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Posts Tagged ‘
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Note: Names and details have been changed for confidentiality. The events took place in Houston, Texas.
Introduction
"Thank you for saving my daughter's life." These words were tearfully spoken by the mother of family violence survivor Lisa Graham to a social worker with the Harris County District Attorney's Office, Family Criminal Law Division.
With the help of her social worker and the assistance available through the court system, Lisa had just obtained a protective order for her three young children and herself against her abusive husband, Mike. The social worker thanked Lisa's mother for her appreciation and stressed that it was Lisa who had taken the steps to save her own life. She did it with the help and support of her family and the justice system.
Meeting the Social Worker
The social worker first met Lisa when Mike had been charged with assaulting her. He had severely beaten and strangled Lisa in front of their two young daughters and infant son. Lisa was forced to run out of the family's home to a neighbor's house where she called 911. She was then taken to the hospital by ambulance. Once there, she told the medical staff and police what happened. Mike was charged and arrested for assault. When Lisa first met with the social worker, she admitted having second thoughts. Mike had always told her that if she had him arrested, he would kill her. Lisa loved Mike and felt guilty for "having him arrested."
Remorse
Soon after her release from the hospital Mike told Lisa that he was very sorry. He begged her to help him and not break up their family. The county prosecutor sent the case to the Family Criminal Law Division. Lisa was asked to come to speak with a social worker who worked in that office. She later said that only reason she agreed to meet with this Family Criminal Law Division social worker was because she wanted to ask about getting the charges dismissed. Lisa told the social worker that even though her husband had apologized in the past while continuing to be violent, she hoped it would be different this time. She had grown up without her father and felt she should give Mike "one more chance."
The Family Criminal Law Division Staff
The Harris County District Attorney's Office, Family Criminal Law Division has approximately 25 staff members under the direction of an experienced family violence prosecutor. The staff includes prosecutors, police officers, support staff and ten specially trained social workers and caseworkers. They use a a multi-disciplinary approach to prosecute criminal cases, obtain protective orders, and provide direct services to family violence survivors. Their main goal is to increase the safety of survivors of family violence.
The Director of Family Violence Services is a social worker. She helped create a program based upon social work values including respect, empowerment, and social justice.
All complainants (the abused person) in family violence criminal cases handled by the division are asked to speak with a member of the social work staff. Because this may be the only chance the victim/survivor has to speak with a social worker, it is critical that she or he receive safety information, learn about legal options, and speak with someone who is interested in her or his well-being.
Many victims pursue protective orders. Everyone on staff works to increase the safety of the abused, hold offenders (or abusive partners) accountable, assess the risk of violence, link clients with resources, and assist them on the road to recovery.
Working with the District Attorney’s Social Worker
Like many victims of abuse, Lisa gave the DA social worker very limited information during their first meeting. Lisa minimized the violence and asked that the charges against husband be dismissed. The social worker told Lisa that they may be able to offer counseling for Mike, but he needed to be held accountable for his choice to use violence. The social worker also told Lisa that the prosecutor would decide about whether or not to prosecute the case, but based on the charges and documentation, she didn't think the charges would be dropped.
The social worker focused on Lisa's and her children's safety and discussed options with her. During the meeting the social worker also took the time to point out to Lisa the positive steps she had taken. She praised Lisa for getting help, and for having the strength to deal with this situation and to care for three children at the same time. The social worker admired Lisa's determination and knew that she used it to survive.
The Children
Because the children had witnessed the abuse and were at risk, Lisa's social worker told her she would have to contact Children's Protective Services. After Children's Protective Services contacted Lisa, her DA social worker called her to assure her that she was still Lisa's advocate. Lisa was upset about the involvement with Children's Protective Services, yet she stayed in contact with her DA social worker because she knew she cared about her. The Children's Protective Services social worker worked with Lisa and Mike on a safety plan, that included Mike being apart from the children while they both started counseling.
Lisa soon learned from the DA social worker that a relative of Lisa's had contacted her and told her that Mike had drug and alcohol problems, had been violent for a long time, and had made many threats to kill Lisa. Like many abusive partners, Mike had forced Lisa to limit contact with her family and they had grown increasingly worried about her.
The Trial Is Pending
During the months the criminal case was pending, Mike tried to kill himself. He was hospitalized for two months. Lisa felt that she wanted to help him even more. She felt guilty and if she left him, he would only get worse.
