Case vignette

Instructions: Please read the case vignette below carefully and select two developmental issues/topics that were covered in weeks 1-10 based on the behaviors/issues of this family system. Please follow the discussion prompts that follow after the case vignette.

Jack is a 3 year old boy of European-American descent who attends a local day care center. His mother Kimberley was 21 when she was pregnant with him. She said that she had no problems with her pregnancy, although she said that she and Jack’s father smoked throughout the entire pregnancy. She did have a few weeks where she was sick with the flu, but this did not seem to have any impact on the pregnancy or Jack’s birth. Jack was a very small baby (just under six pounds), but did not have any complications after he was born.

Jack is an only child. His mother Kimberley (now aged 25) works during the day as a nurse in a doctor’s office while his father Brandon (age 28) works full time as a mechanic for a chain of auto shops in town. Jack’s parents separated about six months ago. He lives with his mom during the week and lives with his father on the weekends. Jack’s parents were married approximately 5 years ago.

Jack used to stay with his maternal grandmother Barbara (age 60) while Kimberley attended nursing school. About six months ago Barbara started having more problems with arthritis. She was more tired due to the symptoms and requested that Kimberley find another place to take Jack during the day.

Jack seemed to make a good adjustment to the day care although he sometimes would sit quietly and observe the other kids. Recently, Kimberley asked how Jack’s was doing at the center. The teaching staff stated that Jack seemed on track with his overall skills. He was interacting and speaking more. He also seemed to enjoy identifying and categorizing animals in the books they read to him. Occasionally, staff would have to help Jack with new pronunciations and categories of animals that Jack didn’t readily know.

The staff also said that Jack continued nervous and shy around the other kids. He’s always been somewhat quiet, and easily played on his own. Recently when other children took toys from him he would cry and do nothing else. The staff said that Jack enjoyed bringing cars and trucks in with him that his dad had given him, and these usually helped him to calm down and reengage with the staff and other kids.

Family Issues

Kimberley and Brandon attend couples therapy. Kimberley presents as very thin and looking tired. She is usually dressed in her work clothes because she “has to come right after work in order to pick up Jack and take him to his grandmothers”. This way Kimberley can attend the sessions. Brandon is typically neatly groomed although his clothes look worn and stained from his job. He appears older than his age and seems to already show some signs of graying at his temples. He is slightly overweight and typically wears sunglasses through the sessions. Brandon does very little talking and only nods on occasion when Kimberley mentioned a detail about Jack’s development.

As noted above, Jack’s parents are separated. Brandon found his own apartment and moved out of the family’s apartment about five months ago. Although their first year of marriage went OK, they started having problems over money when Brandon was laid off. Brandon said that Kimberley couldn’t pass up a sale despite the fact that he was unemployed for almost three years while she was attending school full time. Although Brandon has worked for almost two years, the couple has many outstanding debts. Kimberley accuses Brandon of spending too much money going out and drinking with his friends and then coming home and sleeping in front of the TV. In fact, most nights Brandon ate at a fast food nearby instead of coming home to eat dinner with Kimberley and Jack. Kimberley acknowledges that she hasn’t been eating much, but feels she needed to lose weight anyway.

Almost six months ago, the couple had a very long, heated argument. In the midst of the argument Brandon shoved Kimberley and she threw a glass at him, which shattered on the wall behind him. Jack started to wail and was irreconcilable for several hours. Brandon stormed out of the house and Kimberley called her mother. Later, that night, Kimberley asked Brandon to stay with one of his buddies. He got angry again and reminded her that he helped pay off her credit card bills. He left that night. Several days later he phoned Kimberley to state that he wanted his own place “for awhile”. Brandon’s speech seemed a bit slurred while he spoke. Kimberley only remembers that it was “a terrible night for Jack”, but is glad that she and Brandon are in counseling to try to save their marriage.

Discussion questions:

1. a) Identify two developmental topics or issues that can be applied to this family.
2. b) Include a detailed example of the developmental topics/issues you have identified as noted below:

• 1 Describe the family behaviors (i.e. the dynamic of this family from a person-in-environment standpoint) that you believe demonstrates the two developmental issues you have identified in this case vignette as manifest in this family system.
• 2 Provide the rationale for your assessment that the identified developmental issues and/or behaviors noted above could potentially benefit from a generalist, social worker’s intervention.
• 3 Considering your own intersections of diversity with those mentioned in the vignette about this family, what things may impact upon your ability to engage effectively with this family system to address the developmental issues you have identified? How will you seek to reduce the identified barriers to a strong, therapeutic engagement, while strengthening those potential areas that may assist in engaging effectively with this family system?
• 4 Identify what type of social work intervention(s) may be helpful to this family system, anddescribe how you would evaluate the success of those interventions to address the two developmental issues you identified. Please reference course materials or other credible sources to support your assertions. Please use APA format for citations.

Writing Requirement:

Remember to address all points for the two, clearly identified development issues that you select for this family system. For this assignment, focus on family dynamics relevant to developmental concerns and opportunities, and apply learned concepts to the case study at the family level.

Please use a narrative format to answer the questions. That is, don’t simply use lists, tables, orbullets as answers. Your paper should be 4 – 6 pages in length, using 1” margins and a 12 point font. (34 points)