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Anger Management
Need help with 4 case work recording week by week base – Provided Sample – This is the format of how it should be done. My case will be done on Need help with 4 case work recording week by week base – Provided Sample – This is the format of how it should be done. My case will be done on Anger Management
Process Recording
Student Name:
Date of Contact: 09/14/2015
Session/Contact # and Location: Session 1 in the home
Description of Client(s): Client is a 27-year-old male who is presently serving as sole caregiver for his 3 younger male siblings. The boys are 10, 15, and 17 years of age. Mr. Brown has been caring for his brothers off and on for as long as he can remember. He has been presently caring for them for the last 3 months due to his mom leaving the home to avoid a warrant for her arrest. Mr. Brown states that he was asked by his mother to care for the boys a few months ago, but she did not give him a length of time. Mr. Brown who is the father of a 1-year-old left his home with his girlfriend and child, and moved in to care for the boys. He is employed full time as a convenience store clerk, has his own transportation, and is presently using his mother’s food stamps to assist in the care for the boys. While all the children are actively attending school, there is some concern that the older 2 boys are in alternative schools due to their behaviors. Both boys have been temporarily expelled from their home schools due to fighting. During their interview they presented themselves as polite and held themselves accountable for their own actions. They also held their older brother Mr. Brown in high regard and stated that he has been the only father figure in their lives, and they have much respect for him. The siblings live in a 3-bedroom townhome within a lower income community. The home was presentable, but could have used a little cleaning which was acknowledged by Mr. Brown. It had ample food, and all the children had appropriate sleeping areas. 2 of the younger siblings, 3 year old and 5 year old was sent by the mother to their paternal grandparents.
Presenting Problem: DCF received a report of unsupervised children roaming the neighborhood breaking into homes with frequent traffic in and out of the home. The report stated that there are 6 unsupervised children in the home and that the reporter has not seen the parent Ericka in weeks. While the mother is not in the home, she has displayed protective capacities for her children due to making appropriate arrangements for the care of them.
Purpose of Session (why is the client being seen): To determine if there is evidence of child abuse or neglect.
Objectives/goals of this session: To assist in stabilizing the family and ensure that they are provided with adequate resources that will remove any possible stressors in the home. This will assist with the care of the children and provide the needed support systems to help them function as a family unit with more successful outcomes. Since mom has left the 27-year-old child with the responsibility of caring for some of his younger siblings, we want to provide him with as much support as possible to keep the family together and rule out the possibility of removal if it can be prevented.
| Verbatim Dialogue/Content | Assessment of Patient/Client | Student Impressions/Feelings/Thoughts/Reactions | Identify Practice Skills/Theory Used |
| Student: Hi Mr. Brown we are with the Department of Children and Families, I am an intern and this is Ms. Cagle a Child Protective Investigator, and we are here to speak to you about a report we received. Client: Are you serious? Student: Yes sir, we have received a report about children being unsupervised, breaking into homes and defacing property, and about heavy traffic coming in and out of the home. This report also states that Ericka has abandoned the children and left them with no adult supervision. Client: Well as I told you in the when you arrived, Ericka is my mother and at the moment she is not here and has not been here for months. You are not the only ones looking for her. There are bounty hunters that are parked outside our house all times of day and night. I have explained to them as I am going to explain to you, I do not know where she is. She called me at my girlfriend’s house one day which is where I was living and asked me to come watch over my brothers. She knows I will do anything for them. Student: Did she not give you any explanation, the reporter also indicated that they thought drugs were being sold out of the home. Is this why your mother has disappeared? Client: I don’t know, I didn’t ask and she didn’t say. Student; Ok, well how many children are you caring for and who all lives here? Client: Me and my 3 younger brothers are the only ones that live here. My girlfriend visits a lot, but she does not live here, she has here own place. I also have a 1-year-old child that is here quite often, but he lives with his mother. Student: Mr. Brown how are you caring for you and your brothers. Are you working? Client: Yes, I work up the street at the Shell station. I work full time, 40hours a week. Student: That is good to hear, but surely you are not making enough to support you and your brothers. How are you making ends meet? Client: The lease on this townhouse is paid up until it ends in 9 months, my mother ensured that before she took off. I also have her food stamp card to buy food. I have my own transportation, and