Treatment plan

Mrs. Bargas Case Study

• Client-Mrs. Bargas

 

Problems definition

• In the case study, the major problems that need to be addressed are;
• Bargas is facing difficulties such as lack of money to pay the bills due to unemployment
• Bargas's daughter is suffering from depression and anxiety
• Bargas's husband is suffering from stroke and the wife cannot afford money for the husband to attend speech therapy

 

 

How to identify and prioritize problems

 The first step in identifying the client's problems is to build a relationship. The latter will promote communication and through the conversation, the client will mention her own needs and as a social worker, I will use my knowledge to identify the major areas of needs and addition problems Alio P. (Amina, 2017). Face-to-face interaction will help the client develop a sense of autonomy and she will gain courage and express herself.  After identifying the social problems through conversation, the next step is to prioritize the problems. Note that we may identify many problems through interaction and it is important to address the problem that needs immediate solutions or in other words, urgent problem. Some problems may require a short time frame while others may require long term frame and so I would evaluate all the highlighted problems to identify those that put the client in immediate danger (Amina, 2017).  Based on the identified problems, the short term need is obtaining health insurance so that the husband can attend speech therapy. The second need is finding an appropriate job for Mrs. Bargas and enrolling her family in assistance program so that the family's basic needs can be met. The third need that can take long term basis is addressing Amy's behavioral issues (Mrs. Bragas's daughter). Note that Mrs. Bargas says that her daughter does not speak to anyone, she is not attending classes, she is failing academically, and she loses her temper, among other behavioral problems. Her issue is very important but focusing on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, it is important to follow the protocol and ensure that the emergences are addressed first. Using the Maslow's hierarchy of needs and in the context of the case study, I would follow the protocol of addressing the basic needs and in this cases, access of speech therapy is a top priority. Second, I would address the physiological need which is employment, and third is helping the daughter cope with stressful situations and develop positive behaviors.

How to utilize a client's strengths when selecting a strategy for intervention

 Note that when identifying and prioritizing problems, I would use my knowledge and skills to label some problems as a top priority and other as non-urgent.  However, it is important to use a strength-based approach to allow the client to select the problems that she feel are the top priority. The client may employ some underlying factors and it is important to respect her decision. The strength-based practice is very important as it will promote collaboration and clients will act as a co-producer of support (Manthey, 2011). Also, utilizing the client's strength will help implement the best intervention and achieve better outcomes. As a social worker, I believe that the client has strengths and she can resolve difficulties. To identify the strengths, I would employ the talk therapy and create a collaborative environment where we will identify problems, find a solution, find the best resources, select meaningful choices, and set goals (Manthey, 2011). For instance, I would assess the client's assets, resources, and knowledge and pay attention to the client's current ability toward solving the problems. Since the client says that she can work in an office, I would sport her decision and build motivation to ensure that she achieves her goals.

 

 Treatment plan goals and objectives

 

• will gain employment and live a sober lifestyle
• The measurable objective to meet the above goal is to take Mrs. Bargas to the career counselor so that he may guide the client in choosing a profession. I will also connect Mrs. Bargas to community resources and family assistance program to ensure that her family's basic needs are met.
• To achieve the objective, I will employ the family therapy. The family therapy approach will help build strong engagement with the parent, employ a strength-based approach to evaluate her strengths, and motivate the clients to overcome the problems (Tuerk et al, 2012). Family therapy is the best approach to identify the client's social skills, interest, problem-solving ability, financial resources, among other potential strengths.

 

 

• Amy will cope with stress and create a positive-self-image
• The measurable objective to meet the above goal is to engage the client in recreational programs so that she may improve interpersonal relationships with other people including her parent.
• To achieve the above objective, I will employ cognitive-behavioral therapy.  From the research literature, Rasing et al (2017) assert that adolescents suffer from depression and anxiety and symptoms include a decrease in social relations, poor academic performance, and other mental health problems.  The authors find that to prevent the incidence of these conditions it is important to implement prevention strategies. The best strategy is cognitive-behavioral therapy since it provides an immediate solution, especially to the at-risk groups.  CBT provides the client with positive reinforcement and as a result, the client can manage depression.

 

 In a treatment plan, the information that is most important to document is the client's goal for treatment, and measurable steps to achieve the goals. The information is important in that it improves the client's outcomes, it motivates both the client and the social owner to work hard toward achieving the goals.

 

References

 

 Alio P. Amina.  (2017). IDENTIFYING, PRIORITIZING AND ADDRESSING CLIENT NEEDS: STRATEGIES FOR HOME VISITORS. University of Rochester Medical Center, NYS Maternal & Infant Health Center of Excellence. Retrieved from: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/MediaLibraries/URMCMedia/finger-lakes-regional-perinatal/documents/Prioritization-Report_April2017.pdf

 

 

Manthey, T. J., Knowles, B., Asher, D., & Wahab, S. (2011). Strengths-based practice and

motivational interviewing. Advances in Social Work, 12(2), 126-151.

 

Tuerk, E. H., McCart, M. R., & Henggeler, S. W. (2012). Collaboration in family

therapy. Journal of clinical psychology, 68(2), 168-178.

 

 

Rasing, S., Creemers, D. H., Janssens, J. M., & Scholte, R. H. (2017). Depression and anxiety

prevention based on cognitive behavioral therapy for at-risk adolescents: a meta-analytic

review. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 1066.