Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014b). Social work case studies: Concentration year . Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader]. · Working with Children and Adolescents: The Case of Claudia (pp. 15–17)  Note: Depending on your concentration, you may not receive a case study book until a later term. Therefore, if you did not receive a copy of Social Work Case Studies: Concentration Year in your previous course, use the linked PDF provided here. If you did receive the book referenced above, you may find the cases there or use the PDF. PRACTICE 13 Working With Children and Adolescents: The Case of Claudia Claudia is a 6-year-old, Hispanic female residing with her biological mother and father in an urban area. Claudia was born in the United States 6 months after her mother and father moved to the country from Nicaragua. There is currently no extended family living in the area, but Claudia’s parents have made friends in the neighborhood. Claudia’s family struggles economically and has also struggled to obtain legal residency in this country. Her father inconsistently finds work in manual labor, and her mother recently began working three nights a week at a nail salon. While Claudia is bilingual in Spanish and English, Spanish is the sole language spoken in her household. She is currently enrolled in a large public school, attending kindergarten. Claudia’s family lives in an impoverished urban neighborhood with a rising crime rate. After Claudia witnessed a mugging in her neighborhood, her mother reported that she became very anxious and “needy.” She cried frequently and refused to be in a room alone without a parent. Claudia made her parents lock the doors after returning home and would ask her parents to check the locks repeatedly. When walking in the neighborhood, Claudia would ask her parents if people passing are “bad” or if an approaching person is going to hurt them. Claudia had difficulty going to bed on nights when her mother worked, often crying when her mother left. Although she was frequently nervous, Claudia was comforted by her parents and has a good relationship with them. Claudia’s nervousness was exhibited throughout the school day as well. She asked her teachers to lock doors and spoke with staff and peers about potential intruders on a daily basis. Claudia’s mother, Paula, was initially hesitant to seek therapy services for her daughter due to the family’s undocumented status in the country. I met with Claudia’s mother and utilized the initial meeting to explain the nature of services offered at the agency, as well as the policies of confidentiality. Prior to the SOCIAL WORK CASE STUDIES: CONCENTRATION YEAR 14 meeting, I translated all relevant forms to Spanish to increase Paula’s comfort. Within several minutes of talking, Paula noticeably relaxed, openly sharing the family’s history and her concerns regarding Claudia’s “nervousness.” Goals se ...

1. Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014b).
Social work case studies: Concentration year
. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities
Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
·
Working with Children and Adolescents: The Case of Claudia
(pp. 15–17)
Note: Depending on your concentration, you may not receive a
case study book until a later term. Therefore, if you did not
receive a copy of Social Work Case Studies: Concentration Year
in your previous course, use the linked PDF provided here. If
you did receive the book referenced above, you may find the
cases there or use the PDF.
PRACTICE
13
Working With Children
and Adolescents:
The Case of Claudia
Claudia is a 6-year-old, Hispanic female residing with her
biological mother and father in an urban area. Claudia was born
in the United States 6 months after her mother and father moved
to the country from Nicaragua. There is currently no extended
family living in the area, but Claudia’s parents have made
friends in the neighborhood. Claudia’s family struggles
economically and has also struggled to obtain legal residency in
this country. Her father inconsistently finds work in manual

2. labor, and her mother recently began working three nights a
week at a nail salon. While Claudia is bilingual in Spanish and
English, Spanish is the sole language spoken in her household.
She is currently enrolled in a large public school, attending
kindergarten.
Claudia’s family lives in an impoverished urban neighborhood
with a rising crime rate. After Claudia witnessed a mugging in
her neighborhood, her mother reported that she became very
anxious and “needy.” She cried frequently and refused to be in a
room alone without a parent. Claudia made her parents lock the
doors after returning home and would ask her parents to check
the locks repeatedly. When walking in the neighborhood,
Claudia would ask her parents if people passing are “bad” or if
an approaching person is going to hurt them. Claudia had
difficulty going to bed on nights when her mother worked, often
crying when her mother left. Although she was frequently
nervous, Claudia was comforted by her parents and has a good
relationship with them. Claudia’s nervousness was exhibited
throughout the school day as well. She asked her teachers to
lock doors and spoke with staff and peers about potential
intruders on a daily basis.
Claudia’s mother, Paula, was initially hesitant to seek therapy
services for her daughter due to the family’s undocumented
status in the country. I met with Claudia’s mother and utilized
the initial meeting to explain the nature of services offered at
the agency, as well as the policies of confidentiality. Prior to
the
SOCIAL WORK CASE STUDIES: CONCENTRATION YEAR
14
meeting, I translated all relevant forms to Spanish to increase

