Problem: Tiffani Bradley is a 16-year-old heterosexual Caucasian female referred to Teens First after being arrested for prostitution. Teens First is a court-mandated teen counseling program for adolescent survivors of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. At Teens First, social workers provide a holistic range of services for their clients. Tiffani has been provided room and board in the residential treatment facility and will meet with a social worker to address her multiple needs and concerns. Tiffani has been arrested three times for prostitution in the last 2 years. Right before her most recent charge, a new state policy was enacted to protect youth 16 years and younger from prosecution and jail time for prostitution. The Safe Harbor for Exploited Children Act allows the state to define Tiffani as a sexually exploited youth and therefore not imprison her. She was mandated to services at the agency, unlike her prior arrests when she had been sent to detention. Tiffani had been living with a man named Donald since she was 14 years old. She had had limited contact with her family members and had not been attending school. She described Donald as her "husband" (although they were not married) and her only friend. During intake, it was noted that Tiffani had multiple bruises and burn marks on her legs and arms. She reported that Donald had slapped her and burned her with cigarettes when he felt she did not behave. Tiffani has been treated for several sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at local clinics and is currently on an antibiotic for a kidney infection. It appears that over the last 2 years, Tiffani has had neither outside support nor interactions with anyone beyond Donald and some other young women also being trafficked. Childhood and Early Adolescence During social work sessions, Tiffani gave a rather in-depth description of her childhood. At first, Tiffani provided a family history that was filled with only happy memories. She remembered her life up to age 8 as filled with moments of joy. She remembered going to school, playing with her sister, and her mother and father getting along. As the social worker and Tiffani continued to meet, Tiffani shared what she remembered as a gradual but definitive change in the family dynamics around the time when she turned 8 years old. She remembered being awakened by music and laughter in the early hours of the morning. When she went downstairs to investigate, she saw her parents along with her uncle Nate passing a pipe back and forth between them. She remembered asking them what they were doing and her mother saying, "adult things," and putting her back in bed.
Analyze the conflict between Tiffani Bradley and her mother. Then, explain how you as a social worker would manage conflicts such as this in family sessions. What kind of family intervention would you use with Tiffani and her mother, and why? Need Assignment Help?
Use the resources from Toseland, R. W., & Rivas, R. F. (2017). An introduction to group work practice (8th ed.). Pearson.
Chapter 9, "Treatment Groups: Foundation Methods" (pp. 264-294)
Chapter 10, "Treatment Groups: Specialized Methods" (pp. 295-335)
and Baird, S. L., & Alaggia, R. (2021). Trauma-informed groups: Recommendations for group work practice. Clinical Social Work Journal , 49 (1), 10.