the boys go to school every day with clean clothes. My brothers are well taken care of, this is not my first time caring for them. I have done so all their lives. I can assure you maam they want for nothing. I know it was that nosey neighbor across the street that called this lie in, but my brothers are not unsupervised I work during the day when they are in school and I am here at night. They have friends that do come by but nothing unruly, and they are definitely not defacing property or breaking and entering as the report says. That lady is just mean spirited and want to be in our business over here. But ask any questions you have, we don’t have nothing to hide. But I can tell you this, I didn’t live here before taking over for my mom, but I can say there aint no drugs being sold out this house. My brothers know I don’t play that and especially with these bounty hunters stalking out this house, that would be pretty darn stupid on our part. Student: Mr. Brown you are to be commended in taking on such a huge responsibility. I cannot divulge the identity of the reporter, but it sounds like you are doing your best to maintain and stabilize your family. Can you tell me why 2 of your brothers are in alternative school? Client: They need help with resolving issues without fighting. I be telling them that they need to learn how to walk away. They are good kids, just proud and stupid sometimes, you know young men thinking they got to act like old men, not realizing that old men resolve differences of opinions without fighting. So now they are serving their time until they go back to their main schools. While some may see it as bad, I see it as they are learning from their mistakes and l would rather them learn now than be like their dads learning in jail. They aint got nobody else only me. Student: Do you have any other family members that can assist you with the boy? ,You also mentioned that you are using your mom’s food stamp card, are you aware that this is considered fraud and the only person allowed to use that card is your mom? Have you tried getting food stamps on your own since you are caring for 3 additional household member? Client: What! No, I did not know that using my mom’s food stamp card was against the law, I would see if I was using it without her permission, but she gave it to me to care for the boys. She may have her faults and got some stuff going on, but she cares about her children. I have 2 other siblings in another part of Florida, that she took to their grandparents because she knew I couldn’t handle those young bloods. She is a good person, just made some mistakes. As I said all we got is each other. Student: It sounds like you have much admiration for your mom and we are not here to cast judgment on her. We just need to make sure that your brothers are being well cared for and rule out any possible abuse or neglect. You appear to be handling things pretty well, but we would like to place some services in your home to provide additional support for you and the boys. Did your mom leave any temporary custody papers or power of attorney documents that will allow you to make decisions as to the well being and care for the boys? Client: Not really, but I have been getting them medical attention for years with no problems. What kind of services are you talking about? We good. Student: I hear what you are saying about everything being good, but I have some concerns about the boys’ conflict resolution or possible anger that is causing them to be sent to alternative schools. I also would like for someone to come and assist you with applying for your own benefits to help with caring for the boys as well as look into legal documentation in case it is needed if something unfortunate should happen during your mother’s absence. There is also some budgeting instruction that can be provided for you because it can’t be easy being a caregiver for your younger brothers. So maybe some assistance with how to best manage your money could come in handy. I, myself have taken advantage of some of the tips they give you to manage my own money. None of this is to say that you are not doing a great job with the boys, it is to provide you with additional support to ensure success. Have you or the boys considered counseling, even if you feel you don’t need it, the boys are living without their mother and fathers as you have pointed out. There may be some unresolved feelings that they may need help with expressing or understanding. Does any of this sound like something that you can consider taking advantage of, it can only help. Even if you try it and find it doesn’t fit, at least you tried it and if DCF receives any other complaints, there will be record that you as the caregiver has made efforts to ensure you have everything in place to stabilize this family. This can only help you. Client: Well I can’t lie, all that sounds good, but I want to make sure yall not trying to take my brothers from me. I am taking really good care of them, and all we want to do is keep the family together. I am an adult and very responsible, can’t nobody take better care of them than me. Student: No Mr. Brown we are not here to remove the children, just to ensure that they are safe. Feel free to ask me any questions about any concerns you have about services. As a parent, it is hard to care for children, and I have been in the parenting field for some time, and I must admit sometimes I don’t get it right, but I utilize my resources and support systems as ways