The prosecutor proceeded with the criminal case and Lisa's husband eventually pleaded guilty and received one year in jail. The prosecutor and the social worker hoped that the time Mike spent in jail would allow an opportunity for Lisa to evaluate her situation without pressure or violence from her husband. Mike would have the opportunity while in jail to continue receiving psychiatric medication and attend substance abuse treatment. At Lisa's request, the social worker contacted the jail psychiatric staff to alert them that he needed treatment.
The DA social worker moved on to other cases. The Children's Protective Services social worker remained involved with Lisa and her children. Lisa's family could now have more contact with her. They assured her that they loved her and wanted happiness for her. The DA social worker could not do anything more unless Lisa asked her to, or something else happened.
Something Else
That "something else" occurred when it was learned that while still in jail that Mike threatened to kill Lisa. Lisa decided this would be the final threat from Mike. She could now leave him. She contacted her DA social worker and told her that she was ready to obtain a protective order and change her life.
The social worker emphasized with Lisa that things hadn't worked out the way Lisa hoped, but assured her that she could look back and know that she'd done everything she could to save her marriage.
Conclusion
Lisa needed that assurance and she needed to be able to leave when it was safe. She knew that leaving Mike had lethal risks. Like all women and children in domestic violence situations, the most dangerous time is during separation. Lisa is now reunited with her supportive family and moving forward with her life. Lisa and the DA social worker stay in contact. Lisa and her children are in counseling and they are enjoying a life that is becoming increasingly stable and peaceful.
* * *If you are a victim/survivor of family violence, know that you do not deserve to be abused. You and your children deserve to live in peace. There are people who can help you when you are ready.
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Tags: court system, daughter, help, real life, saving lives, social worker, thank you
Posted in
Family Safety, How Social Workers Help |
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Introduction
Here are two articles on how social workers help in the adoption and foster care arenas. The first is a general description of how social workers assist adoptive and foster care parents. The second is a first-person narrative of a social worker based in Washington, DC who works in the foster care system.
Tags: adoption, birth parents, child, families, foster care, help, legal state, process, resources, social workers, tips, trends
Posted in
Adoptions And Foster Care, How Social Workers Help, Kids And Families |
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Introduction
In my role as supervisor of Resource Parent Training with the Child and Family Services Agency in the District of Columbia, I talk with and meet prospective foster and adoptive parents everyday. Once an individual who is interested in foster care or adoption submits an application at one of our Orientation sessions, I call them to schedule an office appointment. During this brief meeting, I explain the required paperwork and give them a folder of documents to work on prior to the pre-service training class they are planning to attend.
All applicants must complete a 30-hour program (the Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) as part of the licensing process; these classes are held twice a week for five weeks. We start a new class every month of the year except December and we offer different combinations of class times so applicants have many opportunities to enroll. Though time-consuming for both presenters and participants, these classes are fun and rewarding. As a supervisor, I no longer am required to teach, but I sometimes volunteer to train with a new social worker in my unit or pinch-hit when someone is unavoidably absent. I always enjoy the time I spend in the classroom.
Recently, I met with a woman who I’d describe as the ideal candidate to be a foster or adoptive parent for a child from the Washington, DC neglect system. After speaking with her, I felt rejuvenated and reaffirmed in my conviction that I’m in the right place doing the job I need to be doing. What was it about her that made me feel this way? A number of factors come to mind: She had been thinking about adoption and foster care for a long time and had been informally helping children in her community – through tutoring and being a welcoming neighbor for many years. She had indicated on her application that she was interested in adoption but as soon as I asked her whether she’d also consider being a foster parent, she said, “yes.” Her level of openness signaled to me immediately that she is likely to be very successful in working with our foster care system.
This applicant was also forthcoming about several challenges she had faced in her own life. In our pre-service training, we stress how important it is to be able to talk about our own losses as adults so that we can be a guide for children who are suffering from the trauma of abuse and neglect combined with the loss of their birth family. This applicant exhibited an immediate comfort level with sharing some of these aspects of her life. At the same time, the information she provided on her application in addition to areas we discussed clearly established that her home life and career are stable and that she is in a reasonably financially secure position. We don’t look for applicants with high incomes, but all too often people come to the agency hoping to be foster parents when their own houses are not in order.
