6210 Week 4 Discussion
1
© 2021 Walden University, LLC. Adapted from Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014).
Sessions: Case histories. Laureate International Universities Publishing.
Hernandez Family
Juan Hernandez (27) and Elena Hernandez (25) are a married Latino couple who were
referred to the New York City Administration for Children Services (ACS) for abuse
allegations. They have an 8-year-old son, Juan Jr., and a 6-year-old son, Alberto. They
were married 7 years ago, soon after Juan Jr. was born. Juan and Elena were both born
in Puerto Rico and raised in Queens, New York. They rent a two-bedroom apartment in
an apartment complex where they have lived for 7 years. Elena works as babysitter for
a family that lives nearby, and Juan works at the airport in the baggage department.
Overall, their physical health is good, although Elena was diagnosed with diabetes this
past year and Juan has some lower back issues from loading and unloading bags.
They both drink socially with friends and family. Juan goes out with friends on the
weekends sometimes to “blow off steam,” having six to eight beers, and Elena drinks
sparingly, only one or two drinks a month. Both deny any current drug use. While they
do not attend church regularly, both identify as being Catholic and observe all religious
holidays. Juan was arrested 4 years ago for drug possession and was sentenced to 6
months in jail. Elena has no criminal history. They have a large support network of
friends and family who live nearby, and both Elena’s and Juan’s parents live within
blocks of their apartment and visit frequently. Juan and Elena both enjoy playing cards
with family and friends on the weekends and taking the boys out to the park and beach
near their home.
ACS was contacted by the social worker from Juan Jr.’s school after he described a
punishment his parents used when he talked back to them. Juan Jr. told the social
worker that his parents made him kneel for hours while holding two large books (one in
each hand) and that this was a punishment used on multiple occasions. The ACS
worker deemed this a credible concern and made a visit to the home. During the visit,
the parents admitted to using this particular form of punishment with their children when
they misbehaved. In turn, the social worker from ACS mandated the family to attend
weekly family sessions and complete a parenting group at their local community mental
health agency.
In her report sent to the mental health agency, the ACS social worker indicated that the
form of punishment the parents used was deemed abusive and that the parents needed
to learn new and appropriate parenting skills. She also suggested they receive
education about child development because she believed they had unrealistic
expectations of how children at that developmental stage should behave. This was a
particular concern with Juan Sr., who repeatedly stated that if the boys listened, stayed
quiet, and followed all of their rules, they would not be punished. There was a sense
from the ACS worker that Juan Sr. treated his sons, especially Juan Jr., as adults and
not as children. This was exhibited, she believed, by a clear lack of patience and
understanding on his part when the boys did not follow all of his directions perfectly, or
when they played in the home. She mandated family sessions along with the parenting
classes to address these issues.
2
© 2021 Walden University, LLC. Adapted from Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014).
Sessions: Case histories. Laureate International Universities Publishing.
Intake Session
During the intake session, when I met the family for the first time, both Juan and Elena
were clearly angry that they had been referred to parenting classes and family sessions.
They both felt they had done nothing wrong, and they stated that they were only
punishing their children as they were punished as children in Puerto Rico. They said
that their parents made them hold heavy books or bags of sand as they kneeled, and
they both stressed that at times the consequences for not behaving had been much
worse. Both Juan and Elena were “beaten” (their term) by their parents. Elena’s parents
used a switch, and Juan’s parents used a belt. As a result, they feel they are actually
quite lenient with their children, and they said they never hit them and they never would.
Both stated that they love their children very much and struggle to give them a good life.
They both stated that the boys are very active and don’t always follow the rules, and the
kneeling punishment is the only thing that works when they “don’t want to listen.”
They both admitted that they made the boys hold two large books for up to 2 hours
while kneeling when they did something wrong. They stated the boys are “hyperactive”
and “need a lot of attention.” They said they punish Juan Jr. more often because he is
particularly defiant and does not listen and also because he is older and should know
better. They see him as a role model for his younger brother and feel he should take
that responsibility to heart. His misbehavior indicates to them that he is not taking that
duty seriously and should therefore be punished, both to learn his lesson and to show
his younger brother what could happen if he does not behave.
