IPR

Case Scenarios for Skills Demonstrations (IPR) / interviews:

George, a young father, seeks service because he and his wife have just given birth to a child with Down Syndrome. This is their first child. He reports that he and Sheila have a good relationship but he is worried about the future and what challenges may come for them and for their new baby son. He is a salesperson and often travels for business. The grandparents live a distance from them.

Desiree is a 21 year-old African American college student who reports feeling overwhelmed with the responsibilities of school, part-time work, and being away from home. She likes what she is studying but she misses her family. As the interview unfolds Desiree identifies that she feels hopeless and has moments when she thinks of hurting herself.

You meet Charles at the Juvenile Detention Center. Charles is a 15 year-old boy who admits to chasing his mother around the house with a knife. He states that he does not like living with his mother who is divorced from his father. He believes he should live with his father (even though he tried it for a while and was returned to live with his mother). Charles says he has no friends and that his mother just pesters him.

Howard is a 68 year old African American man. His wife of 46 years, recently died. Howard lives alone in an apartment building and his two sons check in on him periodically. While trying to cook for himself Howard has left the stove on twice, resulting in the smoke detectors being activated and neighbors calling. His sons have brought Howard to see you.

Martha is a 50 year-old woman who wants to set some boundaries with her 24-year-old daughter, Mary. They are currently living together, but Martha feels their relationship is too enmeshed. Mary relies on her mother for transportation so they end up doing a lot of activities together. Martha would like to develop more friendships with people her own age and not feel so lonely and dependent on her daughter.

Maria’s family emigrated from Mexico when she was 4. She is now 16 years-old. She got involved with a group of teens who were using drugs and skipping school. Her parents moved her to a new school. She misses her old friends and is very angry with her father, who she says does not listen to her or treat her as a soon-to-be adult. She has been a good student but does not feel very motivated now.

Nadia is a 31 year-old woman who holds a professional degree and a full-time job. She and her boyfriend, Mark, a military veteran, have been dating for about a year. Nadia reports that she and Mark are very compatible and enjoy doing lots of similar activities, and spending time together. Over the weekend, Nadia states that they had an argument about one of her friends and it escalated to the point that Nadia found herself cowering and feeling fearful.

Jamala, aged 15, and her mother, Selima, are locked in a conflict about privileges and chores. Selima is a single mother and believes that Jamala should complete all of her daily cleaning chores to her satisfaction before going out with her friends. Previously, Selima had given Jamala a list of specific behaviors that needed to be changed so that she could regain privileges. Jamala ignored the list, and refused to talk to Selima. Jamala’s behavior is another source of tension between the two. Selima sees Jamala’s behavior as argumentative, headstrong and disrespectful.

Jade is a 12 year-old African American female attending a charter school. She was referred to you by a teacher. In her report, the teacher emphasized that Jade has a problem completing her school work. The teacher is hopeful, however, because she believes that Jade is capable of being a good student. She would like for you and Jade to set “improved academic performance” as a goal, because Jade would like to go to college.

John and Susan have three children (Cody, 9; Jennifer, 7; and Jared, 4) who were removed from their custody because of hazardous, unsanitary conditions in the home environment and nutritional neglect. The judge’s order states that the children will be returned home if there is sufficient evidence that hazards in the home have been removed and that the children are able to get nutritious meals. When you meet with John and Susan they are angry. They have agreed to the court’s mandate because they want their children home. However, they don’t really understand what the judge means by hazardous, unsanitary conditions in the home environment and nutritional neglect.

Mr. Jones lost his job at the auto manufacturing plant six months ago but has managed to find part-time work both as a handyman and as a snack and beverage vendor at local sporting events. Mrs. Jones is employed full-time as a home health aide and also works as a personal care attendant three nights a week. The couple has four children ranging in age from 9 to 15. Mr. and Mrs. Jones called seeking help to deal with the rising tension that is building at home and in particular, to discuss the changes in family roles and responsibilities. Mrs. Jones is tired, and upset that her husband is not carrying his weight. Mr. Jones says that his wife wants things done a certain way and is creating the problem herself.

Henrietta is a 78 year-old woman who was referred to you by her family doctor. Her husband of nearly 60 years recently died in a car accident in which Henrietta was driving.

Anna is a 38 year-old single woman who reports feeling depressed. She has a steady job but finds it a bit dead-end. Many of her friends have married and gone on to have children. Anna reports that she has dated over the years but has never found anyone with whom she thought she could spend the rest of her life.

Gloria is a 54 year-old woman who lives with bi-polar disease and attends dialysis on a regular basis. She is seeing you because her previous case worker has left the agency. Gloria is upset at the abrupt change in workers and wonders if she can trust you.

Olivia is a 43 year-old EMS first responder who has received several professional awards for her expertise in the field. Her boss recommended that she come and see you. Olivia has been having trouble sleeping during the last month. After shifts she has been drinking as a way to help her sleep. During a recent morning shift her boss could still smell alcohol on her breath.

Georgia is a 21 year-old woman who works as a server at a local restaurant. On her way home after a late shift, she was followed by a man who grabbed her. Georgia reports that she screamed and got away, but she has been afraid to leave her house ever since. Georgia’s parents live in town and she has friends who have tried to help but no one really knows what to do.

Raven is an outgoing and lively 29 year-old woman who lives with her parents in an affluent neighborhood. Raven is not working and has been dating her current boyfriend for about 3 years. Raven reports that she overcame an eating disorder in her teens. Her previous counsellor referred her to you because she only works with adolescents. Raven eventually admits that she has been cutting the skin on various points of her body. She is not suicidal.

Jean and Pat have been married for 10 years. They have a 9 year old and a 7 year old. They have been busy with their careers and with raising their children and have not really talked much in the past 2 years. They want to improve their relationship.

Macro-level cases:

Javon is working with a neighborhood group to get the playground equipment up to code and safe for the children who live in the area. Some parents want to fundraise to buy new play equipment. Javon has arranged a community meeting with neighbors, parents, and city reps. Javon’s role is to facilitate a listening session to hear all perspectives, prior to the group making any decisions.

A staff workgroup has been unproductive at meeting deadlines for submitting reports related to length and quality of client stays at inpatient care. The workgroup lead, Anaya, needs to figure out what is going on. Anaya considers group dynamics (roles, communication, power, etc..) and chain-of-command going into the next meeting.

Li Chen is an advocate at a women’s shelter and has been contacted for an interview with the local paper. The reporter would like to talk about the high rates of women killed by intimate partners / or how to talk with teens about dating violence / or how girls and boys are socialized differently.

Delores is part of a student activist group on campus raising awareness about climate and environmental issues. The COSW does not seem to be engaged in the issues and Delores wants to raise this. Talk with her about how she might plan to do this effectively.