Safe Haven is a popular social work agency established ten years ago. It is located adjacent to Maryland Hospital, along Lincoln Avenue. It serves an average of 15 clients in a single day. The agency has an ample parking space located in front of the main building. The parking lot allows for convenient access by clients using private cars. The agency operates for ten hours daily, including weekends. This ensures that the agency accommodates client needs. The agency also offers 24-hour emergency contact services. Safe Haven provides several services including behavioral therapy for adolescents, anger management counseling, marriage counseling, and domestic abuse intervention services. The agency helps meet the needs of its clients in the community it operates in.
Client Profile
The agency provides micro-level social work. At the micro level, the agency handles sensitive interactions with individuals from the community. The social workers from the agency engage with individuals and families to solve day to day problems affecting their lives. The agency ensures that members of the community get access to essential social services and the necessary healthcare for people with mental and substance abuse problems. The agency provides both individual and family counseling services. Victims of domestic violence also get assistance from the social work agency. Basically, the agency facilitates conversations between a single social worker and a single client.
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Presenting Concern
The client is a 13-year-old girl who reports that a male student has continually subjected her to sexual harassment. According to her, the male student keeps soliciting sexual favors from her. She looks worried and restless. She says that the senior student warned her against reporting the abuse to any teacher. She spends most of her time worrying about her life. Sexual harassment is a serious human rights violation. The effects of experiencing sexual harassment can be profound, ranging from uncomfortable to devastating. Due to the constant sexual harassment, the student reports that she has been having trouble paying attention in class. She has also been participating less in her school’s co-curricular activities. Thus, the girl’s social life has been affected negatively. The agency should therefore find the most appropriate ways to help the teenager.
Scene Description from the Client Session
The social worker utilizes the Generalist Intervention Model during the client session. The model assists social workers to develop a broad knowledge base regarding the concerns of their clients ( Austin et al., 2016). The model provides seven problem solving steps; engagement, assessment, planning, intervention, evaluation, and termination. They provide a roadmap for facilitating effective client involvement.
The session begins with the client entering the interview room where the social worker is seated behind a mahogany desk. The social worker then welcomes the client and requests her to have a seat. The client sits down and looks at the social worker. Apparently, the client is waiting to hear from the social worker.
The social worker exchanges some pleasantries with client. This creates a warm environment for the client to settle and feel comfortable. The social worker goes ahead to ask her about what brought her to the agency. She replies that she is worried about some things that are happening to her. The social worker assures her that she was in the right place and that she was ready to help her through the problem. The assurance lightened her face and she began to open up about her problem. She tells the social worker that there is this boy who has been stalking her and soliciting sexual favors from her. While she continues to state her problem, the social worker remained calm and attentive, nodding at the end of each statement. The social worker then asks her about the help she would like to get from the agency, as well as the desired outcomes.
The social worker then asks the client about the length of the abuse and the effects of the abuse on her social life and school performance. She also asked her whether she had reported the matter in confidence to her parents or any of the teachers. The client states that she had kept the issue secret for fear of retaliation from the perpetrator. The social worker maintains eye contact with the client and affirms that she will offer full support.
The social worker then discusses various intervention options that could be utilized to address the problem. The social worker wants to seek her approval of the various options. The social worker asks her whether she will be comfortable if her parents and teachers will be involved in addressing the problem. The social worker also assures her that she will be protected from any harm in case the perpetrator decides to retaliate.
Practice Skills or Behaviors Demonstrated in the Role Play
There are different skills and techniques demonstrated in the role play. The skills demonstrated include active listening, good communication, empathy, and understanding of human psychology ( Tham & Lynch, 2014 ). The social worker also utilized the open-ended question and screening for red flags techniques in the role play. The social worker demonstrated active listening skills by maintaining eye contact with the client. The gesture assured the client that she had time for her. The social worker also kept nodding his head after every statement to confirm that she was following the client’s explanations. The social worker also communicated clearly with the client. The social worker’s questions were audible and clear. The social worker also has a sense of empathy. She used facial expressions to assure the client that she understood what she was going through. The social worker also demonstrated that she understands human psychology. When the client was overwhelmed by fear in the beginning of the interview, she assured her that she was in the right place, sharing her concerns with the right person. This helped make the client comfortable enough to open up. The social worker also utilized open-ended questions in order to get as much information from the client.
| Audio (Dialogue) | Video (Client and social worker visual cues) | Social Worker Practice Skills/Behavior |
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Social worker : Good afternoon Juliet. I am happy to see you. What brings you to the agency this afternoon? Juliet : I am really worried about some things that are happening to me. I feel like I will not continue living like this. |
The social worker smiles and gestures for Juliet to sit down in the empty chair besides the social worker’s mahogany desk. Juliet pulls the chair and sits on it. She then looks in the ceiling, her eyes brimming with tears. |
Warmth Open-ended question Active listening |
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Social worker : I am so sorry about that Juliet. You can rest assured that you are in the right place and that you are talking with the right person. Could you please tell me what is worrying you? Juliet : There is this boy in school who keeps stalking me. He has even solicited sexual favors from me on several occasions. I have not been courageous to report him to my parents or teachers because he has warned me strongly against it. I am really confused and worried. |
The social worker looks concerned. She looks in Juliet’s eyes in an assuring way. Juliet nods in the affirmative and wipes her tears using her handkerchief. |
Empathy Understanding of human psychology. |
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Social worker : That must have been really hard for you but you will get help now that you have come to the agency. I must say that you a strong girl. I must commend you for making a decision to come here because you will get the support you need. Juliet : Thank you for understanding. Thanks again for the heartening compliment. Social Worker : You are welcome Juliet. You are truly a great girl! |
The social worker nods her head in agreement. She also maintains eye contact. Juliet smiles and looks at the flower vase on the social worker’s table. |
Empathy Good communication |
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Social Worker : Has the issue had any negative impact on your life? Juliet : Yes. I no longer play with my associates because I may meet him. I just stay in class. It has really affected my social life and I feel lonely. My grades have also dropped alarmingly. It is killing me! Social Worker : Not anymore. You will get assistance and all will be alright. |
The social worker maintains eye contact and varies her tone to emphasize her words. Juliet looks at the social worker with her eyes still moist. |
Screening for red flags Active listening |
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Social Worker: The boy should be stopped. His threats will be well taken care of and you will be safe. I will involve your parents and school in mitigating the problem. I will ensure that you and other students never get to go through this again. I hope you are okay with that because your approval is important. Juliet : I believe that you will do a good job. I also hope that you will help me explain to my parents. I need to be protected too. Social Worker : You are now in safe hands Juliet. Thank you for accepting to cooperate. |
The social worker maintains eye contact with Juliet. Juliet remains calm and focused. She nods his head in agreement with the social worker. |
Active listening Good communication Understanding of human psychology. |
References
Austin, M. J., Anthony, E. K., Knee, R. T., & Mathias, J. (2016). Revisiting the relationship between micro and macro social work practice. Families in Society , 97 (4), 270-277.
Tham, P., & Lynch, D. (2014). Prepared for practice? Graduating social work students' reflections on their education, competence and skills. Social Work Education , 33 (6), 704-717.
