Essay Instructions: EXERCISE 7- 1: PREPARATORY REVIEWING
1. At 10: 13 a. m. on January 12, Ruth Gordon, an agency social worker received a ?telephone call from a woman identifying herself as Mrs. Nancy Cannon. The social worker jotted a few notes concerning the call on a form entitled Telephone Contact ( see Box 7.2). Ms. Gordon later gave the report to you, the social worker assigned to conduct the initial face- to- face interview and, if appropriate, provide needed professional services. Demonstrate your use of the preparatory reviewing skill by examining the contents of Box 7.2. Use a pen or pencil to highlight information that you, as the social worker, would want to remember for a first meeting with Mrs. Cannon. Use the space below the box to make note of potential themes or issues.
BOX 7.2 Telephone Contact
January 12, 10: 13 a. m. Mrs. Nancy Cannon telephoned from her place of work ( the Capital Insurance Company? phone 234- 6213). She sounded concerned. She said that on the previ-ous Saturday night, her 14- year- old daughter Amy had come home after her 9: 00 p. m. curfew, smelling of alcohol. She says that she ? grounded? her daughter but now wants to talk with a social worker about the situation. Mrs. Cannon requested an appointment for herself alone, indicating that she wanted to sort things out with someone before she dealt further with her daughter.
Mrs. C. reported that this was the first such incident. She said, ? I?ve never had any trouble whatsoever from Amy. She?s been a wonderful child.? She stated that she had not sought pro-fessional help before and that this was her first contact with any social service or mental health agency. She indicated that her husband, Amy?s father, had recently filed for divorce and had left the home approximately 6 weeks ago. Mrs. C. wondered whether that might be connected with Amy?s misbehavior over the weekend. Disposition: An appointment was scheduled with an agency social worker for tomorrow at 12: 00 noon. Mrs. C. requested a lunch- hour appointment, if at all possible, to reduce the amount of time away from her job.
Ruth Gordon, BSW, LSW Licensed Social Worker
EXERCISE 7- 2: PREPARATORY EXPLORING 1. At 3: 15 p. m. on Wednesday, Father Julio Sanchez, a Catholic priest in a largely Mexican parish, telephones you at your agency. He indicates that a family of seven needs help. He says that the parents and older children are migrant workers. He reports that the family had been traveling to a new work site when their automobile broke down. In the space provided, write the questions you would ask and identify the information you would seek as you use the skill of preparatory exploring with Father Sanchez.
EXERCISE 7- 3: PREPARATORY CONSULTATION
1. You work in an agency that serves an elderly population in the community. On ?Tuesday morning, a woman telephoned the agency and talked with you about her neighbor Mrs. Anderson. According to the caller, Mrs. Anderson is 82 years old and lives by her-self in an apartment. The caller reported that Mrs. Anderson has not left her apartment in 3 days and would not answer her door or telephone. The neighbor did say, however, that she could hear someone moving about in the apartment. Immediately following the phone call, you examined agency files and discovered that Mrs. Anderson had not previ-ously received agency services. Use the following space to identify the information you would seek and the issues you would address as you consult with your supervisor before taking action concerning Mrs. Anderson.
You work in an agency that serves people who are unemployed. Your major function is to help people obtain jobs or to secure regular incomes through grants or programs of vari-ous kinds. As you review a pile of intake forms, you learn that in about 2 hours you will meet with an unemployed man for the first time. According to the form, Mr. Gaines is about 47 years of age and served in the Gulf War. He was honorably discharged from the U. S. Army several years ago. Use the following space to describe how you would search for and consult credible published material as you prepare to meet with Mr. Gaines about unemployment- related issues.
