Capstone Project Part V: Action Plans

2

Role of Change Theory in Social Change

Margaret Johnson

Walden University

Mental illnesses constitute one of the common challenges among homeless veterans, and it is easily explained using systems theory. Systems can be natural or human-made, living or nonliving and affect almost every aspect of human life. It is one of the most influential paradigms in social thinking since it is based on the premise that people do not act in isolation (Mikesell et al., 2015). Each system is made of elements that make the whole one functional, but the absence of one lead to poor functioning. The problem addressed is an increase in mental illnesses among homeless veterans. Most of the homeless veterans face the challenge, and the strategic plan is to understand the reason behind and explore the solutions. The homeless veterans have formed a community of persons that is unique to the general one, which increases the listed problems. Human life conforms to the laid down system, and systems theory can prove useful in establishing addressing the issue. It explains how a breakdown in the existing system leads to mental homelessness and illness among veterans. Comment by DMW: Ok, know this is not a research imitative but some action toward change. The change process may involve community based research, especially if advocacy is the vehicle you will use for change. But research alone is not the plan.

Dealing with the challenge might be challenging, mainly because of its nature. People with mental illnesses require the input of the family members, and this may not be possible for the veterans. Most of them spend time alone in the streets, and vital information may not be available (Gabrielian et al., 2019). After addressing the challenge, there may not be a person readily present to assist with post-recovery care. These people may not be settled and ready to accept any form of resistance. In this case, I would treat the veterans professionally by first seeking their consent, especially for those who can comprehend the issue. Comment by DMW: What is the challenge you are referring to? Comment by DMW: Peggy, can you narrow this down to the location where your strategic plan will take effect? You are not planning a national program; it is a plan specific to a limited locality.

Systems change theory will be instrumental in addressing the identified challenges since it will help address the challenge of mental illnesses among homeless veterans. The cause of the problem is the lack of poor planning where the system has not devised a proper way of ensuring people invests when working (Gabrielian et al., 2019). The systems have not created a sound system where those employed have time to prepare for retirement. After retirement, some of the veterans do not have homes or sell them to cater for medical expenses. The sudden shift from paid employment to lack of it and lack of inflow of money lead to mental illnesses. It is, therefore, lack of proper systems in the workplace that leads to the challenge later in life. I will thus use the existing systems to address how to prevent the problem once the soldiers are employed. Comment by DMW: Is this the cause in your community? Has lack of personal investment created the issue of homelessness? How does this relate to mental illness?

I will consider the principles of respect and privacy when dealing with the cases. For change to come, I understand the need for respecting the veterans’ in spite of their condition and avoid doing things contrary to their wish (Young, 2017). The other principle I will adhere to is considering their privacy by not exposing the information they offer voluntarily. I will be guided by the American Psychological Association code of ethics by ensuring integrity and competence to bring about the change. Integrity will allow me to respect the clients as they are while my competency is anchored on the client’s privacy when helping them. The main challenge while bringing about the change is the lack of information, mainly because the homeless do not have close family members. The veterans live alone, and medical records may not be available, which will make me work harder. The available opportunity is, however, the fact that it is easy to spot the veterans and effect the change.

Peggy, you seem to not have a real good handle on how to proceed with your issue. If homelessness among military vets is the population you want to address in your plan, there is the need to speak about the issue homeless vets experience, specific to your locality. Explain the connection between their mental illness and homelessness in your area. There may be issues of substance abuse mixed in with diagnoses of PTSD, and other conditions. If the plan is to find shelter for these individuals in your locality, are there challenges from the community that must be addressed? Are there funding issues? Are there service designs that need to be addressed (For example, should mental health services be onsite at the housing site or not)? What area agency collaborators are likely to work with you and your agency? What agencies may not want to work with you due to community “turf protection”?

You are fine in using systems theory, but you must use it appropriately. You are planning a project that is macro based, it is local or regional community focused plan, with possibly multiple partners. You have not even mentioned any agency that will be the focal group for the effort. You are looking at it from a micro perspective, and that is not broad enough. The system will incorporate the broad community of human service agencies, perhaps the VA, and other providers who advocate for this population. From a systems perspective, who needs to be at the table to discuss this issue? How will you bring them to the table? What ethical challenges may arise when working with this groups to create and implement the plan? What are the opportunities that can come about from this effort? What are the barriers that may arise from this effort?

These are the types of questions you need to ask from a planning and ethical perspective because change (a full-service housing facility dedicated to homeless vets?) will not occur unless these, and other steps are put into action.

As you move forward, you will need to revise this section before the final submission at the end of the quarter. So review my notes and take another stab at addressing these important issues.

Let me know if this makes sense to you or if you have questions.

References

Mikesell, R. H., Lusterman, D. D. E., & McDaniel, S. H. (2015). Integrating family therapy: Handbook of family psychology and systems theory. American Psychological Association.

Gabrielian, S., Bromley, E., Hamilton, A. B., Vu, V. T., Alexandrino Jr, A., Koosis, E., & Young, A. S. (2019). Problem-solving skills and deficits among homeless veterans with serious mental illness. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 89(2), 287.

Young, G. (2017). Revising the APA ethics code. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.