3. Paula’s comfort. Within several minutes of talking, Paula
noticeably
relaxed, openly sharing the family’s history and her concerns
regarding Claudia’s “nervousness.” Goals set for Claudia
included
increasing Claudia’s ability to cope with anxiety and increasing
her
ability to maintain attention throughout her school day.
Using child-centered and directed play therapy approaches,
I began working with Claudia to explore her world. Claudia was
intrigued by the sand tray in my office and selected a variety
of figures, informing me that each figure was either “good” or
“bad.” She would then construct scenes in the sand tray in
which
she would create protective barriers around the good figures,
protecting them from the bad. I reflected upon this theme of
good
versus bad, and Claudia developed the ability to verbalize her
desire to protect good people.
I continued meeting with Claudia once a week, and Claudia
continued exploring the theme of good versus bad in the sand

4. tray
for 2 months. Utilizing a daily feelings check-in, Claudia
developed
the ability to engage in affect identification, verbalizing her
feelings
and often sharing relevant stories. Claudia slowly began asking
me
questions about people in the building and office, inquiring if
they
were bad or good, and I supported Claudia in exploring these
inquiries. Claudia would frequently discuss her fears about
school
with me, asking why security guards were present at schools.
We
would discuss the purpose of security guards in detail, allowing
her to ask questions repeatedly, as needed. Claudia and I also
practiced a calming song to sing when she experienced fear or
anxiety during the school day.
During this time, I regularly met with Paula to track Claudia’s
progress through parent reporting. I also utilized
psychoeducational
techniques during these meetings to review appropriate

5. methods Paula could use to discuss personal safety with Claudia
without creating additional anxiety.
By the third month of treatment, Claudia began determining
that more and more people in the environment were good. This
was reflected in her sand tray scenes as well: the protection of
good figures decreased, and Claudia began placing good and
bad
PRACTICE
15
figures next to one another, stating, “They’re okay now.” Paula
reported that Claudia no longer questioned her about each
individual that passed them on the street. Claudia began telling
her friends in school about good security guards and stopped
asking teachers to lock doors during the day. At home, Claudia
became more comfortable staying in her bedroom alone, and she
significantly decreased the frequency of asking for doors to be
locked.
APPENDIX
99
7. What local, state, or federal policies could (or did) affect this
case?
Chase had an international adoption but it was filed within a
specific state, which allowed him and his family to receive

6. services so he could remain with his adopted family. In
addition, state laws related to education affected Chase and
aided his parents in requesting testing and special education
services. Lastly, state laws related to child abandonment could
have affected this family if they chose to relinquish custody to
the Department of Family and Children Services (DFCS).
8. How would you advocate for social change to positively
affect this case?
Advocacy within the school system for early identification and
testing of children like Chase would be helpful.
9. Were there any legal or ethical issues present in the case? If
so, what were they and how were they addressed?
There was a possibility of legal/ethical issues related to the
family’s frustration with Chase. If his parents had resorted to
physical abuse, a CPS report would need to be filed. In
addition, with a possible relinquishment of Chase, DFCS could
decide to look at the children still in the home (Chase’s adopted
siblings) and consider removing them as well.
Working With Children and Adolescents:
The Case of Claudia
1. What specific intervention strategies (skills, knowledge, etc.)
did you use to address this client situation?
Specific intervention skills used were positive verbal support
and encouragement, validation and reflection, and affect
identification and exploration. Knowledge of child
anxieties/fear and psychoeducation for the client and her mother
were also utilized. Child-centered play therapy was utilized
along with sand tray therapy to provide a safe environment for

7. Claudia.
SOCIAL WORK CASE STUDIES: CONCENTRATION YEAR
100
2. Which theory or theories did you use to guide your practice?
I used theoretical bases of child- (client-) centered nondirective
play therapy.
3. What were the identified strengths of the client(s)?
Client strengths were a supportive parenting unit, positive peer
interactions, and the ability to engage.
4. What were the identified challenges faced by the client(s)?
The client faced environmental challenges. Due to
socioeconomic
status, the client resided in a somewhat dangerous
neighborhood,
adding to her anxiety and fear. The client’s family also lacked
an
extended support system and struggled to establish legal
residency.
5. What were the agreed-upon goals to be met to address the
concern?

8. The goals agreed upon were to increase the client’s ability to
cope with anxiety and increase her ability to maintain attention
at school.
6. Did you have to address any issues around cultural
competence?
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?
Language barriers existed when working with the client’s
mother. I ensured that all agency documents were translated
into Spanish. It was also important to understand the family’s
cultural isolation. Their current neighborhood and culture is
much different than the rural Nicaraguan areas Claudia’s
parents
grew up in. To learn more about this, I spent time with Paula,
learning more about her experience growing up and how this
affects her parenting style and desires for her daughter’s future.
7. What local, state, or federal policies could (or did) affect
this situation?

