Precious does not attend a typical high school, like other 17 year olds. In fact, many aspects of Precious’ life are not common for adolescents in her developmental stage. According to Ashford and LeCory individuals in the adolescence stage are still developing parts of their brain that control emotions, problem solving and judgment (2013). While Precious may be handling a lot of adult situations, there are areas of her brain that are still learning how best deal with these events. As Precious’ social worker I recognize that she may struggle when it comes to handling big decisions, like how to afford supplies for her children or where to live, more than someone in early adulthood. To resolve this Precious and I will be working with her case manager and teacher at “Each one, Teach One” to help her apply for jobs, government funding and housing. …show more content…
Having access medical care, nutritious food and keeping weight under control is important (Ashford & LeCroy, 2013). Right now Precious is struggling in each of the categories. Per her treatment plan, Precious and I have decided she will implement a daily exercise routine as well as establish a primary care physician who will help her manage her HIV and the symptoms related to it. Eating healthy is not always affordable, and Precious is not just in charge of feeding herself, but 2 children as well. During our weekly sessions we will talk about how to make healthy choices while still sticking to her food budget. Precious struggles with self-confidence because of her weight. My hope is she will be encouraged to change her exercise and eating habits if the changes are easy and
Precious’s case is unique and layered with many factors that affect her ability to grow into a healthy functioning adult. It is critical to make interventions that consider economic, cultural, psychological, biological and environmental factors that shape the client’s experiences. Providing a safe environment, and supporting Precious on making responsible decisions for the success of her future are my main objectives as her social worker.
It is of paramount consideration that social workers are conscious of, aware and sensitive to the cultural demands of their clientele. This is because culture is a pivotal factor upon which a great deal of conduct, norms, social connections and mindsets of clients revolve. For social workers there is need to understand and appreciate how cultural traditions influence relationships with a diverse panorama of client needs and demands. This literature review seeks to create a foundation regarding the facts stated above through filtering and analysis of relevant and interesting research studies and works by previous authors. This review of literature focuses on how social workers develop or maintain cultural competence following graduation from Masters of Social Work Program. It aimed at providing answers for further research regarding how social workers maintain cultural competence post graduation. In addition, this literature review seeks to consider that social workers are not enhancing their cultural awareness post graduation as mandated by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code of ethics.
Cunningham, M. (2012). Integrating Spirituality in Clinical Social Work Practice: Walking the Labyrinth (1 ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc.
It is culturally expected that as a human being’s age increases, so does the amount of control they have over their own lives. However, when adolescents are allowed to have too little or too little great amount during their formative years, it can adversely affect their decision making process. In The Walls Around Us, Nova Ren Suma crafted young adult characters who, due to either having not enough or too much control over their own lives, react violently when placed in stressful situations. Nova Ren Suma’s novel centers around three main characters, two of whom had violent outbursts that shaped the events of the novel: Amber Smith and Violet Dumont. While Amber consistently lived in environments that heavily limited her control over her own life, Violet in contrast received relatively little supervision at home and instead governed her actions with an inordinate amount of self-control.
It was very gratifying for me to help and change the lives of these students. With my personal experiences, my passion for caring for these extraordinary individuals grew stronger. My purpose and vision in life are working with children, especially the mentally challenged; to get the help and support, they require to face the difficulties of life. By earning a Master’s in Psychology in Child and Adolescent Development, I will be able to provide the knowledge, theory, and best practices
In case of Precious, corrective emotional experience would include helping her to express her negative feelings during therapy. In order to help her repair her unmet developmental needs and improve her sense of self and others, she will need optimal responsiveness, mirroring, empathetic attunement, and holding environment – especially safe haven where she can freely express her feelings. She will also need good enough caregiver – a person she can trust. After her core conflicts: false self and idealization of men are addressed, I can work with her on developing her true self. I would provide twinship relationship to Precious by emphasizing that in the collaborative therapeutic process we will reach our goal of helping her to solve her core conflicts. Positive and growth-fostering relationship will also promote her individual
At the alternative school, Precious is inspired and encouraged by a very caring and passionate teacher, Blu Rain. She also meets many other female peers just like herself in the program. They all become a support system for each other. Precious learns to read and write, and starts journaling daily about the life that she daydreams about having for herself. She feels as that her body, looks, incest, and abuse in her home with her mother have caused her life to be unpleasant. She daydreams about dating a “light” skin guys, being in movies, and having a very functionally family with her two
