Buy an essay on Helping Callie – a case study

This case deals with problems with troubled children, that requires social services that can be provided by special teams of specialists. Effective teams are essential components of successful work with troubled and troubling youth, because effective teams and team learning have good opportunity to achieve the results it seeks. (Harper)
The high efficiency of such work can be explained by that effective team is a group of very talented and dedicated individuals, who meet together for a common purpose: to work as a team for studying and solving special questions and problems. The team usually consists of teachers, child care workers, parents, case managers, psychiatrists, social workers, and many others, who form a collaborative group of great efficiency. It is important that team works productively and collaboratively, as their work is built on such important characteristics as trust, common beliefs and attitudes, empowerment, effective meeting management, and feedback about team functioning. (Harper)
One of the aspects of team work is human services, that is providing help and consultations for families and individuals. When dealing with individual and family services, team work is based on the practices and belief system that their work is not a cure, not just tips of a psychologist. This service is more than just advice for people on how to live and what to do, what is right and what is a mistake, because all people are different and there is no similar situations, so there are no universal rules and advices and can not be.
The case with Callie Sun is rather common, as it is called “problems of families with troubled kids”. For that case it is necessary to organize special team that will work towards solving the problem of Callie and her family. It is evident that this help will be best performed by effective team of specialists, working towards providing what is best for Callie and her family. The work of the team will include different aspects: individual consultations, talks with the girl and her parents, visiting the family at home, etc.
In the work with troubled kinds and their families team of professionals must rely on the supposition about extraordinary influence of family on child. These are the main factors that affect the child, for example:
– psychological problems of parents and, as a consequence, the constant psychological discomfort of the child;
– Poor relationships between parents, which also affects the psyche of the child;
– Lack of attention to child and misunderstanding on the part of parents.
Typically, in such families, children and parents are experiencing a constant crisis, are in a particular state of suffering and misunderstanding.
If to consider the case of Callie and her family, the reason is parents concern that Callise’ behavior has changed over the last months: she has worse marks at school, not so good at music as before, she spends too much time with friends. The fact is that all that troubles her Mom very much, and she is looking for some help for Callie.
When analyzing this case it becomes evident that the problem of Callie is her difficult age, which is called “the awkward age”. During this period children are changing their behavior and lifestyle, they are looking for a new life. We see that in the Callie’s family her father is paying little attention to daughter, and maybe she is concerned about not enough good relations within the family. Typically, difficult or “troubled” children suffer from a misunderstanding of parents, and they are looking for support from friends. In this case, Callie spends a lot of time with new friends whom her mother does not approve of because they do drugs. Of course these friends have bad influence on Callie, and that is why she has changed her behavior, has poor marks at school at so on.
When dealing with Callie’s problems the team of specialists, who are teachers, child care workers, psychiatrists, social workers, will try to solve the problem in different ways. First of all, professionals need to know what is the sphere of life of the child, what is the way of her life, what are the traditions and customs of the family. Here the following activities are required:
1. Study of a family atmosphere, relationships between the girl and family members.
2. Psycho-pedagogical education of parents through parent meetings, consultations and interviews.
3. Organization of the joint consultations of Callie and her parents.
Methods that will be used when studying the problem of the troubled child and the family include:
1) Observation: a team of specialists is watching the parents during the family visit for consultations. Observation of the child may give additional material for the characteristics of the family. Also the method of participant observation can be used, when the facts are also obtained from teachers and friends of the girl.
2) Interview. This method will help a group of experts to clarify the situation, to clarify the circumstances that explain or justify the behavior of the child. Interview helps to determine the cause of the behavior and actions of the child, find out the motives. Collective interview with the family helps to clarify the opinion of parents on specific issues of education. (Summers)
After that the team of specialists makes analysis of results and draws conclusions about the psychological problems of the child and the family:
– The main cause of conflict in the family: the difficulties and differences in the family, lack of attention to the child and his aloofness;
– The nature of family relations: alienation;
– Individual and personal characteristics of the child (anxiety, aggression, curiosity), preferences, interests and social life;
– Especially the child’s relationship to each parent: respectful, cold, aloof;
– Value orientation of parents of a child related to his personality;
– Features of mutual contacts with the child and the model of education used by each of the parents: the optimal, the lack of attention, anxiety;
– The influence of parental relations and family model on the child.
The code of ethics of the team include understanding that everyone is unique, and requires personal approach and attention. In fact each person can help himself, but he needs just help to understand and see all the difficulties and possible solutions. In addition, any person and every family can find the most psychologically comfortable way to the result that they want to achieve, find answers and solve their problems at any level of complexity. Simple solution to these problems sometimes requires the assistance of professional psychologists who have knowledge, qualification and experience in this field.
The complexity and challenges of successful interventions and solving problems of troubled and troubling youth are evident. Effective teams and team work can provide solutions for the problem and find all necessary answers for what is best for such kids and their families.
References
Summers, N. (2005). Fundamentals of Case Management Practice: Skills for the Human Services. Brooks Cole
Harper, E. (2006). “Mobilizing Teams to Help Troubled Kids”. Reclaiming Children and Youth, vol 15, # 3. Thomson Gale pp. 167-170