Running head: 1

Joseph A. Cerniglia

University of South Carolina

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Client Information

Colin, a 10 year old African-American male in the 5th grade lives in an apartment

complex off of Broad River Road. He attends an elementary school in Richland County School

District One. He also attends an African-Methodist-Episcopal church weekly, with his mother, on

Sundays. Having been referred by Ms. Cooper, Colin’s teacher, the case manager conducted an

intake interview with Colin on October 10, 2014 which lasted one hour.

Source of Data

Informed consent was obtained from the client and the client’s mother for academic

submission of this biological, psychological, and social assessment. All information which could

contribute to identify the client has been altered to protect anonymity. Ms. Cooper, as part of her

referral, included a referral sheet which contained demographic information, contact information,

and the reason for referral. She also provided a printout of the grade, testing, and attendance

information from the school’s internal database. Other information was gained from the

interview with Colin and a subsequent telephone conversation with Colin’s mother, Cassandra.

Presenting Problem

Colin was referred by Ms. Cooper based on risk factors for underachievement. In the case

of Colin, these risk factors were marked as being academic and behavioral in nature. Colin’s

grades reflected this in terms of a 65-F in Science. Ms. Cooper also made note of Colin’s “short

attention span,” and unspecified “disruptive behavior.” Upon discussion of these issues with

Colin, he agreed and stated a general boredom with the material and lack of motivation to listen

to Ms. Cooper’s teaching. Colin indicated a more relevant problem in Ms. Cooper’s teaching

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style which fails to engage him. Colin dismissed his disruptive behavior by stating he acts out

because he’s bored and is seeking entertainment.

Family History

Colin lives with his mother Cassandra, a 34 year old unmarried female. Her primary

occupation is as an overnight custodial worker. Because Cassandra works overnight, she leaves

Colin in the care of his older brother James who is 13 years old and attends middle school.

James, according to his mother, also struggles with academic and behavioral risk factors. Colin’s

and James’s father moved to Louisiana when Colin was 1 year old and although Colin has never

met nor spoken with his father, he stated that he believes his mother still has contact with him.

Colin’s extended family live in Arizona and Nevada with the exception of one aunt who watches

Colin and James on occasion.

Client History

Colin was born in Arizona in 2004 and lived there until the time he was 1 when his

parents separated and his family moved to South Carolina. He has lived in a variety of areas of

Columbia in apartment complexes in multiple school districts. From the ages of 2-4 he attended

preschools on a consistent basis and began primary school at the age of 5.

At the age of 5, Colin was in an automobile accident for which he was not seriously

injured but his brother suffers from some unspecified long-term health effects that require twice-

weekly physical therapy. From a medical perspective, Colin has had no major illnesses and stated

that he has not often been sick. Colin has never seen a professional psychiatrist or psychologist

and has had no referrals to the school psychologist for evaluation. There are no indicators in his

school record or from his mother that suggest a history of psychiatric maladaptation.

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Intellectually and educationally, Colin’s 1st through 4th grade report cards have been

middling; hovering between high D grades and low B grades. No discernible patterns with

regards to subject deficiency are identifiable. This may lead to the conclusion that he struggles to

thrive equally with all subject matters or the struggle is unrelated to any specific subject matter.

Colin’s test scores, to date, express above-average percentile scores.

Colin has had some behavioral incidents which may indicate a short-temper and

maladaptive emotional functioning. His mother expressed concern about anger issues and an

inability to cope effectively with stress. Colin did acknowledge this problem and said that he

does sometimes get angry. This anger has manifested itself in uncontrolled rage-type behavioral

functioning in the past.

He lived under low socioeconomic status his entire life. Colin has witnessed violence in a

previous apartment complex which prompted Cassandra to move to their current residence. Colin

stated that two men broke into a female neighbor’s apartment and assaulted the woman which

resulted in her death. Colin and James were home at the time, could hear the woman screaming,

and James called the police. Colin indicated that although the event was troublesome, he would

usually “try not to think about it very much.”

