SOCIAL WORK CASE STUDIES: CONCENTRATION YEAR 30 Working With Families: The Case of Brady Brady is a 15-year-old, Caucasian male referred to me by his previous social worker for a second evaluation. Brady’s father, Steve, reports that his son is irritable, impulsive, and often in trouble at school; has difficulty concentrating on work (both at home and in school); and uses foul language. He also informed me that his wife, Diane, passed away 3 years ago, although he denies any relationship between Brady’s behavior and the death of his mother. Brady presented as immature and exhibited below-average intelligence and emotional functioning. He reported feelings of low self-esteem, fear of his father, and no desire to attend school. Steve presented as emotionally deregulated and also emotionally immature. He appeared very nervous and guarded in the sessions with Brady. He verbalized frustration with Brady and feeling overwhelmed trying to take care of his son’s needs. Brady attended four sessions with me, including both individual and family work. I also met with Steve alone to discuss the state of his own mental health and parenting support needs. In the initial evaluation session I suggested that Brady be tested for learning and emotional disabilities. I provided a referral to a psychiatrist, and I encouraged Steve to have Brady evaluated by the child study team at his school. Steve unequivocally told me he would not follow up with these referrals, telling me, “There is nothing wrong with him. He just doesn’t listen, and he is disrespectful.” After the initial session, I met individually with Brady and completed a genogram and asked him to discuss each member of his family. He described his father as angry and mean and reported feeling afraid of him. When I inquired what he was afraid of, Brady did not go into detail, simply saying, “getting in trouble.” In the next follow-up session with both Steve and Brady present, Steve immediately told me about an incident Brady had at school. Steve was clearly frustrated and angry and began to call Brady hurtful names. I asked Steve about his behavior and the words used toward Brady. Brady interjected and told his dad that being PRACTICE 31 called these names made him feel afraid of him and further caused him to feel badly about himself. Steve then began to discuss the effects of his wife’s death on him and Brady and verbalized feel- ings of hopelessness. I suggested that Steve follow up with my previous recommendations and, further, that he should strongly consider meeting with a social worker to address his own feelings of grief. Steve agreed to take the referral for the psychiatrist and said he would follow up with the school about an evaluation for Brady, but he denied that he needed treatment. In the third session, I met initially with Brady to complete his genogram, when he said, “I want to tell you what happens some- times when I get in trouble.” Br.

1. SOCIAL WORK CASE STUDIES: CONCENTRATION YEAR
30
Working With Families:
The Case of Brady
Brady is a 15-year-old, Caucasian male referred to me by his
previous social worker for a second evaluation. Brady’s father,
Steve, reports that his son is irritable, impulsive, and often in
trouble at school; has difficulty concentrating on work (both at
home and in school); and uses foul language. He also informed
me that his wife, Diane, passed away 3 years ago, although he
denies any relationship between Brady’s behavior and the death
of his mother.
Brady presented as immature and exhibited below-average
intelligence and emotional functioning. He reported feelings of
low self-esteem, fear of his father, and no desire to attend
school.
Steve presented as emotionally deregulated and also
emotionally
immature. He appeared very nervous and guarded in the
sessions
with Brady. He verbalized frustration with Brady and feeling
overwhelmed trying to take care of his son’s needs.
Brady attended four sessions with me, including both individual
and family work. I also met with Steve alone to discuss the state
of
his own mental health and parenting support needs. In the initial
evaluation session I suggested that Brady be tested for learning

2. and emotional disabilities. I provided a referral to a
psychiatrist,
and I encouraged Steve to have Brady evaluated by the child
study
team at his school. Steve unequivocally told me he would not
follow up with these referrals, telling me, “There is nothing
wrong
with him. He just doesn’t listen, and he is disrespectful.”
After the initial session, I met individually with Brady and
completed a genogram and asked him to discuss each member
of his family. He described his father as angry and mean and
reported feeling afraid of him. When I inquired what he was
afraid
of, Brady did not go into detail, simply saying, “getting in
trouble.”
In the next follow-up session with both Steve and Brady
present,
Steve immediately told me about an incident Brady had at
school.
Steve was clearly frustrated and angry and began to call Brady
hurtful names. I asked Steve about his behavior and the words
used toward Brady. Brady interjected and told his dad that being
PRACTICE
31
called these names made him feel afraid of him and further
caused
him to feel badly about himself. Steve then began to discuss the
effects of his wife’s death on him and Brady and verbalized
feel-

