Social Work Case Study

During and immediately after my undergraduate course, I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer at the American Counseling Association and as a houseparent for an institution that houses mentally ill individuals. The association welcomes students and encourages them to offer voluntary services while they have an opportunity. My experience at the association, as a houseparent, and currently as a paraprofessional for mentally ill adults and children with behavioral problems provided me with a solid footing as well as the necessary resources to prepare for my career in counseling. The experiences gave me an opportunity to attend several conferences and workshops where I had the chance to meet and interact with other professional counselors. These opportunities opened me up and exposed me to numerous challenging situations that helped me to grow both personally and professionally. Interacting with more qualified and experienced people in the association, institution for the mentally ill, and agency that I currently work for has helped me to develop confidence in my work as I sought their assistance and guidance whenever I needed help. The experiences gained while working at the association was helpful to me as I could apply that knowledge and the skills learnt to help my church members. At my church, I was a youth leader and

Within the past twenty-five years, my life experiences have led me to become passionate about social work. Although my journey in social work hasn 't been something I’ve always known I wanted to do when I was young, a combination of personal, professional, and academic experiences has pointed me into the direction where I am today. As the oldest out of four siblings, my family has always worked hard to get where they’re at now. Knowledge of my parent 's personal; as well as, their professional struggle of not having a college degree has led them to work hard for everything they 've received in their life. Acknowledging what my parents have gone through has pushed me to receive my Associates in Liberal Arts so that I will able to graduate with my Bachelor of Social Work in the Spring 2017.

On a bright and crisp morning of March 25, 2015, I interviewed Joni Roche and learned what a typical day was like for this Professional Counselor. Mrs. Roche has owned her own practice for nearly eighteen years and has truly loved every single part of it. Mrs. Roche has received a Master of the Arts degree and is a Licensed Profession Counselor and a Nationally Credited Counselor. During my interview with Mrs. Roche, I truly learned so many things from different counseling techniques, what it is like to have a private practice and the good and bad things counseling comes with that people do not necessarily speak about.

From a young age, I have always wanted to understand other people’s thoughts and feelings. As I have grown older, I have grown even more curious about not only understanding people, but learning how to help them. With this guiding me, my future career goal is to become an Occupational Therapist. Occupational Therapists work with a wide variety of people to help them overcome obstacles in their lives in order to achieve a better quality of life. I specifically hope to work with young children, adolescents, and teens who suffer from emotional, mental, or cognitive impairments. This is due to growing up in a family who fostered challenged children, having siblings with their own challenges, and having many young friends who could have benefitted

Dr. Edward told me he was a Licensed Professional Counselor, but now he is retired and is the Director and Owner of Restore Joy. Most of his experience in the field comes from New York, where he used to practice. He works out of his home and in the office where the interview was performed. He told me that he chose the counseling profession because he saw how being ostracized affects people. Dr. Edward wanted to make a change in peoples’ lives. He described counseling as combined approach that allows for the resolution of inner conflicts.

Since a young age, I have always felt a special connection with children and how they are affected by physical disabilities and psychological disturbances. In this instance, all I can do is volunteer at different organizations to achieve my life purpose. Helping children feel better has always been what makes me feel glad. Currently, I am in the second semester of my psychology major, which I plan to extend to the fullest. Becoming one of the most distinguished women in child psychology in my residential area, being able to help children overcome traumas and frustrations, would stand for my goal completed. My belief is that every bit of who you become as an adult is because of how you felt as a child. I want to be there for those low-income families with children with behavioral disorders, who are not able to help pay for the consultations. When I have enough funds necessary my plan is to establish my kids' organization focused on helping children with a mental

