Multidimensional Assessment Framework

Running Head: MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASSESMENT FRAMEWORK
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Multidimensional assessment framework
Author’s Name
Institution

MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASSESMENT FRAMEWORK
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Multidimensional Assessment Framework
Jason’s Case scenario
Jason is a 16 year old, year 10 student of Chinese Malaysian ethnicity. His parents came
to Australia when he was four years old and he has two younger sisters both born in Australia.
Jason’s parents run a restaurant and hold strong traditional beliefs related to Confucian ethics and
filial piety. They expect him to take over the family business and to continue the family name
and lineage through marriage and children. Jason’s main interest at school is in art, at which he
excels and in which he wants to establish a career. Lately however he has been falling behind in
all his subjects and his year teacher, Mr Martin reports that he seems to be generally disinterested
and isolating himself from all other students except a student called Troy who is continually
bullied by other boys who call him a ‘fag’ and tell him he should use the girl’s toilet. Recently
Jason was found near the school oval unconscious with a bottle of anti-depressant tablets beside
him. Mr Martin wonders if it could have been a suicide attempt. He is also wondering that
because Jason spends so much time with Troy then he may be experiencing some distress
relating to gender and identity. Consequently, Mr Martin has referred Jason to the School
Counselor. Jason is anxious and reluctant, afraid that his parents will also be asked to attend. He
has told his parents that he just fainted at school and everything is fine.
Initial assessment
Jason is a 16-year-old boy, who is a year ten student who migrated from Australia when
he was age 4 with his parents. Jason’s cultural background had changed. The family owns a
restaurant of which he is expected to take from some years later of which as at per now he
depends on his parent's finances. He has two younger sisters born in Australia. In school, he has

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interest in arts and fails other subjects. A multidimensional framework is used to gather and
analyze information on Jason. Jason is distressed, and he lacks self-esteem. His sense of
hopelessness is demonstrated when he attempts suicide. His parents don’t know of his innate
abilities or interests; they demand blind obedience from him. He feels as if he is chasing a lost
dream, he flops in all his subjects. His ethnic background also limits him from following his
career path which invalidates his ability to make decisions based on what he feels is right for
him. This causes Jason to feel unappreciated and insignificant and makes him feel less than what
he is.
In addition to that, He maintains a limited social network in school but has frequent
contact with Troy who is shunned because of being different. He might have a problem
identifying with his gender and identity, and this may bar him from interacting with the opposite
sex, despite his family expectations of marriage. They are both socially withdrawn either because
of depression or exclusion. Jason is very secretive towards his parents and seldom communicates
to his parents is as a result of the fear infringed on him by his parents. This makes him be an
involuntary client.
Jason seems to be forced to take a course he is not interested. There is a possibility that
Jason will continue failing in all his subjects if he is relentlessly pushed toward a career he
doesn’t want to pursue. He will not achieve good grades if he is not motivated mainly by his
parents. Probably, he might face possible suspension or expulsion due to drug and substance
abuse or even die from the same.
This will mess up the relationship with his family possibly facing alienation forcing him
to isolate himself even more. The feel of rejection might lead to chronic depression (Engels,

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2009). The fact that one day he might not conform to the gender role his cultural and ethnic
background prescribes unto him places him at risk of facing stigma in the society. He is reluctant
and does not want to share his problems. Since he was assigned to me by my supervisor, my goal
will be to change Jason’s life in six months. I will be using the SMART approach (Haughey
2014) to set the goals.
One of our goals will be on improving on his subjects which can be done on a monthly
assessment on his grades, increasing the number of social connections by ensuring he makes two
new friends in one week. I would seek informed consent from him and ensure maximum
confidentiality of his information with me from circulating among the classmates and others.
Assessment tool
I used an ecomap as an assessment tool to analyze the information. It is pretty clear from
the information provided that Jason has a positive connection with (troy and arts), weak
connection with the (parents) and stressful connection with his (school work and other
classmates). Additionally, a culturagram can be used to examine the effects exposed to him by
the change of culture due to the migration.