Introduction Sandra Malone has several different presenting problems including substance abuse, two children in out of home placements, a lack of financial stability, and a need for change. One of the biggest issues relating to the safety of herself and her children is her relationship with her boyfriend and youngest daughters’ father, Travis. Travis physically and verbally abuses Sandra in front of her children and encourages Sandra’s use of alcohol and marijuana. This paper will attempt to explain how the systems theory analyzes human behavior, provides therapeutic techniques for intervention, and can facilitate desired outcomes for the Malone’s. Systems Theory Key Concepts and Assumptions To begin, the systems theory acknowledges that …show more content…
The first problem that Sandra recognizes as a priority is eliminating the safety issue in the household. Although Travis does not live with her, his presence is an ongoing concern to the Division of Family Services, her family, and myself as her social worker. Sandra explained to me that Travis does not see an issue with his behavior, and is unwilling to change. The one hesitation that Sandra has about leaving Travis is losing any financial support she currently receives and one of her only friends. I informed Sandra that she may choose to take Travis to court and have child support paid to her without having to withstand abuse; she agreed to leave him. Sandra already confirmed she desires to be a better mother and to get her children back so she is also willing to undergo rehabilitative therapy. She does not feel she needs to go to a full time rehabilitation facility and has agreed to hold herself accountable through weekly drug and alcohol tests. Once her substance abuse has been eliminated from the situation, and Travis is no longer a factor, Sandra can focus on obtaining her GED. The anticipated outcomes are that Sandra will regain full custody of her children, maintain safety within her household, discontinue any substance abuse and develop financial independence. After completing the sand tray activity and discussing possible options this is the intervention Sandra developed for herself. My job is not to tell her what to do therefore I presented her with a few different options allowing her to lead her case plan. I believe that with Sandra taking the lead and choosing what she wants to accomplish will lead to a lasting behavior change. Also, through this process I utilized the knowledge and understanding I have of the family systems theory without telling Sandra about this
Sandra has a life-long list of accomplishments however; her regrets greatly outweigh her past achievements. Sandra has been in a long-term abusive relationship, she has lost a connection with her children and she is unable to enjoy her retirement; she cannot travel or volunteer, which is all credited to her marriage to Benedito. Sandra has been abused both physically and emotionally and continues to accept abuse because she feels that it is the ethical thing to do. This transition crisis may be resolved by a HSP conducting a life review of Sandra by counseling her and going over different options that are available to her, supplying her with resources that are tailored to her situation and possibly assist her in finding a good lawyer so that she doesn’t have to relinquish some of her hard-earned money to Benedito. They can help her to build up the courage, strength and willpower to leave her abuser, one and for
Intervention options include trauma focused substance abuse treatment and parenting with children present. Barriers to this plan include financial issues, maslows hierarchy of needs, if she is unable to keep housing then she will not be able to address psychological well-being. May need a mezzo intervention to ensure. Macro intervention to affordability and transportation etc. Affordability of quality care and transportation/price to travel. Progress will be evaluated through her maintained sobriety, and tracking of skills through the parenting program as well as a parenting stress index, scl 90-r, and
Shaniya Robinson arrives at the County Human Services Authority for her monthly appointment with her social worker. Ms. Robinson is a 25 year old African American female who is receiving treatment for schizophrenia from the adult behavioral health services program. During a session the client reports that she is under a great deal of stress because she is having difficulty adjusting to being a new mother. Her five month old baby girl Shanice is teething and cries frequently. Ms. Robinson is also struggling financially because she is currently unemployed; her mental illness makes it difficult to sustain employment long term. And she does not receive support from the child’s father on a consistent basis. The combination of these interactional difficulties is weighing heavily on the client who reports an increase in positive and negative symptoms (i.e. auditory hallucinations and social withdrawal). Because the client does not have insurance she disclosed to her social worker that she self-medicates using marijuana in an effort to manage symptoms. More noteworthy, the client explains that she uses the same method to soothe the baby by blowing marijuana smoke in the infant's face. It is certain that Ms. Robinson divulged such information for several reasons, she wants help and she believes that any information she shares within the context of her sessions are confidential.
As a social worker it is often complex to determine which theory to employ in practice, each client will warrant for an in-debt assessment of the presenting problem and goals the client desires to achieve. This paper will explore one family intervention model that can be applied to the Taylor family. The two theories analyzed are Cognitive Behavioral Family Theory, (CBFT) and Structural Family Theory (SFT); both theories can be utilized when assisting individuals or families. The social worker will focus on the Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy model when applying treatment and interventions to the Taylor family case.
