A Supportive Social Work

Having a child given a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a very stressful event for parents. It is imperative to understand that there is much that can be done for both parent and the child. From the current literature we know that parents of children diagnosed with autism worry about many things like lifetime dependency to family dissonance. We know that these parents are distressed and angry, the parents of children with more unusual behaviors feel a lot more stressed than the parents of children with fewer unusual behaviors. However, having a strategy to approach it correctly and to get the best possible help for your child is probably the most important step, one can take to relieve stress and to aid the child’s development.

therapeutic support no one else would. That was my catalyst to risk take in hopes of increasing the chance of recovery. All of mankind need s sense of support and hope for survival.

A child’s diagnoses of autism affects the every member of a family. Parents or guardians must place their full attention on helping their child with autism. This may cause marriage problems or stress on other children, work, responsibilities, finances etc. They must shift their focus to their child and also provide money and time for treatments. Although the child may never have to feel

Some days you ask yourself why you do the job that you do. Some days you ask yourself why you stay in the field that you’re in. Most days you ask yourself “Is it really all worth it?” On occasion, there are the days that you get your answer to all of those questions. From the domestic violence victim that is now divorced and happy, this is why you do it. Because of the foster child who is now adopted and loved by his forever family, that’s why you stay in the field. From the veteran suffering from PTSD and depression who also attempted suicide but now is healthy, happy and alive, yes it is definitely all worth it. These are just a few reasons why you love what you do. These are all the reasons why I choose to become a social worker.

Kathleen M. Gilbert is a social worker for Little Flower Children and Family Services in Jamaica, New York. Ms. Gilbert works in the mental health field of social work as a psychotherapist part time where she provides counseling and emotional support on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays in the late afternoons and evenings. Alongside social work, Ms. Gilbert is an instructor at Nassau Community College. She has been employed at Nassau Community College and Little Flower Children and Family for ten years. She found out about the agency through a friend that was already in the business of social work. Beginning her college experience, she started out double majoring in both the field of public health and French, after her bachelors she was able to receive her master’s in public health. Desiring a change, she got her masters in social work and was grandfathered in as a LCSWR. At one point, she was also grandfathered in to be a CASAC, which is a credential for substance abuse and alcohol counseling, and aided clients through all aspects of addiction and dependency. Her time as a CASAC was done through a community organization and she was the chairperson of the Brooklyn committee of alcoholism. Aside from providing psychotherapy services, she also gives referrals for adjunct services and makes home visits. Although she is no longer in the public health field directly, she has used her knowledge of counseling and education in public health to aid her in social work.

qualified to wait until I have obtained my certificate and have the tool of higher education under my belt. The specifics of what exactly I hope to accomplish by jumping as far as I possibly can in my professional life are to simply be the best social worker for addicts and their families that I can possibly be. The issues plaguing these people and their families are catastrophic, and I understand firsthand how damaging and divisive the effects can be. If I can help even one family understand and shape their family environment into a safer and more constructive one and to give back to even just a single individual who needs the kind of guidance and support that I needed (and thankfully received), then my life will be more than well-lived. However,

The profession I am going to base this essay on is Social Work. The standards that this line of work follows are set by the Health and Care Professional Council (HCPC). Social workers have to follow these standards so they can provide the best possible care and enable the HCPC to see where improvements are needed to prevent serious issues from arising. Social workers have to follow a number of different acts as part of their job, these are learnt when they complete the initial training. It is compulsory for social workers to complete a certain amount of hours of training each year; this is to ensure they are kept up to date on all the standards and changed in procedures and also to make sure they can provide the best possible care to the

Safety - information must be kept confidential for safety reasons. For example, a service user’s wellbeing might be in danger as this may be reason that they have been put in our care to protect them from their family or friend.

As there are no specific guidelines for parenting, nothing can prepare a parent to receive a first medical diagnosis of their child’s autism. . The burden that parents experience when receiving the diagnosis depends on the following: level of severity; level of the child’s dependency and intensity of needed care; the support that is available to the parents from their close environment; the parents negative views on caring for a child with ASD; negative view on the diagnostic process; levels of passive avoidant coping strategies (Stuart, & McGrew, 2008).

From this chapter there are people who assume and have misunderstandings about people who have disabilities. Social workers need to focus on the strengths and the individual needs of someone who has a disability. Social workers need to use service provisions and client self-determination to the fullest. Developmental disabilities are severe and chronic.

A pilot study by McLeod (1999) over three years, with a sample of eight adults, using case studies and both qualitative and quantitative methods of research (including questionnaires, interviews and follow-up) described parents of individuals on the Autism spectrum, as ‘the

Parents of children with autism often suffer from stress and anxiety. Dealing with children with autism places extraordinary demands on the shoulder of parents that can be added over the usual parental daily work and responsibilities. Compounding the needs and work load of the family members to the responsibilities of raising a child with autism can be multiplied and easily create a hectic situation where parents feel the pressure under such circumstances and suffer psychological symptoms that can be overwhelming to both parents and siblings of children with autism.

Paikea’s grandfather was very excited about the fact that her twin brother was to be born, as he was a first-born son. In the Maori tribe, it is the first-born son in each generation who can become chief of the tribe when the time comes. When Paikea’s brother died during childbirth, her father left her with her grandparents. Although it is not stated in the movie, it seems as if her father has left the tribe due to discourse between himself and his father the tribe chief. Her grandfather was resentful towards her for being the one

Parents aren’t alone with financial issues within the autism society, and there are many organizations that can help the families with financial services, and offering scholarships, etc. The key is the parents accessing the community networks and begin to educate themselves on all things available in their particular area. Many pediatricians are now becoming more aware to what is available in their particular area, however, if not, the family will have to pursue and educate themselves on items necessary to help and support a child with autism. The family issues with the financial structure, is often the last resort. Families experience deep frustration, family values shifted and the ability to deal with life with the autistic child and the demands of

The main element that drew me to the profession of social work was the diverse opportunities available. Social work is a very flexible field that consists of many different components such as family and child welfare, poverty and inequality, and substance abuse/