Treatment Plan
Patient Identification
Mrs. Bargas is a middle-aged woman with five children. She has been out of work for 3 months, and her husband had a stroke two weeks ago. She is worried about losing her home as she does not have money to carter for rent and other bills. She is also having a rough time with her daughter because she is overloaded with work since her husband became sick. She is stressed, confused, and desperate to secure a job and financial support to settle her bills.
Problems to be Addressed
Mrs. Bargas has stress; she is frustrated, desperate, anxious, and angry for her condition. Her stress is caused by multiple problems that should be addressed. First, Mrs. Bargas needs to get a job. The last time Mrs. Bargas worked was 12 years ago when she worked as a nanny; since her husband has a stroke and is unable to provide for the family, she desperately needs a job, which will assist her in paying bills. Secondly, Mrs. Bargas needs money to carter for her rent; she has no job, and her husband is sick, thereby, they have no money. Finally, Mrs. Bargas needs her daughter, Amy, to talk to a social worker as she is going through a rough time at school. Since Mrs. Bargas' husband became sick, Amy has been helping with housework and assisting her brother with his assignment. This has resulted in a strained relationship with her mother.
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Problem Identification and Prioritization
As Mrs. Bargas' counselor, I will request her to describe the challenges she has been going through before and after her husband fell sick. Information before her husband's sickness will help me identify if she had mental problems, which are being manifested after her husband's sickness. Her health information after her husband's sickness will help identify problems she is experiencing that might be the cause of stress. Her major problem is finances since she does not have a job and needs to pay her rent and carter for other needs and having a social worker for Amy. These problems are causing Mrs. Bargas to have stress.
In prioritizing Mrs. Bargas' problems, I will analyze the problems I have identified with her to determine the most severe problem. The most severe problem is the issue that requires immediate attention; unless it is solved, her mental well-being and life will deteriorate. Then, we will identify the least severe problem; this will be the problem that Mrs. Bargas can survive with for a little longer, without adverse impacts of her mental health of family status. In this case, the priority is securing a job for Mrs. Bargas, where she will get money to pay her rent, carter for her family's needs, and take care of her husband's medication as they do not have insurance. With a well-paying job, Mrs. Bargas can also hire a house help to assist with daily chores, relieving Amy from her duties. After securing a job, getting a counselor for Amy should be the next priority. Helping Amy will allow her to open up and improve her relationship with her mother, resulting in reduced stress.
Related Needs
Mrs. Bargas is suffering from stress due to financial constraints, and her ailing husband, other related needs to her problem, is improving her family's well-being and getting her an office job.
Client’s Strengths in Intervention Determination
Mrs. Bargas is very determined to improve her financial position, the relationship with her daughter, and help her husband. Her determination, willingness to work, and capacity to work will help develop an intervention that she is interested in, such as getting her a job. Additionally, Mrs. Bargas is very strong mentally and wants the best for her daughter and husband. Providing counseling support to Amy and speech therapy to her husband will help improve her mental well-being and her family's.
Treatment Plan Goals and Objectives
Goal 1: Improve Mrs. Bargas' financial position.
Goal 1 Objective: Mrs. Bargas will have a job that she will attend 5 times per week.
Objective 2: The social work office will settle Mrs. Bargas' bills until she receives her first salary.
Goal 2: Reduce Mrs. Bargas' stress levels.
Goal 2 Objective 1: Mrs. Bargas will attend therapy 1 time per week until her stress level drops.
Objective 2: Amy will attend counseling sessions 3 times per week after school until her condition improves.
Interventions
For the first goal and objective, providing financial and food assistance to Mrs. Bargas' family is the best intervention. Since Mrs. Bargas has no job and cash, she will require food assistance from the foodbanks and cash from the social work office to carter to the needs of her five children and ailing husband.
For the second goal, which is reducing Mrs. Bargas' stress levels, cognitive behavioral therapy will be required. This is an effective technique for managing stress as it helps in eliminating negative thought patterns that cause stress.
Evidence from Research Literature
Stress and depression are prevalent conditions for people experiencing financial problems. According to Sturgeon et al. (2016), financial constraints are correlated to negative mental health conditions, such as stress and depression. Reducing stress for people experiencing financial problems requires financial assistance. According to Adams et al. (2016), providing financial assistance or jobs reduces financial-related stress. In this case, providing financial assistance to Mrs. Bargas will reduce her stress.
Additionally, cognitive behavioral therapy is very effective in reducing stress. According to Shariatkhah et al. (2017), cognitive behavioral therapy is very effective in managing stress as it helps eliminate negative thoughts that contribute to stress development. Additionally, Ghazavi et al. (2016), in their research, identified that cognitive-behavioral therapy improves the quality of life of psychosomatic patients. Following this evidence, applying cognitive behavioral therapy to Mrs. Bargas would be the best alternative.
Information in Treatment Plan
A treatment plan has a simple format and includes patient personal information, diagnosis, treatment goals, objective, and treatment progress (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018). This information helps identify the patients, their problems, interventions applied, and how they will be achieved.
References
Adams, D. R., Meyers, S. A., Beidas, R. S. (2015). The relationship between financial strain, perceived stress, psychological symptoms, and academic and social integration in undergraduate students. J Am Coll Health , 64(5), 362-370. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2016.1154559
Ghazavi, Z., Rahimi, E., Yazdani, M., & Afshar, H. (2016). Effect of cognitive-behavioral stress management program on psychosomatic patients' quality of life. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research , 21 (5), 510–515. https://doi.org/10.4103/1735-9066.193415
Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018). Understanding generalist practice (8th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Shariatkhah, J., Farajzadeh, Z., & Khazaee, K. (2017). The Effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Stress Management on Nurses' Job Stress. Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery research , 22 (5), 398–402. https://doi.org/10.4103/1735-9066.215683
Sturgeon, J. A., Arewasikporn, A., Okun, M. A., Davis, M. C., Ong, A. D., & Zautra, A. J. (2016). The Psychosocial Context of Financial Stress: Implications for Inflammation and Psychological Health. Psychosomatic medicine , 78 (2), 134–143. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000276
