Write up of the Assessment
Children can be exposed to violence in multiple situations, through media or real life, for instance. P, a 4-year-old child, was in the apartment, outside which her mother fell victim to gun violence – the girl became the incident’s indirect witness. Although P did not see the shot, she is entirely aware of the situation. The girl’s vocabulary and manner of speech are well-developed for her age, and she appears to be rather perceptive. Furthermore, from an educational standpoint, P is characterized as cooperative and inquisitive. The girl comes from a low-income working household and primarily lives with her grandmother, but custody rights belong to P’s mother. She also seems to have a strong bond with her other grandparents. For instance, P refers to her two grandmothers as mothers, which appears to be a common consequence of being raised and spending a lot of time with them.
Case Formulation
The current assessment results demonstrate that P was not gravely influenced by the situation and does not have safety concerns. Nonetheless, children who have experienced traumatic events can experience posttraumatic stress disorder later (PTSD). Learning that a violent incident happened to a close person may be enough to develop it (Klika & Conte, 2017). During the interview, P appeared to lack positive emotions and acted somewhat helpless and withdrawn – all of which are signs of potential PTSD (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2020). Nonetheless, the gathered information is not sufficient to establish to what degree the traumatic event affected the girl.
Intervention Plan
In the case of children who have been exposed to trauma but have not developed posttraumatic symptoms, interventions serve to impede their appearance. Therefore, the main objective is to ensure that P feels safe in her home so that the risk of further traumatization is reduced; proper risk detection is crucial at that stage. Although some children can recover independently, support from family members and others is another essential element to ensure that P overcomes the traumatic event. Psychotherapeutic interventions may also help prevent the development of traumatic stress symptoms when incorporated after a child experiences such an event.
Critique of the Information Gathered on Each Level
On the individual level, information related to P’s emotions and attitude towards the traumatic episode was gathered. SW formulated their questions to constructively investigate whether the girl’s safety is jeopardized at home. Regarding the familial relationships, the interview seems to be focused on identifying dynamics between P, her mother, and grandmothers, as well as the child’s perception of them. Specifically, the interviewer tried to establish how much time P. spends with her caregivers and their closeness level. Subsequently, the questions were directed at identifying how much the girl knows about the shooting and her mother’s state. The meeting also incorporated play and drawing, an age-appropriate tool in investigative interviews (O’Reilly & Dolan, 2015). Therefore, to obtain more information about the familial relationships, the interviewer asked P to depict her family.
The client’s age defined how the interview was structured and its content. Nevertheless, the setting choice, which is also a part of interviewing skills, could have been more efficient. Despite being age-appropriate and child-friendly, the setting (a classroom full of P’s peers) provided numerous distractions, which usually prompt children to disperse their attention, influencing the interview’s completeness and correctness (Klika & Conte, 2017). Furthermore, classmates’ presence potentially put additional pressure on the interviewee and could be the reason for P’s reticence (Klika & Conte, 2017). It is worth mentioning that SW tried to establish rapport and create trust by asking icebreaker questions at the outset. Overall, the interview was adjusted to the client’s age and developmental level as well as methods to collect information.
Discussion of Case Formulation and Intervention Plan
The proposed interventions for preventing P from developing PTSD are based on generally found recommendations. In particular, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines served as the foundation for the intervention plan. CDC emphasizes the role of communal support and ensuring safety in such cases (CDC, 2020). A study performed by Turner et al. (2019) on the connection between exposure to gun violence and developing posttraumatic symptoms assisted in case formulation. The researchers (Turner et al., 2019) conclude that “for younger children (ages 2–9 years), hearing and witnessing gun violence were both related to posttraumatic symptoms, for both, even after controlling for polyvictimization” (p. 881). Given that P is 4-year-old, her involvement in the process was limited. Therefore, the case formulation and intervention plan was not discussed with the girl.
The outlined intervention goals seem to be timely and attainable since it is crucial to implement preventive measures after a traumatic event occurs. Since P. did not demonstrate significant PTSD symptoms but underwent a traumatic event, the proposed measures appear to be well-timed. Furthermore, the proposed interventions are easily achievable and do not necessitate considerable changes or modifications in P.’s routine or resources invested. Nonetheless, the intervention plan could be more detailed and specific. To assess its effectiveness, well-defined objectives and measurable outcomes are required. Hence, the evaluation depends on the obtained results, which should be contrasted against the desired results.
References
Klika, B. J., & Conte, J. R. (2017). The APSAC Handbook on Child Maltreatment. Sage.
National Center for Health Statistics, & Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Post-traumatic stress disorder in children. Web.
O’Reilly, L., & Dolan, P. (2015). The voice of the child in social work assessments: Age-appropriate communication with children. British Journal of Social Work, 46(5), 1191–1207. Web.
Turner, H. A., Mitchell, K. J., Jones, L. M., Hamby, S., Wade, R., & Beseler, C. L. (2019). Gun violence exposure and posttraumatic symptoms among children and youth. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 32, 881–889. Web.