Discussion 1: Social and Economic Justice The Center for Economic and Social Justice defines “social justice” as “giving to each what he or she is due.” “Economic justice” is concerned with determining what an individual’s “due” actually encompasses.  For this Discussion, select a case study in this week’s Readings. Review the case study, focusing on the social or economic justice issues at play in the situation described. ***Post  a description of a social or economic justice issue that is evident in the case. Suggest two strategies the social worker might employ to address the issue.  Reference: Center for Economic and Social Justice. (n.d.).  Defining economic justice and social justice . Retrieved from June 11, 2013, from  http://www.cesj.org/thirdway/economicjustice-defined.htm CASE STUDY: Working With Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Trauma: The Case of Brenna Brenna is an 18-year-old, heterosexual, African American female. She is pregnant, residing in a homeless shelter, and has no income source. Brenna was raised by her biological mother in a one-bedroom apartment in an urban neighborhood. When Brenna was 15 years old, her mother began dating a new man. This man sexually assaulted Brenna while they were home alone one evening. She immediately disclosed the sexual assault to her mother who called her a liar and told her to move out. Brenna then lived in a variety of situations, sometimes residing with friends for short periods and sometimes living in a youth shelter. During this period she attended high school intermittently but did not graduate. After her 18th birthday, Brenna moved in with her boyfriend, Cameron. Also living in the household were Cameron’s mother, his 16-year-old sister, and a 7-year-old brother. Shortly after moving in with Cameron, Brenna became pregnant with his child. Prior to the pregnancy, Cameron would often abuse her physically, verbally, and emotionally. When Brenna announced the pregnancy, Cameron became even more violent, accused her of sleeping with other men, and denied paternity of the baby. When Brenna was 4 months pregnant, Cameron attempted to strangle her, so Brenna moved to a shelter. Although the shelter was willing to house Brenna and her newborn temporarily, their policy required Brenna to secure new living arrangements prior to giving birth. I was assigned to be Brenna’s social work case manager at this shelter. Brenna and I worked together to set manageable goals during her stay at the shelter and also developed a plan for ongoing mental health support. Utilizing individual case manage- ment sessions, I worked with Brenna to prioritize goals regarding nancial stability, permanent housing, and medical care. Brenna had dif culty reading and writing, so we worked together to PRACTICE 31 SOCIAL WORK CASE STUDIES: FOUNDATION YEAR complete the applications for Medicaid; General Assistance; the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Chil- dren (WIC); and a local subsidized apartment.

1. Discussion 1: Social and Economic Justice
The Center for Economic and Social Justice defines “social
justice” as “giving to each what he or she is due.” “Economic
justice” is concerned with determining what an individual’s
“due” actually encompasses.
For this Discussion, select a case study in this week’s Readings.
Review the case study, focusing on the social or economic
justice issues at play in the situation described.
***Post
a description of a social or economic justice issue that is
evident in the case. Suggest two strategies the social worker
might employ to address the issue.
Reference: Center for Economic and Social Justice. (n.d.).
Defining economic justice and social justice
. Retrieved from June 11, 2013, from
http://www.cesj.org/thirdway/economicjustice-defined.htm
CASE STUDY:
Working With Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Trauma: The Case
of Brenna
Brenna is an 18-year-old, heterosexual, African American
female. She is pregnant, residing in a homeless shelter, and has
no income source. Brenna was raised by her biological mother
in a one-bedroom apartment in an urban neighborhood. When
Brenna was 15 years old, her mother began dating a new man.
This man sexually assaulted Brenna while they were home alone
one evening. She immediately disclosed the sexual assault to
her mother who called her a liar and told her to move out.
Brenna then lived in a variety of situations, sometimes residing
with friends for short periods and sometimes living in a youth
shelter. During this period she attended high school

2. intermittently but did not graduate.
After her 18th birthday, Brenna moved in with her boyfriend,
Cameron. Also living in the household were Cameron’s mother,
his 16-year-old sister, and a 7-year-old brother. Shortly after
moving in with Cameron, Brenna became pregnant with his
child. Prior to the pregnancy, Cameron would often abuse her
physically, verbally, and emotionally. When Brenna announced
the pregnancy, Cameron became even more violent, accused her
of sleeping with other men, and denied paternity of the baby.
When Brenna was 4 months pregnant, Cameron attempted to
strangle her, so Brenna moved to a shelter. Although the shelter
was willing to house Brenna and her newborn temporarily, their
policy required Brenna to secure new living arrangements prior
to giving birth.
I was assigned to be Brenna’s social work case manager at this
shelter. Brenna and I worked together to set manageable goals
during her stay at the shelter and also developed a plan for
ongoing mental health support. Utilizing individual case
manage- ment sessions, I worked with Brenna to prioritize goals
regarding nancial stability, permanent housing, and medical
care. Brenna had dif culty reading and writing, so we worked
together to
PRACTICE
31
SOCIAL WORK CASE STUDIES: FOUNDATION YEAR
complete the applications for Medicaid; General Assistance; the
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Chil-
dren (WIC); and a local subsidized apartment complex. Brenna
often became frustrated throughout this process, struggling to
locate all required documents as a result of her frequent moves
and changes in residency. I advocated for Brenna to receive
medical care at the local hospital’s prenatal clinic while waiting
for Medicaid approval, utilizing her completed Medicaid
applica- tion to support the request. The hospital also agreed to
enroll Brenna in prenatal support and education groups that met
on a weekly basis.