This applicant also expressed a willingness to engage with school age and older children. She was even interested in sibling groups, adolescents and teens who she could mentor into adulthood, even though they may maintain ties with members of their birth families. She communicated a sound appreciation for the needs of the children and youth and was able to set their needs clearly ahead of her own. She expressed a desire to build a family of her own through adoption while at the same time being open to helping children in a variety of ways as she moved towards this goal.
In contrast, I often speak with applicants who come with a narrow view of the type of child they are willing to consider parenting. Sadly, couples that have suffered infertility come to our agency hoping we can provide them with the perfect infant they have longed for or lost through miscarriage. When they hear that the majority of the babies committed to our system have been born drug-exposed or that we cannot guarantee that they will be available for adoption until we rule out any and all members of the birth family, these applicants can become deeply frustrated and hurt. I have to explain that this is one of the critical differences between a child welfare agency and an adoption agency: though we pursue adoption as a viable permanency goal whenever appropriate, our first mandate is to work with the birth family, except in extreme cases where reunification is not an option. I have witnessed a number of successful infant placements in my six years with the agency, as well as several painful disappointments.
I also speak with a number of well-meaning prospective foster/adoptive parents who feel that only a child under the age of five is “salvageable,” and that the older children are already “set in their ways.” I always tell prospective foster and adoptive families that I believe each family should pursue what feels right for them and never feel coerced into accepting a child into their home when the fit isn’t right, for whatever reason. But that being said, I also know the best rewards will come to those whose minds and hearts are the most open. I tell people too that having a child through whatever means – adoption, foster or kinship care, or biologically – takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. I’m not sure I could do what successful foster and adoptive parents do everyday, but I know what it takes.
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Tags: adoption, challenges, child, foster care, help, legal, parenting, parents, post-adoption, public agency, risk, types
Posted in
How Social Workers Help |
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Introduction
 |
Experts say problem gambling
can affect men or women of any
age, race or religion, regardless
of their social status. |
(NAPS)—A preoccupation with gambling may cause some people to risk more than money. They may be gambling their health, happiness and their family's welfare.
That's the opinion of experts who define problem gambling as gambling behavior that causes a disruption in any major area of a person's life.
It's estimated that two to three percent of the U.S. population suffers from a gambling problem. It can affect men or women of any age, race or religion, regardless of their social status.
Risk Factors
Risk factors that individually or in combination seem to make people more vulnerable include:
- A stressful life event such as death of loved one, divorce, job loss, injury/disability;
- An early big win equal to or greater than one month's income;
- Pre-existing mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, alcoholism; and
- Family history of addictions such alcoholism, compulsive gambling and drug addiction.
Help Is Available
Fortunately, an organization is working to ensure help is available. The National Council on Problem Gambling is the national advocate for programs and services to assist problem gamblers and their families. Its mission is to increase public awareness of pathological gambling and to ensure the widespread availability of treatment for problem gamblers and their families. It also operates the Problem Gambling Helpline Network, a nationwide link to resources.
"A problem gambler doesn't need to wait to ‘hit bottom' before asking for help," says Keith Whyte, executive director, The National Council on Problem Gambling. "Our Hotline can be used by anyone. When their problem is your problem, you as a loved one can call the help line to learn what help is available."
One Person’s Story
One self-described problem gambler who turned to the Hotline for help characterized its services as being invaluable. According to Sandy Yakim, a 55 year-old teacher whose gambling increased after several personal setbacks, the Hotline provided her with emotional support and information, counseling and advice on how to get help. Ms. Yakim received invaluable counseling and support from two social workers through the Hotline.
Said Yakim, "I have now been clean for over a year. I have money in my savings account. I can shop a little bit. Life is good, I am happy, I have found my joy once again. The Hotline is invaluable. They provide a shoulder to cry on, but more importantly advice on help."
To learn more or to find help, call toll free (800) 522-4700 or visit www.ncpgambling.org.
Tags: gambling, gambling problem, help, hotline, money, real life story, risk factors, social workers, The National Council on Problem Gambling
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Addictions, Real Life Stories |
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Introduction
There are more and better treatments than ever before for schizophrenia, even though it has historically been one of the most difficult mental illnesses to treat. The result is that more and more individuals are recovering with the help of treatments that focus on the biological, psychological, and social aspects of their illnesses. Most individuals with schizophrenia today are able to live in and participate in the community. Helping them figure out what they need to do to accomplish this is something with which social workers can help.
