Problem
Listed below are several case scenarios that a Human Services professional could encounter. Choose 3 scenarios that interest you most and describe the helping process you would go through if you were the professional working with that client. Because the case scenarios are brief, you will need to be creative and fill in missing details related to the client.
The following areas should be addressed when detailing the helping process:
A. Describe how you will plan for your physical surroundings in the workplace to be both welcoming and safe.
B. Develop pre-interview questions you will use to acquaint yourself with your client and their situation.
C. Develop interview questions that will you will use to assess the client's needs and build the helping relationship.
D. Describe what would be said or done to exemplify the following basic counseling skills: empathy, open questions, reflections, summarizations, and nonverbal counseling skills.
E. Exemplify objective documentation and why you have chosen to document the information.
F. Describe a situation related to working with the client that might warrant supervisor involvement.
G. Describe potential dangers when working with this client and possible de-escalation skills to use in those situations.
H. Detail possible boundary issues and/or dual-relationships.
I. Identify any personal stress or triggers you may experience from the situation and self-care skills you might utilize.
I. Client I (Jean): You are a substance abuse technician at a treatment facility. Jean, a 40-year old woman, has been assigned to your case load. You are to help coordinate services she needs as well as address areas of concerns she might have about her future.
II. Client II (Tina): You are an advocate at a center for victims of domestic and sexual violence. You have been assigned a new client named Tina. She recently started working with the center after trying to leave an abusive relationship. She confides in you that she feels lonely and depressed when with her partner but doesn't know what else to do.
III. Client III (Dale): You work with child protection as a case manager and are working with a young man named Dale. He is trying to regain partial custody of his children but recently he got a DUI. You suspect he continues to drink regularly even though he knows his DUI hurts his chances at custody.
IV. Client IV (Christa): You are a resource specialist at a community resource center. Christa, a single mother of two children, ages 5 and 7, begins working with you after losing her job. She is anxious about losing her apartment and feels she has no support system to help her family.
V. Client V (Ron): You are the resident case manager at a senior living facility. Most of the residents live independently on fixed incomes. You notice that Ron, a relatively new resident, does not join in activities and when he does leave his apartment, he looks disheveled and unkept. You know Ron's son comes to visit him the first Sunday of the month and you would like to approach him about getting some resources for Ron.