We have a long history of working with Ms. Kerfoot’s family. Her daughter Emma returned to George Hull Centre for Children and Families in November 2016, where she currently resides. Ms. Kerfoot attends one-on-one and family counselling sessions two time per week. In addition, Ms. Kerfoot attends regular mother-daughter group therapy sessions, as well as monthly meetings with Emma’s psychiatrist teachers

lies not only in his ability to inspire students to want to give back to the community but also in his ability to teach patients to become self-sufficient. As an immigrant, his path to pursue a career in psychology was an unlikely one but is one that is inspirational and can show how social work and counseling are truly paradigm-shifting and impactful jobs that anyone with the desire to contribute to the community can become competent in and passionate about. Rather than pursue money, Steve T.’s journey into psychology demonstrates how a career in psychology is so much more enriching than a career in something that merely yields revenue without substance to what one does on a quotidian

After interviewing Dr. Smith and taking a closer look at why she is so successful, made me understand why I chose to start and finish this program. The mission is the same as Dr. Smith to be willing to help others even when they feel like they are unable to help themselves. Dr. Smith showed me that it takes the strength of God to be inside of you when you are dealing with so many issues on a daily basis. She provides outstanding services to the clients that have mental behavior problems and give them a since of stability while they are living in the community.

Mental and emotional health can have interpersonal, and social impacts; I want to provide evidenced-based mental, emotional and behavioral health interventions within the context of families, communities and larger systems, to children and adolescents. My goal as a licensed counselor will be to develop a collaborative relationship where each client feels empowered to act as an expert in developing effective coping skills, manage anxiety, depression, navigate difficult life transitions, and enhance communication skills and relationships. Reflective practice and self-evaluation will be an integral part of my practice. This also means being able to set my experiences, values, privilege, beliefs and biases aside during counseling sessions and allowing the clients goals and needs to take precedence. In order to be well-rounded in my profession, my day-to-day functions will include, assessments, psychological testing, counseling, personality testing, teaching, treatment plans, referrals, coordinate services, case-management, client-family- community education, documentation,

Our life experiences play a large role in shaping who we are as people. My childhood experiences influenced the woman that I am today. My father was abusive. He abused my mother, my siblings, and myself. Whether it was a domestic assault against my mother, slapping of my siblings, or a daily cursing session, our house has always been in turmoil. There were adults that knew about the abuse going on in my home, including teachers. However, none of them intervened for my brothers and I. I cannot help but wonder how my life would have been different if someone had. Experiencing child abuse, as well as my mother’s domestic abuse, is my greatest catalyst in pursing a graduate degree in social work. Pablo Picasso once said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” Child abuse could have broken my spirit but it made me stronger. It sparked my interest in mental health, and showed me the importance of compassion. I plan to use my gift to help others improve their quality of mental health, and encourage the development of self-determination.

I grew up in a small town in Northern Louisiana called Ferriday. Ferriday is small, therefore it’s hard to keep internal family business private from the outside world. I witness many things growing up in my small town. I witness parents neglecting their children, a daughter being sold by her mother for drugs and money, and many other unspeakable things. I personally went through a phase during my teen years. It was a point of time where I was too afraid to talk to my mother and grandmother about what was going on with me. I feel that I can personally related to an adolescence that’s going through a teen phase. I decided that I to pursue a career with working with children and adolescence. My older cousin was attending Southern University at the time, pursuing a degree in Social Work. She inspired me to become a social worker, after she told me what all a social worker do.

During my time in university, I was very involved in extra-curricular activities that focused on supporting my fellow students. I was an active member and volunteer of the Acadia Mental Health society and I developed a student-run personal support line (PSL). Working with these organizations, I got to see first-hand the impact we can all have in helping to change the way people think about mental health by increasing mental health awareness, providing

Case Study Exercise Single-parent family headed by 24 year old Jane Smith with two children, 4year old William and 2 year old Sally. Jane is currently unemployed and has not worked long enough to be covered by Unemployment Insurance. Jane has exhausted all of her savings, and receives no alimony or child support. The family is temporarily staying at a Salvation Army family shelter, but must leave at the end of the month. What Federal services might the Smith family be eligible.

David has protective and risk factors in his life. One of David’s protective factors are that he is in a good stable marriage. Also, he has seen upward mobility in his employment and had adequate income, even though he could always use more. David has had high aspirations for himself professionally and had earned a Master’s degree.