Do not use any part of this essay. It was turned in last quarter. It cannot be resubmitted (no part of it). It is for reference /sample only. Do not choose Amy to make a treatment plan. Choose either Mrs. Bargas, or the Bargas family per instructions.
Abstract
This
treatment plan is for Amy Bargas. Amy Bargas is a teenage girl who has been
under a lot of pressure. Her mother recently lost her job and is now struggling
to find work. Her father had a stroke two weeks ago, which means that he is
still in the hospital. Her mother is worried about paying the bills and keeping
the home, taking care of Amy´s father, paying medical bills, and finding work.
Amy is under a lot of stress due to this home situation but is bullied at
school also. Some girls are sending her texts outside of school, which means
that she cannot even relax when she is at home or with friends. In addition to
this, Amy feels as though she cannot talk to anyone about the bullying as the
other girls will get her worse if she is a “snitch” about what is going on. In
addition to this, she is falling behind with her schoolwork and feels the
pressure to help her little brother with his homework before she starts on her
own. She also has some anger issues, as identified by her mother, Mrs. Bargas.
Amy Bargas Treatment Plan
Amy Bargas is a teenage girl who has been under a lot of pressure. Her mother recently lost her job and is now struggling to find work. Her father had a stroke two weeks ago, which means that he is still in the hospital. Her mother is worried about paying the bills and keeping the home, taking care of Amy´s father, paying medical bills, and finding work. Amy is under a lot of stress due to this home situation but is bullied at school also. Some girls are sending her texts outside of school, which means that she cannot even relax when she is at home or with friends. In addition to this, Amy feels as though she cannot talk to anyone about the bullying as the other girls will get her worse if she is a “snitch” about what is going on. In addition to this, she is falling behind with her schoolwork and feels the pressure to help her little brother with his homework before she starts on her own. She also has some anger issues, as identified by her mother, Mrs. Bargas.
Problems to Address
The first issue to address with Amy is bullying. In the interview with her alone, she seemed to find this the most pressing issue facing her. She feels that she cannot tell her mother about what is going on because her mother has other concerns, but she also cannot tell anyone at school as she fears that she will make the problem worse. Bullying can often cause young people to lose self-esteem and act out in other ways (Hull & Mather, 2018). We see this is what is happening at home, with Amy slamming doors, getting angry, and locking herself in her room. It can also mean that young people cannot concentrate on their schoolwork or look for ways to avoid school to get away from bullying (Urdang, 2013). Again, this is what is happening with Amy. As her grades at school could have an impact on the rest of her life, we must deal with this issue first.
There is also a need for Amy to develop better communication skills with her family. All of this is a difficult time, but her mother is worried about her and does not think that this is additional stress. Her mother wants to help her to deal with her dad´s illness and to ensure that she does not fall behind on schoolwork or continue to have anger issues. Having some form of therapy with Amy and her mother could help them to overcome this issue, as it will bring them closer together during this difficult time.
Needs
The client needs to have contact with someone at the school who can help her to deal with the bullying issue (Urdang, 2013). Although she feels that this might make the problem worse, it is better than leaving the question alone wholly. This intervention does not have to be specific to Amy but could involve whole-school campaigns that are designed to show the impact of bullying on others (Hull & Mather, 2018). In addition to this, Amy needs to have a supportive adult in her life that she can go to with confidence. Although she has her mother and father, her mother is stressed, and her father is ill. I would work with Amy to find another adult figure that she can talk to about the bullying issue. Amy also needs to ensure that she is not falling behind with homework. She suggests that she feels a lot of pressure to help her brother with her homework first, but she also needs to make sure that she gets her work done. There needs to be some form of compromise here with Amy and her brother to ensure that both get the help that they need.
Client Strengths
Amy appears to be an intelligent
young woman who has excellent communication skills in the meetings and can
discuss the impact of bullying with the social worker.
By doing so, means that we can use this strength to work with Amy to come up
with solutions to her problems together, by identifying which issues need to be
tackled first and how to prioritize them. She also appears to be willing to
help her brother out with homework, which shows that she is a caring person,
even if she feels stressed out that she is unable to complete her work. This is
a benefit that can be used to help Amy to branch out and make new friends. She
also has a healthy support system in her mother, despite the financial and
medical issues in the family, which can also help Amy to push through this
difficult time.
Treatment Plan
The first objective for Amy is to help her get a stronger social group at school. This will help her to deal with the bullies better and have some peer support. The measurable objective here is whether or not she has made friends at school. The first action step should be for Amy to identify people in her classes that might want to start a study group. This will also benefit her in getting back on track with her studies and to ensure that she has some specific time set aside to study away from her home environment. This can be beneficial to children who have stressors at home that are challenging them in school (Skott-Myhre, Weima & Gibbs, 2012). The second action step is for Amy to find some form of team or extra-curricular that she is interested in. This will help her if she chooses to decide to apply to college later, and it will also ensure that she builds social connections that are away from her bullies. This may also help her to build self-esteem if she finds an extra-curricular that she is good at and enjoys (Wölfer & Scheithauer, 2014). It may also help her develop a stronger connection with her school if it is a school-based activity.
The second treatment plan goal is for Amy to have better communication with her mother so that they can help each other through this difficult time. The measurable objective here is whether they can communicate and find compromises as self-reported by both. The first stage is to get Amy and her mother into counseling, where they can talk about their issues and the challenges that they are facing together. In doing so can help to improve their bond and give them both a safe space where they can talk about what is affecting them (Wölfer & Scheithauer, 2014). Amy and her mother can also have an activity together that gets them away from the house and the stressors that are affecting them. Again, the evidence suggests that this will improve bonding and ensure that they can be together without worrying about money or her father´s health (Urdang, 2013). Another action step that will help Amy to achieve this objective is to seek a part-time job potentially. This may help her to feel more independent, make friends outside of school, and could possibly help her to relieve some of the family financial burdens if she so chooses to (Urdang, 2013).
Evidence that Supports Intervention Choices
Working with a family on the micro level has been shown to be effective in helping families in need overcome temporary crises (Turner, 2017). The use of a care team will be most helpful in the Bargas’ case due to the several different issues the family is facing at this time (Watson et al., 2017). The members of the care team will work together to provide the optimal level of assistance and care to each family member and the family as a unit (Watson et al., 2017).
Important Information to Document in the Treatment Plan and Why
It is important to document all
interventions and their results in the treatment plan to determine which
interventions are working and which need to be reevaluated. Any progress made
by family members or setbacks to the family should also be documented as either
will affect future intervention and care strategies (Kirst-Ashman & Hull,
Jr., 2018).
References
Hull, G., & Mather, J. (2018). Understanding generalist practice with families (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018). Understanding generalist practice (8th ed.).
Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Skott-Myhre, K., Weima, K., & Gibbs, H. (2012). Writing the Family. Rotterdam: SensePublishers.
Turner, F. J. (2017). Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches. New York,
NY: Oxford University Press.
Urdang, E. (2013). Bullying: A Guide to Research, Intervention, and Prevention. Social Work Education, 32(6), 835-836. doi: 10.1080/02615479.2013.809203
Watson, A. C., Compton, M. T., & Draine, J. N. (2017). The crisis intervention team (CIT)
model: An evidence‐based policing practice? Behavioral Sciences & The Law, 35(5-6), 431-441.
Wölfer, R., & Scheithauer, H. (2014). Social influence and bullying behavior: Intervention-based network dynamics of the fair player. Manual bullying prevention program. Aggressive Behavior, 40(4), 309-319. doi: 10.1002/ab.21524