3. ings of hopelessness. I suggested that Steve follow up with my
previous recommendations and, further, that he should strongly
consider meeting with a social worker to address his own
feelings
of grief. Steve agreed to take the referral for the psychiatrist
and
said he would follow up with the school about an evaluation for
Brady, but he denied that he needed treatment.
In the third session, I met initially with Brady to complete his
genogram, when he said, “I want to tell you what happens some-
times when I get in trouble.” Brady reported that there had been
physical altercations between him and his father. I called Steve
in and told him what Brady had discussed in the session. Brady
confronted his father, telling him how he felt when they fight.
He also told Steve that he had become “meaner” after “mommy
died.” Steve admitted to physical altercations in the home and
an increase in his irritability since the death of his wife. Steve
and Brady then hugged. I told them it was my legal obligation
to report the accusations of abuse to Child Protective Services
(CPS), which would assist with services such as behavior
modifica-
tion and parenting skills.
Steve asked to speak to me alone and became angry, accusing
me of calling him a child abuser. I explained the role of CPS
and
that the intent of the call was to help put services into place.
After
our session, I called CPS and reported the incident. At our next
session, after the report was made, Steve was again angry and
asked me what his legal rights were as a parent. He then told
me that he was seeking legal counsel to file a lawsuit against
me.
I explained my legal obligations as a clinical social worker and
mandated reporter. Steve asked me very clearly, “Do you think

4. I am abusing my son?” My answer was, “I cannot be the one
to make that determination. I am obligated by law to report.”
Steve sighed, rolled his eyes, and called me some names under
his breath.
Brady’s case was opened as a child welfare case rather than
a child protective case (which would have required his removal
SOCIAL WORK CASE STUDIES: CONCENTRATION YEAR
32
from the home). CPS initiated behavior modification, parenting
skills classes, and a school evaluation. Steve was ordered by the
court to seek mental health counseling. One year after I closed
this case, Brady called me to thank me, asking that I not let his
father know that he called. Brady reported that they continued
to
be involved with child welfare and that he and his father had
not
had any physical altercations since the report.
SOCIAL WORK CASE STUDIES: CONCENTRATION YEAR
108
5. What were the agreed-upon goals to be met to address the
concern?
The goal was to find solutions to alleviate their frustrations and
the discord in their relationship.

5. 6. Did you have to address any issues around cultural compe-
tence? Did you have to learn about this population/group
prior to beginning your work with this client system? If so,
what type of research did you do to prepare?
I was aware and sensitive to the fact that they were a gay
couple.
I was cognizant of the possible biased reactions they might
have received from administrators at Jackson’s school and their
surrounding community. I inquired into their interactions with
the adoption agency and the school to get a sense of any nega-
tive interactions that might have impeded service delivery. I
also
suggested a support group for lesbian and gay couples who
adopt.
7. How would you advocate for social change to positively
affect this case?
I would advocate for better education for foster and adoptive
parents on the resources they may be eligible to receive.
8. How can evidence-based practice be integrated into this
situation?
Using weekly scaling questions would be one way in which
evidence-based practice could be implemented.
Working With Families: The Case of Brady
1. What specific intervention strategies (skills, knowledge, etc.)
did you use to address this client situation?
I used structural family therapy, particularly the use of a geno-
gram. I addressed issues of grief and loss and child
development.

6. Finally, I used education to help them learn about services
avail-
able and crisis intervention.
2. Which theory or theories did you use to guide your practice?
I used structural family therapy.
3. What were the identified strengths of the client(s)?
Brady’s bravery in disclosing the altercations between himself
and his father showed great motivation and strength.
APPENDIX
109
4. What were the identified challenges faced by the client(s)?
Steve was resistant to his own mental health needs and the
effect
on his relationship with Brady. Brady was not receiving proper
evaluation and intervention for his presentation of develop-
mental delays/disabilities. Brady and Steve were clearly dealing
with unresolved grief due to the death of Brady’s mother.
5. What were the agreed-upon goals to be met to address the
concern?
The goal was to obtain a second evaluation and then provide
suggestions of services to improve Brady’s behavior in the
home and at school.
6. What local, state, or federal policies could (or did) affect
this situation?

7. The child abuse reporting laws were relevant to this case.
7. How would you advocate for social change to positively
affect this case?
I would advocate for more education and support for children
with developmental disabilities and their parents. It was clear
that Brady had an intellectual disability that had not been previ-
ously acknowledged nor properly addressed.
8. Were there any legal/ethical issues present in the case? If
so, what were they and how were they addressed?
While the reporting laws and ethics for clinicians are very clear
in a case like Brady’s, there is always the concern that a parent
might file a lawsuit against the social worker for making the
report. These are cases in which the clinician’s documentation
of the sessions needs to be accurate and thorough to justify the
CPS report.
9. Describe any additional personal reflections about this case.
I am often asked by students, “Do you find it difficult to make
calls to Child Protective Services and does it get any easier?”
My answer to that question is no, I do not find it hard to make
calls
to CPS because those institutions are there to help. However,
I do continue to find it hard to hear stories of abuse from chil-
dren. That will never get easier. I have learned a great amount
of
humility in these cases. If a child (or adult) finds my office
space
SOCIAL WORK CASE STUDIES: CONCENTRATION YEAR

