Control

Case #1- Controlling Janet

Introduction:

Janet Oswalt is a 12-year-old female who does not like living at home and does not trust her mother. Mary Johnson, who is a caseworker, assigned to Janet’s case tries to reunite Janet and her mom Paula Oswalt. Paula was unable to provide for her children due to her drug addiction. Janet’s grandparents, Mr., and Mrs. Dunleavy, provided for Janet and her siblings.

Problem Statement:

Janet does not have the support and/or the attention she needs from her mother. She finds ways to cope with her feelings. The caseworker is trying to keep Janet and her mom Paula together.

Contextual Analysis:

Janet feels her mom loves her boyfriend Mike more than her and threatens to kill him when he tries to chastise her. Her parents divorced when she was the age of 5. She has inappropriate behavior in school and in public places. She was having suicide ideations which lead to her being admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Phoenix. Janet does not have much support from her mom. She does not trust her due to her addiction and not being able to provide for her and her siblings. Mary the caseworker works hard trying to reunite Janet and her mom Paula back together; however, it leads to an unending battle trying to keep them united. The grandparents have trouble adapting to Janet’s personality and behavior which lead them not wanting to care for her. Her grandparents refuse to allow Janet back into their home.

Alternative Strategies:

The protagonist needs to first find out what is the main reason that Paula and Janet are not getting along. When did this resentment behavior first start between Janet and her mom. Was it after when Janet’s parents separated and that Janet does not have a father figure in her life. Has Paula sat down and expressed to Janet how she feels or vice versa. Janet has made it very clear that she does not trust her mother; however, her mom does not want Janet at the psychiatric hospital but wants her home but not living with her. How often do Janet and her mom spend time together? It’s probably not a good idea for Paula to bring her dates around Janet now until whatever trauma experience that Janet is dealing with, she learns to adapt to. Finding out why she does not have a good bond with her siblings, as stated her siblings are afraid of her. Why is that? Why is Janet finding attention from others such as with older men? Does she blame her mom for her parents divorcing?

I chose these strategies because it appears that Janet is seeking attention that she lacks from her mother. It appears this has been an ongoing situation which caused Janet to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital. I feel once the protagonist gets to the bottom of why Janet is behaving this way, the protagonist may be able to help restore the bond between Janet and her mother. Communicating more gives a chance to hear Janet and to understand how she is feeling. Paula needs to do more trying to establish a bond with Janet before it’s too late if it’s not already. Outpatient behavioral health services for Janet needs to be implemented due to her background of suicide ideations and attempts and her diagnosis.

Recommendation:

Sometimes writing down your thoughts on how you feel may be helpful. I would recommend Janet to journal her thoughts daily about how she feels about everything going on in her life. She has mentioned that life is not worth living. Finding out why she feels that way and when those thoughts or feelings started. How often does she feel that way. What triggers that behavior of feeling like life sucks and not worth living. What causes it to become difficult to reach out to the caseworker when she becomes angry? Taking walks when the weather is nice, breathing the fresh air and/ or watching a good movie or favorite tv show may help Janet to feel calm now. I would also recommend before Janet reacts towards her anger is to use the deep breathing techniques to help with easing her anger thoughts. It may help her not to react to her emotions. Providing outpatient services and having the psychiatrist prescribe a medication may also be helpful along with these suggestions.

Ways of Knowing:

My first thought after reading this case was Janet is seeking some attention that she is not getting from her mom. Not sure if her siblings were getting more attention from Paula. It saddened me when I was reading about the case when Janet and her siblings spent some days with their father; however, they had to move out because of one of the younger siblings being molested by their father. I wonder did Janet had some resentment towards her mom because of what happened to her sister. I have interacted with adolescents in the same age group as Janet; that had thoughts of suicide ideations. Some have responded that they didn’t have the support they needed from their parents. They learned how to cope with their thoughts and feelings by cutting themselves. After treatment they were willing to interact with their parents. One of the therapists suggested when interacting with the parent and if he or she becomes frustrated it is okay to walk away until you are calm.

I feel like more counseling should’ve been offered to Janet. This relationship between Janet and her mom has been ongoing. If more services were offered, I feel Janet may not had to be placed in a psychiatric hospital. I know Mary the caseworker’s job is to reunite families back together and keep them out of foster care; however, it’s still unsure if Janet and her mom would ever have a healthy relationship towards one another. I believe this will be an open case until treatment is established to where Janet can adapt and cope in her living environment.