Social workers play a very important role in many situations. Most people can only help an individual up until a certain point then they have no clue what to do to help the individual. A social worker comes up with a plan to help an individual that cannot help themselves. Without social workers many individuals will not know how to manage certain situations. They will come up with an idea that they believe is suitable and move on without thinking about it. Social work has come a long way from when it first began. Comparing then and now, social work is much better and very well organized. The people that are in need whether they are mentally ill or someone that cannot support themselves, are being taken care of properly. It is known that years
I also spoke with her about the importance of medical care for her children and how seeing a doctor regularly is important for them, and for her. Precious reports that she never went to a doctor growing up, and her first time inside a hospital was when she was giving birth to her second child. I explained to Precious how she and her children will qualify for Medicaid services, and what all this will cover for them. Precious was very receptive to this information and liked the idea of being able to see a doctor. Another important intervention for Precious is treating her mental health. Precious has been through some very traumatic events throughout her life, and counseling is something that can help her work through the past to develop a healthier outlook on life for herself and her children. I also spoke with Precious about attending support groups which can help her work through these issues, as well as giving her opportunities to be involved in her community. Precious said she would like that, and was very open to this information. I have referred her to a Teenage mother’s support group, along with Survivors of Incest anonymous support
In New York, a minor can obtain mental health services, including counseling and medication management, without the legal guardian’s permission if the parent is deemed detrimental to the minor’s treatment (Feierman, Lieberman, Schissel, Diller, Kim & Chu, 2002). While this agency does prefer to obtain a guardian’s permission for mental health services, this social worker believes in taking a “person first” approach to treatment. Precious reported that she suffered a great deal at the hand of her mother and she did not want her involved in her life. It is not this social worker’s mission to cause Precious more harm, or to allow treatment to be impeded, even if this is an unpopular choice. This social work stands by this decision, because Precious is in desperate need of a safe space to process her trauma.
The risks Precious’ faces currently are being rejected to regain custody of Mongo, not being able to find a job after completion of her G.E.D., and rejection from college. Precious’ drive and determination to reach her goals minimize these risks. Precious also has a risk for having long-term psychological trauma from the abuse she endured. To combat this risk Precious has joined an incest survivors group at the halfway house.
The social workers in both videos gathered information regarding each of the client’s issues. Another common denominator in both videos is that both of the social workers repeated what the client had said in their own words to allow the client to feel heard and understood. In the first video, social worker Karen asked direct questions relating to Mike’s alcohol addiction while also addressing how the addiction impacts his relationships including his marriage. Karen also addressed inconsistencies with the client doing so appropriately and quickly. It appears that in the first video, Karen focuses on the reality of the issue at hand to assist the client with establishing and accepting
Social work practice requires many skills, which need much practice themselves. This needs social work students to be open to trying within safe environments and scenario’s for mistake, such as with their peers and with emotional safe scenarios such as stress at University. This begins with a requirement to do 5 minutes of interviewing with a peer which includes many social work skills such as active listening, encouraging, paraphrasing, being/creating a welcoming and safe environment and other such basic and beginning skills.
According to Piaget’s cognitive development stage theory, people attain different levels of cognitive functioning at different stages of their lives. During adolescence, people develop the ability to think beyond what is real in the present and think to the possibilities of the future (Ashford & LeCroy, 2013 p. 429). They can reflect on abstract concepts. Piaget’s referred to this thought process as formal operational thought. Adolescents develop the ability to cultivate ideals and express specific plans for the future. They also have the capacity to develop clear goals to attain their plans and objectives (2013). Precious is developmentally on tasks, as she he developed clear goals, and demonstrated
Jane Doe is currently attending some diabetes self-management classes, where she is learning how to live with her illness. Ms. Jane Doe’s hemoglobin A1C has decreased after attending these classes and she feels better about her diet and exercise routine. In these classes, she is able to learn about nutrition and how to eat portion size meals. Ms. Jane Doe feels that these classes have been helpful in encouraging her to eat better and manage her blood glucose levels. Ms. Jane Doe has made friends in these classes and she shares her tips with other members who are struggling with this illness. Ms. Jane Doe feels that her culture plays a major role in her diet because she is accustomed to eating red meat. In these classes, she has learned about how red meat consumption should be reduced because of the high saturated fats and it has been challenging for her to decrease this item in her diet. Ms. Jane Doe feels that these classes have empowered her to approach her illness in a positive way.