9. The client and her parents are affected by immigration
legislation.
The client’s family was struggling financially as a result of
their
inability to obtain documented status in this country. The
client’s
mother expressed their strong desire to obtain legal status, but
stated that lawyer fees, court fees, and overwhelming paperwork
hindered their ability to obtain legal residency.
APPENDIX
101
8. How would you advocate for social change to positively
affect this case?
I would advocate for increased availability and funding for legal
aid services in the field of immigration.
9. How can evidence-based practice be integrated into this
situation?
Evidenced-based practice can be integrated through the use of
proven child therapy techniques, such as child-centered
nondirective play therapy, along with unconditional positive
regard.
10. Describe any additional personal reflections about this case.
It can be difficult to work with fears and anxiety when they are

10. rooted in a client’s environment. It was important to help
Claudia cope with her anxiety while still maintaining the
family’s vigilance about crime and violence in the
neighborhood.
Working With Children and Adolescents:
The Case of Noah
1. What specific intervention strategies (skills, knowledge, etc.)
did you use to address this client situation?
I utilized structured play therapy and cognitive behavioral
techniques.
2. Which theory or theories did you use to guide your practice?
For this case study, I used cognitive behavioral theory.
3. What were the identified strengths of the client(s)?
Noah had supportive and loving foster parents who desired to
adopt him. He quickly became acclimated to the foster home
and started a friendship with his foster brother. He started to
become engaged in extracurricular activities. Noah was an
inquisitive and engaging boy who participated in our meetings.
4. What were the identified challenges faced by the client(s)?
Noah faced several challenges, most significantly the failure of
his mother to follow through with the reunification plan. He has
had an unstable childhood with unclear parental role models.
There may be some unreported incidences of abuse and trauma.
Ruffolo, M. C., & Allen-Meares, P. (2013). Intervention with
children. In M. J. Holosko, C. N. Dulmus, & K. M. Sowers

11. (Eds.),
Social work practice with individuals and families: Evidence-
informed assessments and interventions
(pp. 41–69). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Taylor, E. R. (2009). Sandtray and solution-focused therapy.
International Journal of Play Therapy, 18
(1), 56–68.
Note:
Retrieved from Walden Library databases.
Malawista, K. L. (2004). Rescue fantasies in child therapy:
Countertransference/ transference enactments.
Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 21
(4), 373–386.
Note:
Retrieved from Walden Library databases.
van der Kolk, B. A. (2003). The neurobiology of childhood
trauma and abuse.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, 12
, 293–317. Retrieved from
http://www.traumacenter.org/products/pdf_files/neurobiology_c
hildhood_trauma_abuse.pdf
van der Kolk, B. A. (2005a). Child abuse & victimization.
Psychiatric Annals, 35
(5),374–378. Retrieved from
http://www.traumacenter.org/products/pdf_files/neurobiology_c
hildhood_trauma_abuse.pdf
van der Kolk, B. A. (2005b). Developmental trauma disorder.
Psychiatric Annals, 35
(5), 401–408.

12. Note:
Retrieved from Walden Library databases.
Gil, E. (1991).
The healing power of play: Working with abused children
. New York, NY: Guilford Press:
Chapter 2, “The Child Therapies: Application in Work With
Abused Children (pp. 26–36) (PDF)
Chapter 3, “The Treatment of Abused Children” (pp. 37–82)
(PDF)
Optional Resources
SOCW 61 discussion 1 week 8
Discussion 1 - Week 8
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Play Therapy
Children who have been abused or traumatized in some way
may benefit from working with a therapist. Children often
reenact trauma through repetitious play in order to establish
mastery over their emotions and integrate experiences into their
history on their own terms. Through the use of toys and props,
children may naturally share their emotions and past

13. experiences without feeling the pressure they might encounter
with traditional talk therapy.
For this Discussion, review the course-specific case study for
Claudia and the Chiesa (2012) and Taylor (2009) articles.
Work #3 (Title of work #3
Play Therapy)
1.
In a separate file Answer in APA format with at least 2 citations
per paragraph with one whole page of written answer and a
second page for references
an explanation of ways play therapy might be beneficial for
Claudia. Using the insights gained from the articles, describe
ways you might have worked with Claudia to address her fears
and anxiety related to the mugging she witnessed.
Support your posts with specific references to the Learning
Resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your
references.
SOCW 61 discussion 2 week 8
Discussion 2 - Week 8
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Transference and Countertransference

14. Specific skills and knowledge are essential for a social worker
working with children. Understanding transference and
countertransference is crucial to a healthy therapeutic
relationship. Both transference and countertransference can be
evident in any client–therapist relationship, but are especially
important in working with children because of a common
instinct among adults to protect and nurture the young. The
projection or relocation of one’s feelings about one person onto
another, otherwise known as transference, is a common response
by children (Gil, 1991). Countertransference, a practitioner’s
own emotional response to a child, is also common.
For this Discussion, review the Malawista (2004) article.
Work #4 (Title of work #4
Transference and Countertransference)
2.
In a separate file Answer in APA format with at least 2 citations
per paragraph with one whole page of written answer and a
second page for references
your explanation why transference and countertransference are
so common when working with children. Then, identify some
strategies you might use to address both transference and
countertransference in your work with children.
Support your posts with specific references to the Learning
Resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your
references.