BOX 7.3 Preparatory Empathy: Example If I were in Mrs. Cannon?s shoes, I might feel anxious for, concerned about, and disappointed in my daughter. I would also love her a great deal. I might feel responsible for her behavior and perhaps even guilty about my own parenting. I might feel uncertain about how to proceed. I could very well feel inadequate and maybe frightened. I would be concerned about what the ?future might hold for Amy and for me. I am aware that my husband?s divorce petition and his recent departure from the home may have adversely affected my daughter, and I might feel angry at him? on both my daughter?s behalf as well as my own. If I believed I could have been a better spouse or taken actions to prevent his departure, I might also feel guilty about the sepa-ration and upcoming divorce proceedings. I might perceive the divorce as the result of some misbehavior of my own. Alternately, I may have initiated the divorce process and experience conflicted feelings about the decision to do so. Regardless of how the separation and divorce process began, I would feel a great deal of stress during this period. I would probably feel confused about the present and fearful about the future. I might be concerned about finances, after- school supervision of Amy, and my ability to guide and discipline Amy under these new circumstances. I might wonder if there is another per-son in my husband?s life and if there is now or ever will be someone else in my life. I might question my capacity to assume the roles of single person and single parent, my ability to deal with my husband around parental issues concerning Amy, and dozens of other issues provoked by my ?husband?s departure and Amy?s recent behavior. I would probably feel highly distressed and ?perhaps overwhelmed by the events of recent weeks. If sadness and grieving have not yet ?occurred, I might begin to experience them soon. I may even have begun to anticipate that not only has my husband left the household, but eventually Amy will also leave. After all, she is ?already 14. Mrs. Cannon seems to be of a different ethnic background than my own and I am at least 10 years younger. I have never been married and do not have children of my own. Mrs. Cannon may ask about my marital and parental status. Because of these cultural and status differences, she may experience me as unable to understand and appreciate her situation. She may even see me as less able to help her, because I have not personally experienced these same difficulties.
EXERCISE 7- 4: PREPARATORY ARRANGING 1. Assume that you are a social worker in a high- security men?s prison. You share an office with another worker. The office contains two desks, chairs behind and next to each desk, two bookcases, two telephones, and two file cabinets. In addition, there is a small area containing a sofa, two comfortable chairs, and a coffee table. You have a 10: 00 a. m. ?appointment scheduled with Mr. Somes, a prisoner. The topic for conversation is the serious illness of his wife of 23 years. According to a report you have just received from her physician, it appears that Mrs. Somes will die sometime within the next few days. As the appointment time approaches, you notice that your social work colleague remains at his desk, actively engaged in paperwork. You had expected him to be out of the office, as he usually is at this time of day. Use the following space to discuss how you would use the skill of arranging before the meeting.
EXERCISE 7- 5: PREPARATORY EMPATHY 1. Assume that you are a social worker in a general hospital. This morning, a physician contacts you and asks that you accompany her while she informs the mother and father of a 23- year- old man that their son has human immune deficiency syndrome ( AIDS). The physician wants you to provide support and social services to the family after she informs them of the diagnosis and prognosis. Use the following space to discuss how you would engage in the skill of preparatory empathy in advanced of a meeting with the parents of the AIDS patient in this situation.
EXERCISE 7- 6: PREPARATORY SELF- EXPLORATION 1. Assume that you are a social worker in an agency that provides psychosocial counsel-ing services to sexually abused children. You have recently begun to work with Cathy, a 7- year- old whose biological father molested her for a period of 4 years. About a month ago, Cathy?s father forced her to perform fellatio. The incident led to his arrest and ?departure from the family home until his trial begins. You are about to interview Cathy?s father for the first time. The general purpose of the interview is to gather information on which to base a tentative assessment of his potential to benefit from a pretrial counsel-ing program. Use the following space to summarize the results of your self- exploration before the meeting.
BOX 7.6 Preliminary Plans: Mrs. Nancy Cannon . .
Introduce myself, my professional affiliation, and my role or function with the agency. Use ? Mrs. Cannon? as initial reference to her and ask how she would prefer to be addressed. . .
General purpose for the meeting appears to be information gathering. Collect relevant information related to Mrs. Cannon, her daughter Amy, the issue of concern, and the situation. Explore the separation and divorce issue as well as the nature of Mr. and Mrs. Cannon?s relationship as Amy?s parents. For example, are they both concerned about the drinking? Are they both interested in addressing Amy?s drinking; and are they together in their views about how it should be addressed? In exploring, realize that Amy?s drinking behavior may or may not be related to her parent?s marital situation. Also, recognize that Mrs. Cannon may also want help in regard to the marital relationship or its dissolution. . .
Make sure that Mrs. Cannon understands the limits of confidentiality, including duty to report indications of child abuse or neglect. Indicate the mutual nature of this working relationship and invite her active participation. . .
Explore the apparent presenting issue ( that is, Amy?s drinking episode) as well as other aspects of Amy?s social world ( for example, her school performance, friendships, and social and recreational activities). Track the history and development of Amy?s drinking behavior and the Cannons? marital conflict. Attempt to identify risk and protective factors vis- ?- vis the drinking problem/ issue.