During the intake session, Juan Sr. stated several times that he puts in overtime any
time he can because money is “tight.” He expressed great concern about having to
attend the parenting classes and family sessions, as it would interfere with that
overtime. Elena appeared anxious during the initial meeting and repeatedly asked if
they were going to lose the boys. I told her I could not assure her that they would not,
but I could assist her and her husband through this process by making sure we had a
plan that satisfied the ACS worker’s requirements. I told them it would be up to them to
complete those plans successfully. I offered my support through this process and
conveyed empathy around their response to the situation.
Classes and Family Sessions
Treatment consisted of weekly parenting classes with the goal of teaching them
effective and safe discipline skills (such as setting limits through the use of time-out and
taking away privileges). Further, the classes emphasized the importance of recognizing
age-appropriate behavior. We spent sessions reviewing child development techniques
to help boost their children’s self-esteem and sense of confidence. We also talked about
managing one’s frustration (such as when to take a break when angry) and helping their
children to do the same.
Family sessions were built around helping the family members express themselves in a
safe environment. The parents and the children were asked to talk about how they felt
3
© 2021 Walden University, LLC. Adapted from Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014).
Sessions: Case histories. Laureate International Universities Publishing.
about each other and the reason they were mandated to treatment. They were asked to
share how they felt while at home interacting with one another. I thought it was of
particular importance to have them talk about their feelings related to the call to ACS, as
I was unsure how Juan Sr. felt about Juan Jr.’s report to the social worker. It was
necessary to assist them with processing this situation so that there were no residual
negative feelings between father and son. I asked them to role-play—having each
member act like another member of the household. This was very effective in helping
Juan Sr. see how his boys view him and his behavior toward them when he comes
home from work. As a result of this exercise, he verbalized his newfound clarity around
how the boys have been seeing him as a very angry and negative father.
Family Genogram
I also used sessions to explore the parents’ backgrounds. Using a genogram, we
identified patterns among their family members that have continued through
generations. These patterns included the use of discipline to maintain order in the home
and the potentially unrealistic expectations the elders had for their children and
grandchildren. Elena stated that she was treated like an adult and had the
responsibilities of a person much older than herself while she was still very young. Juan
Sr. said he felt responsible for bringing money into the home at an early age. He was
forced by his parents to get working papers as soon as he turned 14. His paychecks
were then taken by his parents each week and used to pay for groceries and other bills.
He expressed anger at his parents for encouraging him to drop out of high school so
that he could get more than one job to help out with the finances.
Other sessions focused on the burden they felt related to their finances and how that
burden might be felt by the boys, just as Juan Sr. might have felt growing up. In one
session, Juan Jr. expressed his fears of being evicted and the lights being turned off,
because his father often talked of not having money for bills. Both boys expressed
sadness over the amount of time their father spent at work and stressed their desire to
do more things with him at night and on the weekends. Juan Jr. discussed memories of
his father’s incarceration and the visits to the jail, where “it was cold” and “the men were
scary.” He said he sometimes feels his father could be taken away again at any
moment. Both parents stated they did not realize the boys understood their anxieties
around paying bills and felt sad that they worried about these issues. We also took a
couple of sessions to address money management. We worked together to create a
budget and identify unnecessary expenses that might be eliminated.
It was clear that this was a family that loved each other very much. Juan Sr. and Elena
were often affectionate with each other and their sons. Once the initial anger subsided,
both Juan Sr. and Elena fully engaged in both the family sessions and the parenting
classes. We assessed their progress monthly and highlighted that progress. I also was
aware that it was important to learn about the Hernandez family history and culture in
order to understand their perspective and emotions around the ACS referral. I asked
them many questions about their beliefs, customs, and culture to learn about how they
4
© 2021 Walden University, LLC. Adapted from Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014).
Sessions: Case histories. Laureate International Universities Publishing.
view parenthood, marriage roles, and children’s behaviors. They were always open to
these questions and seemed pleased that I asked about these things rather than
assumed I knew the answers.