Assignment 2 A Name Institution Ability Care Ltd

Thorough general assessment and evaluation of the patient’s social and health experience before the conducting the counseling programmes has to be undertaken to facilitate the social worker with transparent background of the eventsleadingtothemental illness of the client (Wagaman, Geiger, Shockley & Segal, 2015). Presenting Issues of the Client This report seeks to illustrate the concerns on the psychological health of a referred patient Shirley, aged 40, who has been grappling with grief after the loss of her parents and at the same

Running head: ASSIGNMENT 2 A 1
Assignment 2 A
Name
Institution

ASSIGNMENT 2 A 2
ASSIGNMENT 2 A
1. Organization
The organization used in this report is the Ability Care Ltd. The organization remains
committed to improving the quality of life of both adults and children with a physical,
intellectual and sensory disability via individualized programs and services which enhance, teach
as well as strengthen each individual allowing them to live their desired lives. It works with
clients and their respective families in a flexible and collaborative manner to go beyond and
above to support as well as educate their clients and respective carers in a manner which gives
rather than give up. It offers such services as case management (self-directed funding),
accommodation services, day services and respite.
Social workers are skillfully trained professionals with the aim of improving the quality
of citizens’ lives and their wellbeing through direct contact. They are dedicated to achieving
utmost social justice and make tireless efforts for the providence of attention to those entangled
in domestic violence, mental illness, poverty and other social disadvantages. They are
characteristic of extremely high-end knowledge on human behavior and both cultural and social
institutions to which they are attached (McDonald, Boddy, O'Callaghan & Chester, 2015).
Apart from advocacy of work they help in problem-solving, act as custodians of the
rights for those under abuse and refer back patients for medical re-examination and recovery
analysis after undertaking counseling sessions. Clinical Social workers involved in psychological
counseling are considered one of the most valuable professionals by the national health
institutions. Mental Health Examination and Counselling is considered a vital tool for
psychological healing and examination (Schön, 2017).

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Psychosocial examination and counseling entail the close assessment of patients with
mental disorders with the highest level of particular keenness to provide them with the best and
most favorable medical attention towards a boosted recovery. Thorough general assessment and
evaluation of the patient’s social and health experience before the conducting the counseling
programmes has to be undertaken to facilitate the social worker with transparent background of
the events leading to the mental disorientation of the client (Wagaman, Geiger, Shockley &
Segal, 2015).
2. Presenting Issues of the Client
This report seeks to illustrate the concerns on the psychological health of a referred
patient Shirley, aged 40, who has been grappling grief after the loss of her parents and at the
same time faced with a relationship roller coaster formerly characterized by domestic violence.
Recently, Shirley has been on medication to regularize her sleeping routine, and it was
recommended that it would be beneficial if she underwent counseling to hasten her recovery. In
this case, she was referred along with the details of her experiences, and thus the social worker
was relevantly informed to kick off the counseling programme (Turner, 2017).
Shirley’s referral was from GP Dr. Anne Smith through ‘Better Access to Medical
Healthcare’ programme, an associate of general medical practitioners and specialists to help her
overcome her mental depression disorders in the home environment which has eventually cost
her a part-time job she was initially undertaking before the breakdown (Vourlekis, 2017).
3. Physical
Shirley, a 40- year old woman, has currently been through a chronic mental depressive
disorder. Faced with a series of heartbreaks and grief, she has been having sleepless nights
uncontrolled regular anxiety disorders and panic attacks during the night coupled with reduced

ASSIGNMENT 2 A 4
appetite. Her health has in turn deteriorated, and without proper attention, it could be fatal
(McDonald, Boddy, O'Callaghan & Chester, 2015).
4. Current Social Circumstances
Shirley has been through an abusive relationship to an extent in which her former
husband and the biological father of their firstborn son, physically assaulted her leading to
chronic back injuries. At this moment, their son Bill was still an infant who required much
attention from her mother. Despite this heinous act, Con, her husband, was never charged in a
courtroom for any offense. He, however, didn’t stop at that. With Shirley later moving in with
Dale and bearing a second son Fred who is currently six years old, Con went on pestering her
and further harassing her over the custody of Bill. He filed for full time custody of the boy, now
8, of which the Family court granted him monthly access without the involvement of child
protection. With all these devastating misfortunes, Shirley has been feeling uneasy in the in the
social environment and faced with diminishing confidence.
5. Social Structures Impacting On Client
A conglomeration of all these misfortunes drove Shirley into a mental breakdown. She
has been through hectic experiences and fell into a deep depressive disorder characterized by
nightmares, anxiety, panic attacks amnesia and poor appetite. She has been grieving the death of
her parents ever since, despite her sister getting over it with the same medical attention accorded
to Shirley. In defiance of the continued medication, there seems to be little or no improvement in
her psychological health except for the recovery of sleeping schedule. Her sister who had been
through the grief too has however recovered and is leading a healthy life (Greene, 2017).
It can be hypothesized that Shirley was so attached to her parents unlike her sister Alma
and she never had the chance to get the independence of surviving alone (Greene, 2017). Her

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parents had been a pillar shielding her from psychological breakdowns, and with the demise of
her father and recurrent abuse from her husband, she becomes more vulnerable. It is quite
beneficial that Shirley met her current partner and father to their younger son. He is somewhat
supportive as compared to the former. It is at this time of distress that he best fits Shirley. With
the monthly access granted to Con and lack of Child Protection involvement, it could proof
degrading to Shirley once again since it would be a constant reminder of the harassments and
torture she faced and she would also feel insecure on what Con could be capable of doing to both
her and her son.
6. Social Worker’s Summary Assessment
Through the follow up on assessments, Shirley is willingly capable of responding and
understanding that her thoughts and feeling are responsible for her psychological health. She has
shown the ability to cut down on her irrational thinking and incorporate somewhat rational ones.
She will learn to apply the accomplishment learned to dispute her degrading thoughts and
reframe them to develop positive feelings (Ferguson, 2016).
She portrayed a determination to overcome her psychological disorder and the mental
depression to resume her regular schedules despite the process being seemingly long, slow and
wanting. It is to be noted that the counseling offered was based on information presented by the
referral, assumptions, and information obtained from interaction with the client on her account of
the problems she faced. On the last correspondence over the past ten weeks of counseling,
Shirley has shown tremendous improvement and is ready to continue with her healthy life.

ASSIGNMENT 2 A 6
References
Ferguson, H. (2016). What social workers do in performing child protection work: evidence from
research into face‐to‐face practice. Child & Family Social Work, 21(3), 283-294.
Greene, R. (2017). Human behavior theory and social work practice. Routledge.
Greene, R. R. (2017). Social work with the aged and their families. Routledge.
McDonald, D., Boddy, J., O'Callaghan, K., & Chester, P. (2015). Ethical professional writing in
social work and human services. Ethics and Social Welfare, 9(4), 359-374.
Schön, D. A. (2017). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Routledge.
Turner, F. J. (2017). Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches. Oxford
University Press.
Vourlekis, B. (Ed.). (2017). Social work case management. Routledge.
Wagaman, M. A., Geiger, J. M., Shockley, C., & Segal, E. A. (2015). The role of empathy in
burnout, compassion satisfaction, and secondary traumatic stress among social
workers. Social work, 60(3), 201-209.