Medications are almost always called for as a part of treatment, but for a full recovery it is equally important for most individuals to also participate in other types of treatments. Individuals with schizophrenia should see a psychiatrist so that they can decide together what medications are appropriate and at what doses, but medications are only one part of a comprehensive treatment program. A counselor or therapist should also be consulted to help decide what types of psychosocial treatments could be helpful. Depending on each individual's different challenges with his or her illness, different treatments may be more appropriate at different times. A person, for example, may want to begin treatment with individual and group therapy, gradually transitioning to more of one than the other. Once he or she has the most pressing symptoms under control, vocational rehabilitation may also become useful.
Some treatments that have been consistently shown to be effective for people with schizophrenia include:
Individual therapy is an important opportunity for an individual to talk about struggles dealt with as a result of having schizophrenia—or struggles with life in general. Social workers are trained to take a broad perspective of what different factors might be contributing to a person's struggles. He or she can help problem-solve, and help teach coping mechanisms for dealing with the various challenges involved in going through life. An important note though, is that psychoanalytic therapy, which explores problems and experiences a person may have had as a child, is most often not recommended for individuals with schizophrenia. Rather, individual therapy should focus on issues and concerns that an individual has experienced since first developing signs of schizophrenia, and how to address those problems. Having a non-judgmental individual, with whom one can confidentially share private concerns and problems, can be quite helpful when working towards recovery.
Family therapy can be very important for individuals who have contact with their families. This is usually not done in private therapeutic sessions in which the consumer and their family member(s) sit and talk with a therapist. Rather it is most often done in group settings, where family members talk with family members of other consumers. The consumers themselves may or may not also be a part of the group, depending on how a specific group is designed. Participants are educated about the illness, what to expect from a family member who has the illness, and how they can best help. There is also a strong focus on how to take care of oneself when caring for an individual with a chronic mental illness. This is because having a family member with schizophrenia can at times be very challenging, due to the need to cope with symptoms. Learning to care for oneself while helping someone else can reduce possible stresses created by being a caregiver, and can help foster better and healthier relationships between those involved. This in turn can help the individual with schizophrenia reduce the stress in his or her life, enabling him or her to focus time and attention on other aspects of life.
Vocational rehabilitation and/or educational assistance are often very important for an individual with schizophrenia. In most cases, the onset of an individual's schizophrenia happens at such a time as to disrupt their high school or college education, or it disrupts their entrance into the workforce. Once they have become stabilized, they have often missed one or more years in which they would otherwise have been furthering their education and/or their work resumes. Furthermore the illness, and sometimes the medication side-effects, make it more difficult for an individual with schizophrenia to learn or complete tasks than other non-afflicted individuals. Vocational rehabilitation and/or educational assistance can help an individual learn to compensate for these challenges. This can help individuals with schizophrenia to complete their educational objectives, and to hold a job in which they want to work. Having a job that one wants to do and enjoys is important for everyone, but having such a job can be particularly rewarding for someone who struggles with the problems associated with having schizophrenia.
Group therapy has been shown to be effective for many different problems that a person might experience in life, and there is no exception for individuals with schizophrenia. This therapy may not even focus specifically on schizophrenia, but rather on whatever concerns group members feel are important. Topics can include most anything, so long as they are respectful and appropriate. An important benefit of group therapy is that it helps individuals to not feel alone in their struggles. Hearing how others have struggled and coped with problems similar to one's own can be much more meaningful than discussing problems and struggles with people who have not had similar experiences. Sharing experiences can also be therapeutic and even cathartic for individuals who share. Not each group is appropriate for each person, however. Depending on the facility and resources available, there will usually be more than one group in which a person may participate. For example, one person may feel more comfortable in a group of younger adults, who might discuss concerns about growing up. Another individual, however, might feel more comfortable in a group with a slightly more mature age-range, where people might be talking about issues of working and living independently. Still other groups may have more specific foci, such as women's and men's groups. Each person should talk to a counselor about what group(s) and how often he or she may be interested in joining.
Assertive Community Treatment is a treatment model recommended for individuals who have repeated hospitalizations, or who have a particularly difficult time functioning in the community on their own. A team of providers is created to serve a group of consumers. The team should have at least one psychiatrist, social workers, and other mental health professionals. These professionals, including case-managers, work as a team instead of each person only having responsibility for their specific consumers. This team should also be able to go into the community and reach out to consumers, if needed, instead of waiting for consumers to come to a clinic. Such programs are expensive, however, and so usually only modified versions are available.