8. 110
safe enough and is able to disclose such complex issues as these
to me, I feel honored. It is because a client trusts me enough to
tell me these things that I feel responsible to do my job.
Working With Families: The Case of Carol and Joseph
1. What specific intervention strategies (skills, knowledge, etc.)
did you use to address this client situation?
This case required extensive use of active and passive listening
and patience to enable the client to become sufficiently
comfort-
able with me and to arrive at a point where she could work on
her issues. Initially she was very angry, hostile, resistant, and
very much in denial.
2. Which theory or theories did you use to guide your practice?
I work with people in their homes, which is their territory, not
mine. I think it is very important to be aware of how I would
feel
if I were in their shoes. The person-in-environment perspective
and Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach are crucial here.
3. What were the identified strengths of the client(s)?
She was smart and had a good support system in her husband
and mother, who were very supportive during her treatment.
4. What were the identified challenges faced by the client(s)?
Carol was a severe alcoholic and had a drug problem to a lesser
extent. She had psychological issues as well, including low self-
esteem, depression, and anxiety. She also had transportation

9. and legal problems as a result of losing her driver’s license
after
the DUI.
5. What were the agreed-upon goals to be met to address the
concern?
The primary goal was to protect her child by keeping Carol
sober and finding the intervention method that would be most
appropriate for her to do that. This took time due to the resist-
ance to treatment.
6. How would you advocate for social change to positively
affect this case?
Treatment options and access to them need to be improved
in rural areas. There were not many choices for this client,
Discussion 1: Attachment Theory
The adolescent stage can be described as a time where there is a
loss of innocence and a preentry into adulthood. A large part of
being an adolescent is beginning that process of stepping out
into the world and learning about oneself as a unique and
autonomous individual. This movement out into the world is
contingent upon the knowledge that this young person will have
a safe and secure home to return to at the end of the day. If a
traumatic loss or event has occurred in the adolescent’s life,
there may be no safe base to which this individual can return.
Attachment theory teaches us that a young person’s ability to
attach/engage with peers, family, and other potential support
systems is an important aspect of the developmental process.
During the adolescent stage of development, assessing
attachment styles is important because it provides a window
into how the adolescent relates to others, which allows the
clinician to choose the appropriate intervention.

10. For this Discussion, program case study for the Bradley family
(in attachments).
Post an application of the attachment theory to the case of either
Tiffani or Brady. Discuss the connection between his or her
attachment style and the exhibiting behavior.
Support your posts with specific references to this week’s
resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your
references. Should be at least 100 words and contain at least 1
reference and 1 citation.
Discussion 2: Developmental Stages
Understanding an adolescent’s behavior can be at times elusive
and even frustrating. Due to the multiple aspects of the
developmental tasks during these years, it can be at times quite
challenging to clearly define the issue(s) at hand. Assessment
during this stage will include an evaluation of whether an
adolescent’s actions are indicative of unhealthy behavior or
merely representative of being an adolescent. A comprehensive
assessment that includes an evaluation of the client’s
developmental stage is a priority when working with this age
group.
For this Discussion, use the cast study of Brady. Also, read
online about and use Erikson’s developmental theory.
Post an assessment of whether the client is mastering the stage
of identity. Identify the areas that should be addressed in an
intervention based on his or her developmental stage. Describe
how you might address those areas.
Support your posts with specific references to this week’s
resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your
references. Should be at least 100 words and contain at least 1
reference and 1 citation.
Discussion 3: Psychosocial Theory and Diverse Groups
There will be times when a social worker is presented with a
case where they are not familiar with the surrounding
psychosocial issues. Because social workers are on a continual
journey in learning, it is important to read pertinent literature.

11. This Discussion provides an opportunity to visit Walden Library
and strengthen your skills in identifying and locating an
empirical research article.
To prepare:
· Use this group: an immigrant individual from a racial or ethnic
minority group
· Then conduct a search for an empirical study focused on the
group above and the unique psychosocial factors or issues a
social worker should be aware of when working with that group.
Post:
· Post the APA-style reference for the article you found.
· Describe four specific psychosocial factors that should be
taken into account in order to understand the psychosocial
context when working with the group you selected. (Two of
these factors should be psychologically related and two of these
factors should be socially related).
· Identify and explain a psychosocial intervention that addresses
one of the four specific psychosocial factors you described
above.
· Identify 1 to 2 outcomes you might measure if you were to
evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention.
· Evaluate one advantage of using a psychosocial framework in
social work practice with the group you chose.
· Should be at least 100 words and contain at least 1 reference
and 1 citation.