Current Situation

Colin appears to be a physically healthy functioning boy. He eats at least two meals 5

days a week and appears to be within the range of normal height and weight for his age. Colin

indicated that it bothers him that his mother sleeps the majority of the day and he enjoys when

his aunt comes to visit because she spends time with him. Colin also reflected that, although he

enjoys playing sports with his brother and other neighborhood children, his mother does not like

for him to do so for fear of neighborhood violence. Colin receives medical insurance through

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Medicaid but stated that he does not go to the doctor very often because his mother cannot get

off work to take him. Colin is eligible for free lunch through the Federal Free or Reduced Priced

Lunch Program. Cassandra also receives the Earned Income Tax Credit and Supplemental

Nutritional Assistance Program and Section 8 Housing funds. Colin lives less than 2 blocks away

from the school so his mother walks him to school every morning and waits for the school to

open at 7am when Colin can eat school-provided breakfast. (See Appendices A and B for eco-

map and genogram.)

Emotionally, Colin lacks effective coping strategies for dealing with his anger and this

bottling and exploding pattern limits his functioning. Cassandra believes he harbors repressed

feelings about his father’s absence and the traumas he has faced. These traumas include his car

accident in which he witnessed his brother becoming seriously injured and nearly dying, the

violent death of their neighbor, and his father’s physical abuse of Cassandra.

Colin’s spiritual function appears to be mostly superfluous as evidenced by his lack of

understanding of the purpose of church. He expressed a disdain for attendance at church due to

its length and its failure to capture his attention. Cassandra described their church involvement as

central to their lives and vital to their overall well-being.

Assessment

Colin’s presenting problem is poor academic performance which is attributable to a lack

of motivation and attention-seeking behaviors. Colin has a challenging relationship with Ms.

Cooper because she fails to engage him on an intellectual level. Although Colin and his mother’s

relationship is weak due to her work schedule and lack of sleep, the time they spend together is

positive. James appears to be a strong influence on Colin as well as their aunt who takes on many

of the parental responsibilities. The family suffers from low socioeconomic status and is

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exacerbated by Cassandra’s work schedule. The low income forces them to live in an area high in

crime and presents ecological factors unconducive to adequate achievement on the part of Colin.

Colin struggles to self-actualize because, although the majority of his basic needs are met

through social services, he lacks safety, love and belonging, and esteem. Within the school

environment, he has not received effective intervention to determine specific, measurable,

attainable, realistic, and time-oriented goals. Ms. Cooper’s teaching, although it may meet the

state’s requirements, is not meeting Colin’s educational needs. And at a macro level, Colin is a

victim of a system made up of a contingent workforce wherein his mother struggles to achieve

financial success due to racial and class barriers. Colin is further victimized by poverty as

violence both in terms of the human right to social justice and the reality that his environment is

physically unsafe because of economic conditions.

Strengths

Colin strengths lie in his enormous intellectual potential that, if appropriately fostered, far

exceeds his peers. Colin also has the benefit of a mother who displays tenacity in her desire to

provide for her family and a familial support system in his aunt. Strengths also lie in the school

that provides Colin with a consistent breakfast and lunch, maintains his safety during the day,

and compels a social network from which Colin benefits. Colin’s mother has been able to access

the state social resources, however limited, to provide Colin with healthcare and supplemental

nutritional assistance.

Problem List

Colin’s relevant problems are as follows:

Lack of consistent, appropriate adult supervision in his home environment

Difficulty self-motivating to complete homework assignments

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Underachievement in academic measured outcomes

Interpersonal conflict with teacher, Ms. Cooper

Distraction from other students in classroom

Family’s lack of adequate economic resources

Uncontrolled expression of anger in violent/destructive ways

Repressed traumatic experiences

Negative effect of spiritual guidance and lack of control over his own spirituality

Planning, Implementation, Evaluation, and Termination

Colin’s individualized student plan (ISP) or intervention plan will approach mitigating

Colin’s risk factors from a holistic, ecosystems approach. This will include weekly one-on-one

motivational interviewing, a monthly, facilitated meeting with Colin, Ms. Cooper, and the case

manager, and quarterly resource assessments with Cassandra.

The weekly motivational interviews will focus on building on Colin’s strength of capacity

for learning. Colin and his case manager will work to develop goals together to meet his markers

for improved functioning in addition to measured outcomes from the school and/or teacher.

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These goals will be as follows:

Goal Objectives toward Goal

Measurement Completion Date

Improve grade in science by 10 points

Graded outcome 2nd Quarter Report Card

Complete all homework on a nightly basis and ask Aunt

“Check and Connect” Homework section

Weekly

Study 1 hour per week towards test

“Check and Connect” Study section

Weekly

Improve interpersonal relationship with Ms. Cooper

Behavioral incidents

2nd Quarter Report

Work towards reducing talking with other classmates at inappropriate times

“Check and Connect” Behavior section

Weekly

Raise hand to answer questions in class at least 2 times per day

“Check and Connect” Behavior section

Weekly

Spend quality time with mother

Plan 1 day per month for Cassandra and Colin to go to the park and walk and talk.