to help me correct the wrongs and capitalize on the rights. These services are voluntary and can serve to be very beneficial to you and your brothers. Client: Ok, I will hear them out and I could use some help with that food stamp stuff because I don’t have a clue where to start. Also, I know my brothers could probably use some counseling, but I can’t promise you that they will admit it or cooperate, but I willing to try it. Student: Mr. Brown, I hear the hesitancy in your voice, but also see the love and care you have for your sibling by wanting to give them everything possible to help them. This speaks volumes of your caregiver capacity and you should feel good about your decisions to seek help when needed. At times, we sometimes allow pride to cloud our judgment and miss out on many opportunities for ourselves and those we care about. But today you have placed your concerns aside to do what’s best for your brothers, and that’s a good thing. What will happen from here is I will send a referral over to a case management organization and request that a caseworker come out and assist you in developing a family plan of things you would like to accomplish while they are here to support and work with your family. How does that sound? Client: Ok, I guess Student: Mr. Brown, I can assure you that you will be relieved when you see all the resources out there to assist you in caring for your siblings. Do you have any questions for me at this time? Client: No, not really. Student: Well I am an intern practicing with Ms. Cagle here, who is a Child Protective Investigator. She will give you her card and if you have any questions or concerns when we leave here tonight, please feel free to give her a call. Thank you and if nothing else, good night. | Client appeared concerned of our presence at the door. Appeared to very young. Client was disturbed with our presence. Very surprised of the reason stated for our visit. Client was defensive and bothered. It appeared that many people were looking for his mother. Client was short and still defensive and evasive. Client answered the questions a bit softer now, but still seemed a little concerned and agitated. Client spoke with ease and did not hesitate to let me know that he is doing a good job at caring for the boys and need no help. He was detailed in his explanation. Client was upfront and honest about why his brothers were sent to alternative schools. He did not seem to be embarrassed about it and appeared to have allowed them ownership of the consequences they were having for their behaviors. Client was surprised and looked a bit worried when I made the statement. Client was not concerned with this question. He did not see the seriousness of what could possibly happen. The client appeared to have some apprehension to accepting the help, as if it was questioning his ability to care for the children. Client was still not relaxed and very uneasy. He appeared to be unsure and seemed to think we had an anterior motive. Still seemed to be unsure. | I expected some hostility or rudeness based on his unkempt appearance. Unmaintained locks, many tattoos, sagging pants. I was unsure if I was going to be able to engage this client, based on his appearance. I did not believe that the client did not know the whereabouts of his mother. He was too defensive. But I was not going to press the matter because he was old enough to care for his siblings. I just needed to make sure that he could do it adequately so that they were not being placed in harms way. I saw the client as trying to remain calm, although bothered, there was also some concern on his face and I felt sad for him and frustrated that a mother would take off and leave her child with her responsibility. My thought here is that mom is running due to drug trafficking and she has found a way to assist him in caring for the children. Here, I felt that client understood the seriousness of him not making enough money to care for his brothers, but he wanted to ensure that I knew that they were taken care of. Client was confident in his answers. I was impressed with the client and no longer felt at threatened or intimidated. Although he had a rough 100 lb demeanor, he appeared to have his head in the right place and good morals values as it related to teaching his siblings right and wrong. Here I saw a little boy whose mother left him in charge without the proper tools. The client appeared to be helpless for a moment, and I could feel his feelings of distraught. My thoughts here was client is now showing his true young age, and again shame on his mother for placing him in such a predicament. I wanted to client to buy into the need for services/support. I did not want to take away from his feelings of doing a good job to care for his siblings, but I wanted him to understand that he tended to benefit from a little help. I felt here that the client really wanted help but did not want it to send the message that he was not doing a good job caring for his brothers. I wanted to make sure that I did not undermine his abilities of being and adequate caregiver, but find a way to encourage him to accept help. My feelings here was that I could only relay to the client my intentions to help the family and if he did not believe those intentions were genuine, that was not my problem, but his. While I wanted him to feel confident and safe, I may not be able to do that in this one visit. I understood the client’s feelings. I understood the client’s feelings and accepted