BOX 7.6 ( continued) . .
Clarify Mrs. Cannon and Amy?s current household situation and their quality of life; inquire about Mr. Cannon?s circumstances as well. Identify significant others who are involved with the three family members. . .
Explore strengths of Mrs. Cannon, Amy, and perhaps Mr. Cannon. Identify available resources that might relate to a resolution. . .
Explore in detail how Mrs. Cannon, Amy, and Mr. Cannon have attempted to deal with Amy?s drinking or other ? misbehavior? and how they are coping with the separation and divorce. Identify approaches that have been helpful and those that have been ineffective. . .
Explore what Mrs. Cannon would consider an optimal resolution to the problems of concern. . . Conclude the interview with a specific next step. Consider the possibility of a second appointment, perhaps with Amy and Mrs. Cannon together, Amy alone, Mr. Cannon alone, or possibly Mr. and Mrs. Cannon together.
Rose Hernandez, BSW, LSW Licensed Social Worker
EXERCISE 7- 7: CENTERING 1. Assume that you have an appointment to meet with a client in approximately 10 ?minutes. While finishing a brief coffee break with a colleague, you learn that everyone else in the agency received a pay raise of 7 percent. Despite the fact that you have earned outstanding evaluations and recently received a promotion, you know that you received a 3 percent raise. In the following space, describe how you would center yourself before the meeting.
Chapter 7: Summary Exercises Use word- processing software to describe the actions you would take and to record how you would use the preparing skills in advance of meetings with the clients reflected in the following three case vignettes. In other words, use those preparing skills ( preparatory reviewing, preparatory exploring, preparatory consultation, preparatory arranging, preparatory empathy, preparatory self- exploration, centering, and preliminary planning and recording) that apply in these particular situations. Be sure to consult credible published materials when that would aid in your preparation. When finished, label the document ? Preparing for 3 Clients? and deposit it in your Social Work Skills Learning Portfolio.
1. Earlier in the day, a woman telephoned your agency and said she wanted to talk with someone about a recent incident. About a week earlier, she met a man in a bar. He drove her home and then raped her. She thought that she would be able to manage her feelings about the crime by herself. However, she now realizes that she needs professional help to cope. During the telephone conversations, she said, ? I?m falling apart.? You have an ?appointment with her in a few hours but have some time now to prepare. As part of your preparation, consult credible published materials regarding victims of rape as well as laws and legal procedures that pertain to ?date rape.?
2. Recently, a 14- year- old African American girl told her schoolteacher that she was pregnant by her 15- year- old white boyfriend. She also told the teacher that she needs to get an abortion quickly, or ?my parents will kill me if they find out I?m pregnant.? The teacher urged her to talk with you, the school social worker, and secured the girl?s per-mission to tell you about the situation. The teacher did so and arranged for a meeting with you later today. As part of your preparation, consult credible published materials to clarify the legal rights of 14- year- olds and those of their parents in your locale. Locate credible answers to the following questions: ( a) Would a school social worker in your city or town be legally justified in talking with the 14- year- old about the pregnancy and the possibility of an abortion before securing her parents? permission to do so? ( b) Would the 14- year- old?s communications with a social worker be considered privileged in this situation? ( c) Would the teenager?s parents have a legal right to information that their daughter shared with a school social worker? ( d) Would the apparent sexual relationship between the 14- year- old and the 15- year- old constitute sexual abuse, statutory rape, or any other crime that should be reported to authorities? ( e) What do the laws in your locale suggest about the pregnancy termination rights of women in general and rights of 14- year- old girls in particular?
3. An 8- year- old girl has recently been the victim of sexual molestation. Medical ?personnel in the emergency room of the local hospital examined the girl, and confirmed that ?vaginal penetration of some kind had occurred. The alleged perpetrator, a 15- year- old neighbor, is under arrest in a juvenile detention center while awaiting a judicial hearing. The young girl seems to be in a state of emotional shock. She has not spoken a single word or expressed feelings since the incident several days earlier. The child- protection caseworker tried to encourage the child to talk about what happened, but her efforts were unsuccessful. As a social worker who specializes in work with victimized children, you received a request to help the child and family. You have scheduled a home visit to talk with the girl?s mother and then meet with the child. As you engage in preparatory consultation in advance of the meeting, be sure to explore credible literature about the particular form of emotional shock apparent in the young girl.