Monthly

During monthly meetings facilitated by the case manager, Ms. Cooper will address her

assessment of Colin’s progress towards the established goals and Colin will express his self-

assessment of his progress. The facilitator will work to ensure appropriate positive and

constructive feedback on the part of both Ms. Cooper and Colin. The facilitator will also work to

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ensure Ms. Cooper’s recommended additional goals meet markers as specific, measurable,

attainable, realistic, and time-oriented.

Finally, the case manager will meet quarterly with Cassandra to discuss Colin’s progress

towards his goals and assess Cassandra’s access to adequate resources. This will take the form of

referrals to other resources, assistance in filling out forms, and contacting other social workers to

consult with to meet Cassandra’s needs so that she can more adequately meet Colin’s needs.

This intervention plan will be evaluated on a quarterly basis to determine if

improvements are being made in the measured outcomes of academic performance and

behavioral incidences. If the plan does not appear to be improving measured outcomes, a

reassessment will take place and a new plan will be determined. The success or inadequacy of

this intervention plan will be measured based on the client’s self-assessment, Ms. Cooper’s

assessment, Cassandra’s assessment, and the Case manager’s assessment on a quarterly basis.

Termination with the case manager will take place at the end of the 2014-2015 academic

year. Prior to termination, Colin will receive counseling about his progress and recommendations

about continuing progress. Colin may benefit from continued support through Communities in

Schools and, in that case, a new case manager will be assigned for the 2015-2016 academic year.

The case manager will conduct a final interview with Colin terminating service and expressing

the case manager’s appreciation of Colin’s strengths, areas for possible continued improvement,

and the case manager’s personal desire for Colin’s maximal success.

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Self-Assessment

Skills

I recognized a strong ability to connect with the client despite initial reservations about

this possibility. The areas wherein I successfully demonstrated skills include but are not limited

to:

Viewed myself as a learner and client as teacher

Critiqued and applied knowledge to understand Colin in his environment

Collected, interpreted, and organized relevant data

Used empathy and active listening skills

Critically analyzed possible interventions

Strengths

The practical application of these skills towards a real individual demonstrates a grasp of

the theoretical concepts and an excellence in communicating those applied concepts in written

form. The recognition of the factors of diversity and the injustices and oppressions those bring is

integral to that of an effective, well-rounded social worker. And, the combination of these

knowledge, values, and skills in a practically applicable form is indicative of a productive

undergraduate education from which reasonable gains have been drawn.

Limitations

I lack complete cultural competence in that I have never personally experienced the same

or in some cases similar factors of oppression. Recognizing this limitation is one step towards

mitigating the shortcomings but does not fully address the power relationship between myself

and the client. I am compelled by anti-oppressive practice to focus more completely on an

empowerment approach that purposefully and mindfully addresses this barrier. I also require

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continued education on available resources for clients experiencing poverty and means of

effective interventions for a family under these conditions.

Areas for Improvement

It is imperative, in order to achieve competence as a professional social worker, that I

thoroughly research anti-oppressive practices and work diligently to implement the evidence-

based approaches therein. Furthermore, a more specific understanding of empowerment and its

enactment is relevant and appropriate as an additional area of study. The strengths I have

demonstrated in applying knowledge and values should aid in this endeavor and provide a

foundation for overall improvement and advancement on individual and practice levels.

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Appendix A: Eco-map

Key:

Named relationship

Strong relationship

Tenuous relationship

Direction of influence

Eco-map Summary

Colin’s main sources of ecosystems interaction are the school environment which

includes his teacher, Communities in Schools, and his friends and his family environment which

includes his mother, brother, and aunt as major ecological systems. His family is mostly mutual

directed with the exception of his mother who mostly detracts from his healthy functioning. The

school environment is a negative influence and largely tenuous. Communities in Schools,

however, does offer positive benefit.

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Appendix B: Genogram

Key:

Female

Male

Marriage

Divorce/Separation

Genogram Summary

Colin has one brother and no other siblings. His mother experienced separation from

Colin’s father. Colin’s extended family includes his Aunt Colleena, Cassandra’s younger sister.

Colin’s maternal grandparents are both deceased prior to his birth and he has no knowledge of

any of his paternal family members including no contact with his father.

Age

Age