Maria is an 8-year-old second grader who was placed in foster care after being hospitalized for a major arm fracture inflicted by her mother's 25-year-old live-in boyfriend, Larry. Maria's 25 year-old mother, Julia, has been in several battering relationships and recently sought short-term emergency housing a domestic violence shelter. As a result of her most recent battering experience, Julia has "broken up" with Larry.
Maria misses her mother a great deal, and her foster parents report that her moods and behaviors have been volatile, ranging from "clingy" behavior to angry temper tantrums to sadness and crying. Maria repeatedly asks to be reunited with her mother and states that it is her fault that she is separated from her mother.
1. What types of interventions do you believe would be most useful for Larry, for Maria, for Julia? How would you go about exploring the significance of Maria's changeable behavior?
2. What types of assessment questions might you pose in an interview with each of these three individuals? What types of rick factors and strengths would you hope to explore?