sexual abuse can be heartbreaking for the victim and the family. However, social worker approach to understanding and responds efficiently by being empathetic to the complex situation as a result; the perpetrator is the father such as in the case of Brandon (Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen, 2014).

    Read More

  • Rape In The Fields Analysis

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    workers and the position of supervisor is instantly given an incredible amount more power taking

    Read More

  • Rape On College Campus Essay

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sexual assault and rape on college campuses is a serious public issue. Before applying to these accredited institutions most students do not look up the school 's past records of sexual assault and rape on their campus.College campuses have failed to keep students safe the system they use has failed to protect and obtain justice for those that have been victims of sexual assault. Society plays a huge part in how young adults view sexual assault. From young age girls are told “if he’s bothering you it 's because he likes you”, and boys aren 't held accountable for their actions because “boys will be boys”. At what time does it stop being a game. At what age is it not acceptable for boys to mistreat girls, when is the line drawn and, what is the punishment for when this line is crossed.

    Read More

  • Rape In College Essay

    1784 Words  | 4 Pages

    In a study done by The Journal of Clinical Psychology, “the primary reason for not reporting seemed to combine a type of guilt with embarrassment.” With the help of utilizing support groups, clubs, and other programs among college campuses that are designed to make the victim’s experience a little easier, the victims may not feel as embarrassed to come out and may feel safer in their decision to move forward with their case. One of the most notable effects of rape is the psychological impact that it has on the victim immediately as well as long-term. Many victims feel depression, anxiety, and other sudden onset mental illnesses as a result of their attack and can last for years post-attack. The Journal of Interpersonal Violence reported that in their study of 95 victims over a 12 week long period, “by 3 months post-crime 47% still met the full criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.” This prolonged experience of emotional trauma can weaken the person’s overall mental wellbeing and cause the trauma to stick with them for the rest of their lives, especially if there are no support resources around them. As cited in the Journal of Clinical Psychology study previously, the number one reason for not reporting is the feeling of embarrassment which causes the victims to not talk about their experience and to shut out those around

    Read More

  • Oprah Talk Research

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...lly raped at the age of nine. Afterwards, there were constant episodes of sexual molestation and physical abuse from relatives from when she was 10 to 14.

    Read More

  • Rape Trauma Syndrome

    1706 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...f someone who has just been traumatized by a rape or any crime for that matter is a very delicate process and should not be taken lightly.

    Read More

  • Criminological Theories On Rape

    1764 Words  | 4 Pages

    Man charged with the rape of 31 women in New York! Ever caught the headline of a crime that occurred and wondered how a person could possibly commit such a heinous act against another person? This is the job of a criminologist. To study crimes, criminals, victims, environmental and social factors, etc. in order to come up with theories and reasons as to why people commit acts against others (Brotherton). Criminology is not a new concept, but it is an evolving one. For this reason many theories have derived from sociologist and psychologist as to why crimes are committed, who commits them, and other the factors that played a role. Take for instance the crime rape. Rape is an unwanted sexual act performed upon another individual by force, deception or while under the influence of a substance. While most rape victims are known to be women, this crime has been expanded to include rape against a man or a person of the same sex. Rape is not an easy concept to deal with, nor is dealing with a rapist. For the purpose of this paper, rape will be explained by three theories, biological, psychological and rational choice theory, all of which criminologist have deemed are fitting of the crime.

    Read More

  • Rape and Sexual Violence

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rape and sexual violence is a very serious problem that affects millions of people each year. Rape is someone taking advantage of another person sexually. Sexual assault can be verbal, physical, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention. ("Sexual Assault.") Rape is one of the most underreported crimes. In 2002, only thirty-nine percent of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law officials. ("Sexual Violence: Fact Sheet.") Victims sometimes do not report that they have raped because of shame or feeling that it was their fault. It is never the victim's fault. "Victim blaming" is holding the victim of a crime to be in a whole or in partly responsible for what had happened to them. Most victims believe this. ("Myths and Facts about Sexual Violence.")

    Read More

  • Persuasive Speech On Domestic Violence

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    A victim may be too embarrassed or humiliated to ask for help. Being a victim of domestic violence myself, you learn to hold things in and stay to yourself. You feel that if you steer clear of everyone and everything, things will correct themselves on their own. Not true. Accept the help that is being offered, overcoming domestic violence is not something you have to do alone or live in fear

    Read More

  • Rape: A Living Nightmare

    3121 Words  | 7 Pages

    Is anyone truly a stranger to nightmares? Has anyone not woken up in a feverish sweat with a racing pulse or pounding heart? Whose eyes have never wildly searched their room for the phantoms of a dream? Now, what if the familiar consolation of learning it was all in your head never came? How do you wake up from a nightmare that is, in fact, a reality? I think I’m getting ahead of myself. What I mean to say is, I was raped, and rape is a nightmare.

    Read More

  • Marital Rape: An Underreported Crime with Long-term Effects

    1634 Words  | 4 Pages

    Per Martin, Taft, and Resick (2006), most women do not leave their abusive relationship immediately after the offense (Para. 8). Most women choose to seek help after noticing a change in the frequency and severity of sexual abuse, at the point where they felt the husband was going to hurt someone else or she was going to hurt him. Many women fear reporting marital rape and seeking help for a countless number of reasons. Martin, Taft, and Resick (2006) list some of those reasons as “fear of retaliation, helplessness, embarrassment, self-blame, and the belief that marital rape is not a serious problem (para. 8). Counseling is recommended for all rape victims. Per Mahoney & Williams (1998) “raped wives need different types of support than the battered only wife (Bowker, 1983) or the raped woman” (p27). The victims of wife rape need to address the incident itself as well as seek counseling for body issues, sexuality and physical abuse. Two methods of treatment have been suggested for marital rape victims; stress inoculation therapy and cognitive processing therapy. “Stress inoculation therapy (SIT) facilitates physiological, cognitive, and behavioral coping for fear. There are two phases in SIT. Phase one focuses on education and the identification of fears, and phase two teaches patients adaptive strategies for dealing with anxiety” (Martin, Taft, and Resick, 2006). The second method of treatment,

    Read More

More about Rape Case Study

Open Document