The Description of the Client and Proposed Treatment/Social Services Delivery Plan
The elderly client (BT) was referred to Vatsalya Adult Medical Daycare Center for counselling and management of emotional and mental effects of a stroke. BT is a 72-year-old male client who lives with his wife and daughter who moved in to become an informal caregiver after her father survived a stroke. BT’s main problems are significant changes in lifestyle and daily activities after the stroke and the fear of death. The client’s goals are to overcome fear, regain autonomy, and develop coping strategies for living with the complications of stroke (limited left-side mobility, speech problems).
There were no legal or social justice issues and ethical dilemmas involved in the client’s intervention plan. Ethical considerations. The initial assessment revealed that BT has a steady system consisting of his family, physical therapist, and Vatsalya’s social workers. However, BT had severe fear of death after temporarily losing mobility after the stroke and wanted to be able to control his body as soon as possible. The proposed plan included weekly sessions at Vatsalya to the efficiently track the progress of BT’s rehabilitation program combining physical therapy and social work counseling. Occupational therapy was also considered to help BT reach his short-term physical fitness goals and alleviate his concerns about being a burden for his family. The client requires ongoing support before his condition stabilizes and he becomes more independent, so termination plans have not been developed yet.
Interacting with the Client and Demonstrating Social Work Practice Skills
The interaction with the client required the use of social work skills and knowledge of relevant theories. The application of interpersonal skills (verbal and non-verbal) and motivational interviewing technique improved the client’s confidence, while active listening and open-ended questions helped identify the causes of his fear, and focus on the progress. The skills also allowed BT to be heard and feel more in control of the interview and intervention process. Empathy, participation, and strengths perspective promoted client empowerment during the sessions, introduced appropriate coping strategies, and reduced the frequency of BT’s negative emotions associated with helplessness after the stroke (Kam, 2020). Organizational and time-management skills were demonstrated when planning the sessions and addressing the client’s need for short breaks.
A Formal Case Presentation as a Component of Professional Social Work
Case presentations might take place during peer group and agency staff meetings and involve the professional discussion of a specific case. As a type of supervision, the tool provides the social work practitioner with guidance and direction on a particular case an opportunity to employ communication skills (Garthwait, 2017). Additionally, the review of client and practitioner dynamics during the presentation is important for reflection on uncertainty and certainty management, identifying the vulnerabilities of a social worker, and reinforcing his/her strengths (Gambrill, 2017). Case presentation is an essential component of social work as it helps the social worker explain the actions and efforts made during the change process, demonstrate successful interventions, and analyze the causes of negative outcomes.
References
Gambrill, E. (2017). Social work ethics. Routledge.
Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.). Pearson.
Kam, P. K. (2020). Strengthening the empowerment approach in social work practice: An EPS model. Journal of Social Work, 1–24. Web.
Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018). Understanding generalist practice (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.