Family Oriented Final Paper

Case Study

Sanaa is a 28-year old single mother of Joaqin (two years old). She is

currently living in a shelter for battered women. She lived in Syria until

immigrating to the US three years ago. She married Steven, a US citizen,

and moved to the US. However, Steven never filed immigration papers on

her behalf and used that as a way to keep her in the marriage. The

marriage was rocked by violence and abuse from the start. She has no

family or friends here in the US. After a vicious beating, Steven has been

sentenced to one year in prison for domestic violence. Sanaa speaks

limited English and is afraid that she might be deported to Syria. She is

concerned for her safety and her ability to take care of her son as a single

mother. At the shelter, Sanaa was seen by a clinical social worker who

diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She is so

shattered and frightened by her experience that she refuses to leave the

shelter for any reason.