The Case Study
Monica is a 29-year-old high school gym teacher and is the middle of three sisters. Monica grew up in western Pennsylvania, near the farm where her maternal grandmother still lives. She has always been very close to her grandmother and talks to her on the phone several times a week. When she was growing up, Monica’s father was an alcoholic—a binge drinker who would often disappear for several days at a time—and did not conceal his affairs with other women. Her mother, distraught about her husband’s behavior, was often unavailable to her and her two sisters.
Monica’s father often made promises to her that he did not keep. When drunk, he was verbally abusive to her mother and her. Monica’s mother suddenly left home when Monica was 11 and moved to Florida with a man with whom she was having an affair. Two years later, her parents just as suddenly reunited, with the entire family moving to Florida. Just when she was beginning to adjust and make friends, her parents separated again. Her mother moved to Europe, while her father took the girls back to Pennsylvania.
As a child, Monica was physically strong and good at sports. She played basketball, softball, and ran. She felt the only two things that got her through her childhood were sports and her relationships with her sisters and grandmother. Monica started drinking in high school, but because of her interest in sports, she was able to control it to some extent. In her first year of college, her drinking got out of control and she was eventually expelled. By this time, Monica had no contact with her mother and felt dependent on her father, who continued to disappoint her with his grandiose plans that never materialized and his drunken verbal abuse. She remained in constant contact with her sisters and felt very connected to and supported by them, although they were having problems of their own.
After leaving college, Monica began a life of hard drinking and tried to start a career in modeling. To control her weight, she became bulimic. After 5 years of occasionally working as a model and in sporadic waitress jobs, and continued heavy drinking, as well as binging and purging, she got herself into a rehab program. She has had two relapses since that time, but has remained sober for the past 5 years, although she still occasionally binges and purges. Monica recently landed a job as a high school gym teacher and likes the job very much. She came into therapy a little over a year ago because she wanted to get a job she liked and resolve her anger at her parents. She also wanted to be able to have more friends, a satisfying relationship with a man and have children. She has had many short-term sexual relationships with men, but laments they always leave her and choose other women to be their steady girlfriends. She wants to be the one who they choose.
Turner, S. G. (2001). Resilience and social work practice: Three case studies. Families in Society, 82(5), 441-448. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230160476?accountid=458
Part I: Assessment
Identify the initial need or concern.
What are Monica’s needs and concerns?
What are the blocks to Monica’s need fulfillment?
Identify the nature of the concern/need & decide if work is needed.
Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, are Monica’s needs related to basic needs, safety, social, self-esteem, or self-actualization?
Identify potential strengths and resources in the family ecosystem.
What are Monica’s strengths, abilities, assets, capacities, and resources?
Select and collect information.
How does Monica’s family dynamics contribute positively or negatively to her need for fulfillment?
What changes need to happen within Monica’s family?
Analyze the information.
What additional information is needed to better understand Monica’s situation to bring about positive change?
Part II: Plan of Action
Create a plan of action for Monica’s family.
Goal A:
Objective A.1:
Family Task
Worker Task
Goal B:
Objective B.1:
Family Task
Worker Task
Part III: Effects of the Plan
Determine the seven factors that affect the development of a plan.
Factors Example
The Community
The Agency
The Social Issue
The Worker
The Family
Diversity and Populations at Risk
