Case Summary
Jane is a 20-year-old woman who was referred to you by the health department at a local college where she is taking courses. It came to the attention of the school nurse that she has been engaging in risky behavior, including excessive substance use and unprotected sex. Jane recently moved in with a friend after breaking up with her boyfriend. Her mother has been in and out of jail for the past two years on drug-related offenses, and Jane has no relationship with her father. Currently, Jane works part-time at a local bar while taking classes, but her grades have recently dropped, and she is failing her classes.
Model: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
The Presenting Problems in the Case Study
The presenting problems in this case study are evident and transparent. The likelihood of engaging in social activities is predictable when perceived as a mezzo or macro-level professional (Mattocks, 2017). This case affects three professional systems: micro, mezzo, and macro. On a micro level, Jane’s behavior impacts her mother, friends, and herself. Second is a mezzo, whereby a college nurse is knowledgeable and caring, which also affects her performance at work. The last one is macro, which impacts the people surrounding her. Her absence from her father can affect the way she relates with others, including her lover, and make her life appear hectic. She might have been under the influence of her mother’s drug abuse. She fails because her mother is in jail for drug abuse and the absence of her father, who separated from her mother. She can experience severe pain from unsafe sex and drug abuse. However, it is not stated how long the case lasted.
The Origin of the Presenting Problems
Jane is going through intense problems that need professional help. She performs poorly in school because of the separation of her parents, his mother’s drug crimes, the lack of relationship with his father, and the stress of work and school. I do not know how long it has been going on. A genogram can give me additional context to determine if the family exists and is a tool I can use to assist her (Marschall, 2022). I can also give her an anxiety questionnaire, which has questions about her former boyfriend, her friends, her job, and her school to determine if he is depressed. Finally, I can determine her allergies using the SASSY tool.
Interventions to Treat the Client
I chose Solution-Focused Brief Therapy as the model in this study. I am confident that Jane has the answers to her problems, but she needs more help understanding them. Another common technique is the “miracle question,” where social workers ask, “Suppose some miracle happens tomorrow, and you don’t have that problem anymore. What can you recognize right away?” Social workers and clients collaborate by asking these questions, attainable solutions, and objectives to help overcome or deal with problems (Okoye et al., 2017). I will suggest rehab for her mental or emotional health, provide other group and school counseling, and provide guidance on a job that suits her. Finally, considering her age and the fact that she is having unprotected sex, I recommend she go to planned parenthood for STDS, protection options, and pregnancy tests.
References
Marschall, A. (2022). What is a genogram? Verywell Mind. Web.
Mattocks, N. O. (2017). Social action among social work practitioners: Examining the micro–macro divide. Social Work, 63(1), 7–16. Web.
Okoye, U., Chukwu, N., & Agwu, P. (2017). Methods of social work practice. In Social Work in Nigeria: Book of readings (pp. 44–59). Nsukka: University of Nigeria Press. Web.