3. Dif culty with reading and writing made it challenging to apply
for jobs to list on her application for General Assistance, so I
gathered information for Brenna on available educational and
self-help centers in the community. She enrolled in a group at a
local agency that provided free General Educational
Development (GED) training, and she was able to enhance her
reading skills during her stay at the shelter. By attending a
group at the agency, Brenna met several single mothers in the
area and built a new support network in the community.
Throughout this process, Brenna struggled with feelings of
inadequacy, low self-esteem, loneliness, and powerlessness. I
worked with her to validate and process these feelings and
assisted her in contacting a local therapist with experience
working with survivors of dating abuse and domestic violence.
Although she was initially hesitant to engage in a therapeutic
rela- tionship, I assisted Brenna in making an informed decision
to do so. She attended weekly therapy sessions throughout the
duration of her stay at the shelter.
Brenna’s resiliency, self-suf ciency, and dedication to providing
a healthy life for her unborn child gave her the motivation to set
dif cult goals, and she used her time at the shelter to attain
them. One month prior to giving birth, Brenna’s housing
application was accepted and she moved into a small two-
bedroom apartment. Working with Social Services, she was
granted a voucher and was able to furnish her apartment. I
accompanied Brenna to the super- market and assisted her in
planning a monthly food budget with
32
her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and
WIC funds. Through work with her therapist, Brenna cut off all
contact with Cameron, choosing to raise her child on her own.
She said she felt like a new person when she established a new
phone number and address without informing Cameron, and
when she left the shelter, although nervous, she expressed a
sense of con - dence in her ability to move forward with her
new baby.

4. PRACTICE
33
clearly been in uenced by the group facilitator, who was
incredibly friendly and outgoing. There was no other choice but
termination, and the realization that the damage could not be
repaired was disappointing. However, had I disclosed “my side”
of what was happening, I would have been making the same
errors as the group facilitator and involving myself in a
dysfunctional and unhealthy dynamic, including crossing
boundaries—exactly what survivors do not need. There are
times when you must “swallow your pride” to do what is right
and best for the client, especially given the different variables
and considering the ethical issues at play.
Working With Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Trauma: The Case
of Brenna
What speci c intervention strategies (skills, knowledge,
etc.) did you use to address this client situation?
I used re ective listening and reframing to assist Brenna in
setting goals and determining her unmet needs. I used knowl-
edge of local systems and social service agencies to provide
referrals and to secure needed services.
Which theory or theories did you use to guide your practice?
I utilized systems theory.
What were the identi ed strengths of the client(s)?
Brenna’s strengths were her resiliency and self-suf ciency.
Brenna viewed her desire to provide a better future for her child
as a strong motivating factor for changing her life.
What were the identi ed challenges faced by the client(s)?
Brenna lacked a familial support system and network of friends,
and she was socially isolated. Upon entry to the shelter, she
lacked medical care, employment, income, and housing. Brenna
also strug- gled with dif culty reading and writing. Brenna had
experienced trauma and violence in her past and would be
raising her child alone.
What were the agreed-upon goals to be met to address the
concern?

5. Brenna and I agreed to secure medical care, a housing plan, and
a source of income. Brenna also set goals to improve her mental
health.
APPENDIX
107
SOCIAL WORK CASE STUDIES: FOUNDATION YEAR
What local, state, or federal policies could (or did) affect this
situation?
State policies regarding photo ID affected Brenna’s ability to
apply for various assistance programs through Social Services.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) policies will
also affect her ability to obtain nancial assistance after giving
birth. Paternity is required on forms for TANF, and she may
need to explore domestic violence waivers when completing
TANF applications.
How would you advocate for social change to positively affect
this case?
I would advocate for improved assistance to be offered through
Social Services. Brenna was often met with anger and frustra-
tion at Social Services due to her dif culty reading and writing,
so she had given up on trying to secure medical care and nan-
cial assistance early in her pregnancy.
Were there any legal or ethical issues present in the case? If so,
what were they and how were they addressed?
Brenna and I discussed future plans for applying for TANF and
the impact the child’s paternity has on approval of the applica-
tion. We discussed the parental rights of Cameron and identi- ed
resources for legal assistance if needed in the future.
Describe any additional personal re ections about this case.
When working on a strict timeline, it is important to balance
client empowerment with health and safety.
Human Behavior and the Social Environment
Working With Children and Adolescents:
The Case of Dalia
1. What speci c intervention strategies (skills, knowledge,

6. etc.) did you use to address this client situation?
This case required that active and re ective listening, reframing,
and validation be employed as part of the assessment, engage-
ment, and goal-setting process. In addition, working from the
strengths-based perspective and meeting the client system
Reference:
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014).
Working with survivors of sexual abuse and trauma: The case of
Brenna
. In
Social work case studies: Foundation year.
Retrieved from
http://www.vitalsource.com