My first shadowing session was with one of my home based cases, where the clinician I was working with did an excellent job in helping me with coordinating treatment planning and in gathering useful assessment information as this was a transfer case for which the intake was already completed. Consequently, I was left to complete an individualized action plan for the client who was a 9-year-old girl. A therapist’s awareness of interventions forms a vital part of the formation of an effective
In this case study, Laura and Danny have had significant changes in their lives. Laura has now left with the children and planning on moving with them to El Paso, Texas in a month. She has also filed for divorce from Danny. While Laura is making positive improvements to her life she is still concerned for Danny. She goes to collect what’s left of her belongings when she finds Danny in a state of panic. Danny has let himself go at this point. He started consuming alcohol, has not found a job, and is living with no electricity. Kid decides to pay Danny and Laura a visit and he quickly realizes Danny is in trouble. Danny begs for Kid’s assistance in order to help him start a new life. Danny is worried that he will end up alone and homeless
At the age of 14 Emilia became involved with drugs later to develop an addiction. After fail attempts to complete a drug addiction program due to relapse, Emilia want to change her life around and gain custody of her son. Before her drug addiction manifested she spent time with her mother caring of her siblings. Narcotics, prefer crack cocaine, turn out to be Emilia’s way to cope with her stress of being overwhelmed plus the lack of attention she received from her parents. She later became pregnant with Joey follow by another pregnancy leading to an abortion. Because of Emilia discussion, her family refuse to acknowledge her due to their cultural beliefs and values. In order for Emilia to get custody of Joey she need to show that she changed. The first start is to assess a plan to attending and completing a drug rehabilitation program. Making it relevant that she is getting sober will help her in different ways. One, she can slowly gain custody of Joey. Secondly, it will limit her chances of being deported under the U.S. Immigration Law for committing a federal offense. Third, discussing avenues based on her skills and desire for an educational placement program similar to General Educational Development then college or a technical school to learn a trait to find employment. Lastly, engaging in parental classes to establish a bound she does not have with
Family-focused therapy will be necessary to address the environmental influences that shaped her while she was a child, particularly the rules imposed on her by her parents. It will improve her relationship and communication with her parents. However, it would be a better option to start with interpersonal and social rhythm first. That way, she would establish a schedule that could improve her sleep, cognition, and social relationships. Since this is not the first time this kind of behavior has occurred in her life, she needs to sort it out before starting family-focused therapy.
Duty, G. (2010, December 10). Family Systems Therapy. Lecture presented at Principles of Counseling Class Notes, Bethany.
Believing her: This will help with the emotional support, and listing to her, can help her feel empower and that she voice.
Drawing on Padesky and Greenberger (1995, p.27-28), accurate diagnosis and case conceptualisation, here referred to as case formulation, are indispensable for outlining a successful treatment plan and establishing continuous treatment progress. The aim of case formulation is to outline the client’s problems in a coherent and logical manner, while providing shared guidelines for therapy, which can be as individualised as necessary depending on the client’s unique requirements (Westbrook, Kennerley and Kirk, 2011, p.63-97). Even though not all factors were addressed during this session, the case formulation used for this counselling session consists of cognitive, behavioural, emotional, environmental, socio-cultural, phys...
She just began her healing process and started making progress for herself because while he was in jail she had the time to rebuild her self. She is no longer valuable as she once was and has a stable income job as a patient advocate in a hospital which she can provide for her self and her kids on her own now but feels she has an obligation to keep her family together .Should my aunt Christina ignore issue she's been going through with him her whole life to maintain their family together in one household or decide to leave and live with her sons on their own and just learn how to .co-parent. When analyzing the situation through a utilitarian perspective we would have to sort out the choices that can be made for the greater good of everyone who is involved and being affected which are Christina Thomas and their two kids Isaiah and Thomas Jr
The alarming statistics of children that are living with an addicted parent within the United States today has become problematic and challenging to transform. According to Tower (2013) 12% of children that are eighteen or younger live with at least on parent that has an addiction to drugs or alcohol (p. 88). This is not a fixed statistic due to the fact that not all child welfare agencies keep statistical information on parents that abuse substances. Also, some drug treatment programs do not inquire on whether the substance abuser has children (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2009).
Systems approach is based on the fundamental principle that all aspects of a human problem should be treated together in a rational manner (Healy, 2005). I have divided this essay into relevant sections that cover an overview of systems ideas, general systems theory and ecological systems theory. This assignment will also include Germain and Gittermans life model, and it will be related back to the case study that has been provided. Limitations of systems theory will also be discussed.
Critique of theory defines evidence-based nursing practice and denotes the congruence between the data from theory-generating research and current implementation (Fawcett & Desanto-Madeya, 2013, p. 313). Critiques must be non-judgemental and must attain the purpose of extending nursing research to address human complexity and nursing interventions. The writer’s purpose for this paper is to analyze Betty Neuman’s Systems Model Theory (NSM) using the criteria: theorist’s background, major assumptions, concepts and relationships, usefulness, testability, parsimony, and theoretical values in extending nursing science, as outlined by Wills (2002, pp. 118-122). The writer addresses the concepts of nursing, health, client, and environment,