My Midterm Paper : Gloria And Alejandro Sanchez

Selena Quintanilla was born on April 16, 1971, the youngest sibling of 3, the others being Suzette and AB Quintanilla. Her parents are Abraham Quintanilla and Marcella Samora. Her father used to be a singer for a trio named the “Dinos”, but they faced discrimination and racism because they were mexican. Selena first started singing at 6 years old, when her father discovered that she had perfect pitch and was very talented. Abraham then started teaching his children to become a band, with Suzette playing the drums, AB playing the guitar, and Selena singing.

In an enchanting excerpt by Sonia Sanchez christened, “Norma”, Sonia concludes the anecdote by turning away and never agreeing again. Sonia has disagreed to many things, but not to a drug-riddled woman predicting her kids would make it against all odds. However, if one looks deeper into the text, it is clear the gesture displays the author’s opinion on the blatantly rigged system.

While practicing social work it is important to understand how an individual’s system and environment can

Social workers must strive “for a full understanding of the complex interactions between the client and all levels of the social and physical system as well as meaning that the client assigns to each of these interactions” (Andreae, 1996, p. 605).

In the professional field of Social Work, there are many terminologies that individuals outside of this group may not understand. During the process of assessing a problem in a family, there are different theoretical perspectives that helps social workers understand different aspects of family situations. There are eight theoretical perspectives that helps social workers understand family’s dynamic and situations. These theoretical perspectives are; system perspective, conflict perspective, exchange and choice perspective, social constructionist perspective, psychodynamic perspective, developmental perspective, social behavior perspective and humanistic perspective.

Individuals’ mental status or physical/ behavioral recovery or medical treatment cannot persist in a healthy phase if their social roles in relationships are unaccounted or if their family is homeless, or they are living in a toxic social environment. I believe, even with the integration, of healthcare professional, the primary focus of social work should not only encompass psychological forces, the environment, or the social structure but on the boundary or the relationship between the person and the social

The Sanchez family wants the local social service agency to provide a psychosocial assessment. As a social worker at the agency, they will apply sociocultural and social change lenses. To demonstrate an understanding how each of the theoretical or perspective lenses can apply to the Sanchez family case. To identify their problems, determine their skills and capacities, what they are doing well, how they accomplish it and then analyze ways that those strengths might apply to the identified problems.

According to Gardiner and Kosmitzki (2008), most recently the ecological perspective has become a leading approach towards addressing the relationships among persons and environment. In Essentials of Human Behavior, Hutchinson (2013) uses a multidimensional approach to better understand social work practice. Using this approach, one can analyze the connection between a client’s person, such as psychologically or biologically, a client’s environment, such as families or communities, and a client’s time, such as their linear time in past, present, or future. Specifically analyzing the environmental component, Uri Bronfenbrenner’s (1999) ecological perspective identifies four levels of systems a client may be associated with: microsystems, mesosystems, exosystems, and macrosystems.

As a social worker, it is extremely important to be aware of the biological factors that are affecting your client’s life. Clients could be suffering from illness such as depression caused by a decrease level in serotonin, or a behavior such as increased aggression caused by higher testosterone levels. It is important to understand that because both of these behaviors are caused by biological factors, they are out of our client’s control (Wormer, 2011). However, it is not only important to be aware of biological factors, it is also crucial to be aware of the person and environment in addition to the biological aspect. The specific perspective that includes all of these factors is known as life course perspective.

Hopefully, a system remains open (e.g., free exchange of energy across boundaries). If so, it will have good input (e.g. energy and resources transferred into the system). Also, if the system is being fueled by good energy sources (e.g., higher education and income) then the client will give good output. For example, the parents work to generate income, and in turn the client is able to develop talents and connections that could later be used to further enhance the family’s capabilities to meet their goals. On the other hand, if a client’s work output does not increase the energy sources available to the family, then the outcome can cause further changes in the system, which is referred to as a “feedback loop”. A social worker must understand the behavior of difficult system problems to hypothesize a realistic solution for the

When working with a new client, it is important to have as much information as you can obtain to help determine what services may or may not be needed. The multidimensional approach can assess all areas of a person’s life. This helps the social worker not just look at a single facet, but the entire person as a whole. People are not one dimensional hence their treatment shouldn’t be one dimensional. In many instances, treating the presenting problem will only put a Band-Aid on the situation. As social workers, we should look at the underlining cause of the problem in order to give the best treatment available.

“Aguantando” means holding on. In the very first paragraph we see how important it is for the narrator, Yunior, to hold on to his father’s memory. Yunior lives with his mother (Mami), grandfather (Abuelo) and brother (Rafa). They live in a house where anything of value, including furniture, food, clothing and even Mami’s Bible is stained from a leaky roof. As a Hispanic male, believe me when I tell you there is nothing more sacred than Mami’s Bible in that home. Yet it is clear how important Papi’s pictures are because they’re always in a plastic sandwich bag to keep them dry. It’s also clear that Papi leaving was the

On Sundays after Mass- every single Sunday, Latinos gathered on parks to play soccer and have carne asada something that is very traditional in Mexican families my family could be an example of that. These parks were built with the money taken from the Japanese which speaking of now a day’s use these complexes too and this is where the two cultures met.

Utilizing strengths based perspective with clients enables social workers to focus on the client and family strengths and abilities instead of focusing on the client and family’s problems, bad behaviors and pathologies. The strengths based perspective applies six principles that guide the social worker professional in assisting client’s with the strengths based model; we all have areas of strength, but sometimes it takes an unbiased third party to notice and help others clearly see what they are capable of achieving, even in the midst of their crisis.

Change is a part of life cycle. Individuals change, organizations evolve, and the nature surrounding us transforms through seasons. Whether we embrace it, or resist it, change will occur anyway. The tragedy of some people is denial of its existence, rigidity of their views or actions. Social work profession is especially predisposed to accept and be open to change. However, when working with involuntary clients, it is wise to assess their readiness for change, to learn from them where they are at the present moment. Some of our clients may never go beyond pre-contemplation or contemplation stage. Some may reach preparation or even action. Some may proceed to the maintenance stage. All of them deserve our respect and understanding.