Case management case study 1800words

Sam’s struggle

Throughout his childhood, making friends has never been easy for Sam. Being an

only child and born into an upper middle-class family, he has received little parental love and

supervision as his parents have been concentrating on their careers and professional

developments. Since his birth, his maternal grandmother, who completely doted on him, had

cared for him while his parents were preoccupied at work or in business. When Sam was in

primary school, a domestic helper was hired to handle all household matters, including

supervising his after-school activities.

A prolonged challenge Sam has constantly struggled with is his physical build. He is

extremely overweight, and has been picked on by friends who have called him “Chubbs”, or

“Ah Pui”. Whenever he feels lonely, he would binge on snacks and soda while watching

television. During his spare time, he would surf the Internet and has stumbled on

unfavourable websites. Unknown to his parents, his school grades have begun to decline,

even though they have hired several tutors to coach him. Sam has been feeling depressed and

unwanted for a long time now. His parents have no siblings, so Sam has no cousins he can

relate with.

Recently, his parents were called to the principal’s office for a meeting and they were

furiously perturbed when informed about Sam’s academic performance. Currently in a

critical year in secondary school, he needs to be more closely supervised in order to attain

academic success. His parents have been strongly and repeatedly advised to take immediate

and serious measures to ensure their son succeeds. Feeling defenceless and vulnerable, his

parents started arguing in the principal’s office as to who was to be blamed for their son’s

current underperformance. Apparently, Sam’s communication and relationship with his

parents have been minimal as his father often seems to be travelling extensively. And

whenever they talk, his mother would nag him about school work. There has been an isolated

occasion when Sam attempted to start a fire in his bedroom.

During one of his most recent chats online, Sam encountered a cyber-friend who

wants to introduce him to a “circle of friends”, people much older than he is. Sam has been

struggling with making this decision … deep inside, he wants to.