For most individuals, a case manager can help them learn to handle most of the day-to-day challenges associated with having schizophrenia. The case manager can act as a counselor with whom one can talk regularly, they can help a person learn how to access services through public/private systems, and they can help communicate with other providers to ensure that everyone works together. Most mental health centers that provide case management services offer different levels of service intensity that a person may obtain, depending on their need. Some consumers may only need a check-in once per month, whereas others may need some contact several times per week.
Each individual is unique, and has unique needs. Different cultural, spiritual, and other considerations are always important when deciding what types of treatments are right for an individual. Having an individual care plan can provide a framework for how best to obtain and provide for an individual's unique needs, and developing this plan with a knowledgeable professional can help ensure that it is comprehensive. Too often individual needs and differences are left out of consideration in our country's mental health systems, and doing so can hinder an individual's path to recovery. Make sure that your needs, or the needs of someone you care about who has schizophrenia, are heard and addressed in an individualized treatment plan.
It is critical to get diagnosed and to obtain treatment as early as possible. The earlier an individual is treated, the better their chance will be of having a complete recovery. Some researchers have even suggested that an early enough intervention may keep a person from ever having to experience a full-blown psychotic episode. If you suspect that you or someone you care about may have or be developing schizophrenia, seek help from a professional, who can help determine what treatments and services may be helpful.
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Tags: assertive, community, help, social workers, therapy, treatment
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How Social Workers Help, Schizophrenia |
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Introduction
Depressive disorders affect approximately 19 million American adults, according to the National Institute for Mental Health. If you or someone you care for is suffering from depression, there are numerous options for professional treatment and help available, and much reason for hope.
Recent headlines focusing on the incidence of postpartum depression in celebrities has helped illustrate just how difficult yet common and treatable this disease can be. Given the stigma surrounding mental illness, recognition that depression is a disease is long overdue.
Many people have internalized some amount of bias regarding depression and mental illness. Many of us consciously or subconsciously harbor the belief that the problem stems, at least partially, from some failure on the part of the individual, as if suffering from depression were a choice. This stigma often interferes with reaching out for help and prolongs suffering.
Depression is often the result of a complex interplay between brain chemistry, environmental stressors and psychological factors. Symptoms of depression may include a persistent sad mood, loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities, a change in sleeping and/or eating patterns, irritability, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, excessive guilt, a sense of hopelessness, difficulty concentrating and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.
Research indicates that individuals suffering from depression show the most improvement when they receive a combination of antidepressant medication plus psychotherapy (also called "Talk Therapy").
The effectiveness of the numerous anti-depressant medications available today is well documented. Having said this, unless a persistent or dire condition exists, medication need not be the first line of treatment.
A thorough psychological assessment by a qualified mental health professional to help determine the underpinnings of an individual's depression is an appropriate place to begin. Once this has been conducted, medication should be considered as only one possible component of a comprehensive treatment plan.
There are numerous talk therapy approaches available. These treatment techniques are documented to be effective in eighty percent of cases (NIMH).
- Insight-oriented treatments, designed to explore past psychological hurt often prove eye opening, liberating, and important to the resolution of depressive feelings.
- Behavioral techniques, designed not to revisit the past but to remain focused in the present, can help identify and modify current negative thought patterns that give generate depressive feelings prevent them from ending.
- Personal therapy can help relieve depression by helping clients work through relationship issues that often contribute to depression.
- Identification and expression of anger is often a key component of treating depression. Unexpressed anger may linger and haunt people in the form of low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness and irritability.
Many therapists use a multidimensional approach to combat depression, drawing from these and other methods.
Depression is a highly treatable disease that warrants professional intervention.
Don't isolate yourself, disregard how you're feeling or blame yourself. Reach out to whomever you feel most comfortable with, whether it is a friend, family member or professional. If you are feeling suicidal, go to or call your nearest emergency room immediately. There is nothing to be ashamed of – and everything to gain!
Books:
When Words Are Not Enough, by Valerie Davis Raskin, MD New York: Broadway Books, 1997.
Mind Over Mood, by Dennis Greenberger, PhD and Christine A. Padesky, PhD, New York: The Guilford Press, 1995.
Websites:
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Tags: disorders, Ellen L. Gamza, help, medications, mental health, references, symptoms, talk therapy
Posted in
Depression, Your Options |
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