To protect the client’s - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

To protect the client’s privacy, Maria and Jose Hernandez are fictitious names given to a Latino family experiencing homelessness. The images used in this presentation are not actual representations of the client. (NASW Code of Ethics, 2008)

Hernandez Family Case

Ted L Pittman

University of North Carolina at PembrokeSlide2

Jose lives with his biological mother, Maria, who has legal custody. Maria and Jose’s father are married but have been separated for nearly 2 years and there are no other children. Jose enjoys spending time with his father who lives in Charleston, SC but does not have frequent visitations with him. Maria has a live-in boyfriend who resides with her and Jose in a dilapidated motel. The only way for school personnel to contact Maria by phone was to call her on the job and she often did not return calls. Once, when the school administrator phoned her concerning Jose’s problematic behavior and poor academic performance, Maria was disrespectful, argumentative and verbally abusive. Maria is a high school graduate, an Army veteran and is currently working at a fast food restaurant. Maria has not maintained close ties with family members; so, there is no family support structure in place and she does not have any transportation.

Family CompositionSlide3

Maria began receiving regular prenatal care between weeks 3-4 of the first trimester. There were not any medications given and there were no complications during pregnancy. Jose underwent a normal childbirth without any complications. His childhood development was normal and free from major medical problems; apparently, there are no current medical issues.Medical HistorySlide4

Jose has attended the same school since 1st grade. He experienced minor separation problems upon starting school, but soon adjusted. His academic performance was average and there were no significant social and emotional concerns until his parents separated. He has not been retained and has never been evaluated for Exceptional Children Services. Currently, there are not any attendance issues, but he has been tardy several times.School HistorySlide5

Maria’s greatest concern is Jose’s angry and defiant behavior at home. His teacher also reported that he has become more disruptive in the classroom. He sometimes throw objects, push desks around, bully students and is argumentative. He has been assigned to in-school suspension several times and was also placed on out-of-school suspension. Maria states that when Jose spends time with his father, he is happy and behaves more sociably. Jose said that he is ashamed of living in a motel and was concerned that other students would pick on him about it. It is also not clear if he gets along with Maria’s boyfriend. According to Maria, Jose has not witnessed or experienced violence and he has not expressed any suicidal ideation.Social ▪ Behavioral ▪ EmotionalSlide6

Jose’s case was presented before the Student Services Team. It was discovered that his disruptive behavior intensified during the period of instruction for literacy. The guidance counselor suggested that literacy lessons may be a trigger. The intervention put in place was to give literacy assignments in smaller chunks to help Jose succeed academically. The school social worker referred Jose to mental health for a behavioral evaluation. The worker also provided transportation for Maria and Jose to a community agency to assist the family in finding housing. Recently, the Hernandez family moved into permanent housing and Jose transferred to another school within that district.Recommendations & 0utcomesSlide7

BiasesAssumptions were that Maria would not be willing to disclose and discuss issues affecting the family to a new worker. There was also the predisposition that religious beliefs, customs and traditions might be a hindrance to gathering sensitive information.Life Shaping ExperiencesMaria comes from a dysfunctional family and to make things worse, within the last few years family relations have diminished. There are also difficult issues that influenced Maria’s separation from Jose’s father. Consequently, Jose’s life has been negatively impacted

as a

result of the challenges and difficulties that his parents have encountered.

CommentarySlide8

Staff InterventionsJose’s case was referred to the Student Services Team. The SST recommended that his lessons be modified and referred him to mental health for a behavioral assessment. The school counselor established a two-way consent with the mental health so that school personnel could be made aware of the outcome of his evaluation. Based on findings through mental health, school personnel could then make changes if necessary to enhance interventions for Jose’s social, behavior and emotional concerns in the school environment. CommentarySlide9

RecommendationsAssign a mentor to Jose and provide one-on-one tutoring. In addition, offer small group activities for coping skills. Encourage Maria to seek counseling to help with personal emotional needs. Also, advocate for her to seek higher education and training to enhance the opportunity for more financial earnings.Seek funds to employ additional personnel so that service delivery can be expedited for difficult cases such as this.

CommentarySlide10

Intern’s ern’sResearch Application

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

One must satisfy lower level basic needs before progressing on to meet higher level growth needs. Once these needs have been reasonably satisfied, one may be able to reach the highest level

which is referred to as

self-actualization.

Our

society rewards motivation based on esteem, love and other social needs. Every person has the desire to move up. Sadly, progress is often disrupted by failure to meet lower level needs. Life experiences

including marital separation, divorce and homelessness

may cause a

family

to fluctuate between levels

. The good news is that conditions can be improved through the collaborative efforts of committed service providers. This is the dilemma of the Hernandez family.Slide11

The End