them. This wall of distrust could not be knocked down in one visit, and this mom’s actions appeared to possibly be one of the reasons for distrust. He did not want to let her or his brothers down, and would be willing to do just about anything to maintain his family unit. | Engagement, in an attempt to establish a relationship. Engagement Open-ended questioning Close-ended questioning Open-ended questioning because I needed to determine if he was capable of caring for 3 younger siblings. Could he meet their needs? Reflective listening, I wanted to display my concern that client is possibly I over his head and find out how is he caring for these children. Validation of feelings. I wanted to client to know that I thought he was doing a good thing in caring for his brothers and not casting judgment of any kind. Empathy because this client truly did not now he was breaking the law, and was only trying to do right by his family. Empathy Validation of the client’s feelings for his family. Structural Family Theory- focusing on the family structure and organizing interventions. Partializing- taking the problem and breaking it up into pieces. Solution- Focused Self-disclosure is used here to help the client to see just how useful budgeting can be to anyone. Reassurance Reflective listening Empathy Self-disclosure Validation of Feelings Motivational Interviewing Reframing Summarizing Reassurance Summarizing |
Summary Assessment/Analysis of the Session
Identify the stage of work with client/client system (i.e., pre-engagement, engagement, assessment, intervention, evaluation).
Engagement, assessment, intervention, planning, and motivational interviewing to encourage the client to cooperate and seek help
What did you learn from the session that adds to your understanding of the client? I learned that looks can be deceiving and a client’s appearance can be intimidating, but that I must push through those feelings of intimidation and stay focused on the big picture which is to help families. I was not comfortable at all, and this visit occurred outside of the home, because the client did not want us to see that they had not cleaned up and were living like 4 young men. We had to request to see the home before leaving to determine that its environment was safe and healthy for the boys.
What were the major themes of the session? The major theme here was to ensure that the client sought out help to assist him in raising his siblings and to provide as much support to this family as possible in an attempt to keep them together. At any time if Mr. Brown refused help, it could have caused us to staff the case with supervisors to ensure that the children were stable enough to remain in the home.
What were the challenges presented during the session? Mr. Brown’s demeanor many times were hesitant, defensive, and over confident. He was not in a great of a position as he was led to believe by his mother. But he was protective of his family, and one wrong choice of words could negatively affect engagement. By the end of the session however, I had come to the conclusion that I could not be concerned with not offending the client, but more concerned about informing him of his choices and their consequences.
What was accomplished during the session? Due to Mr. Brown agreeing to accept services, this will provide the family with additional supports needed, and help put more eyes on the family in case something is missed during the initial assessment. The service worker might be able to provide intervention services for some things not being displayed in this meeting.
What concepts or theories did you apply? Solution-focused to assist this family by focusing on the family’s problems, allowing the client to have a voice and understand his options, and seeking a solution to assist with the presenting problems. Crisis intervention is also being utilized here, because the boys need more support and services to help them overcome the absence of their mother.
Explain how your interpretation of what occurred in the dialogue relates to the week’s lesson. This week’s lesson was about espoused-theory and theory-in-use, which is people’s belief in what guides their behavior and actions. How I could relate these theories with this family is questions like why is the 27-year-old giving up his life to assist in raising his 3 younger siblings, and what is behind the mother’s actions to abandon her children into the care of he oldest child?
A summary of the student’s impression: This experience left me with the confidence of overcoming intimidating clients. This young man although small had a very strong demeanor, but after talking with him a bit softened, but was still very firm and confident.
Future Plans: My future plan is to learn more about this family, to remove any doubt and place assurance that this family can function effectively as a family unit without the mother’s presence. While this brother appears to be mature enough to handle the responsibility, was he just presenting a smoke screen as a protective mechanism to not let his mother and brothers down? I want to get to know more about his father, their upbringing, the whole family dynamic. His future plans, how long will he stay with the boys, if there is a back up plan should something happen to him. What additional support systems does this family have that is not being recognized or utilized? The Family Functioning Assessment will provide answers to many of these questions. It is a very thorough assessment tool.
