Case Management Report: John's Mental Health and Homelessness

This report presents a case management assessment of John, a 21-year-old man with a history of family violence, foster care, and identity issues, now facing homelessness and mental health challenges. The report explores the application of case management principles, including advocacy, education, and service facilitation, along with the use of case management tools such as assessment, planning, and follow-up. It examines the role of psychotherapy, including its benefits in addressing symptoms like anxiety and depression, and discusses the use of Adlerian therapy to address inferiority feelings and promote social integration. The report also highlights the correlation between homelessness and mental illness, and proposes strategies for John's support, including government programs and non-government organizations to provide social security and support.

RUNNING HEAD: CASE MANAGEMENT
ASSESSMENT COVER SHEET
Family Name: Given Name(s):
Student ID: Course:
Unit Code: Unit Name:
Lecturer: Assessment Number/Title:
Semester/Trimester and Year: Word Count:

1CASE MANAGEMENT
Student’s Declaration of Authorship
 I certify that this assessment is my original work. No part of it has been submitted for
another assessment/unit/course, except where permitted by the lecturer/department.
 I have not copied any part of it from another source or other students’ work, except
where I have properly acknowledged it in this assessment.
 I have not participated in any unauthorised collaboration in completing this
assessment, including paying/arranging for another person to complete it in part or in
full.
 I have done my due diligence to ensure that my assessment cannot be copied by other
people.
 I understand that my assessment may be reproduced to submit to plagiarism detection
programs, which may retain a copy to assist in future plagiarism checking.
 I have retained a copy of this assessment and would be able to produce it, if required.
 I understand that it is my responsibility to become familiar with the college’s Academic
Misconduct Policy and Procedure found at
http://www.acknowledgeeducation.edu.au/policies-and-procedures/. I am aware that
committing academic offences, including plagiarism and collusion, may result in
academic penalties.

2CASE MANAGEMENT
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................3
2. CASE MANAGEMENT OF JOHN...................................................................................3
2.1 Case management principles............................................................................................3
2.2 Case management tools....................................................................................................4
2.3 Psychotherapy in john’s case management......................................................................4
2.4 John’s homelessness and Case management....................................................................6
2.5 Homelessness and Mental illness.....................................................................................7
3. CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................8

3CASE MANAGEMENT
1. INTRODUCTION
John is a 21 year old man, he has a history of growing up with family violence and as
a result, he spent a lot of time in foster care and residential homes of Melbourne. John
belongs from an Aboriginal background but since, he has lived in foster homes of Melbourne
since his childhood – had made him detached from his community and he has often felt
identity issues throughout his life. He has recently left foster care and is getting pressure from
his friends to engage more in alcohol and drugs. He feels extremely overwhelmed with life as
he is jobless as well and this, in whole is deteriorating his mental health and quality of life.
2. CASE MANAGEMENT OF JOHN
2.1 Case management principles
Case management as the name suggests ‘management of critical cases’ refers to
improvement of clients’ wellness and promotion of patient’s autonomy (Nalipinski &
Sullivan, 2018) through the use of advocacy (Vourlekis, 2017), education (Bowe, Ball &
Gold, 2017), communication (Garrett, 2019) service resources identification and service
facilitation. Case management guidelines are embedded with the strict principles of
beneficence, autonomy, justice (Bakker et al., 2015) and non- maleficence (Ong-Flaherty et
al., 2016) The cardinal function of qualified case managers is about advocating and nurturing
of the client’s support systems. Case managers have the necessary skills to achieve a set of
quality outcomes for the clients. They should make an appropriate usage of empowerment
and resources of clients in such a manner that it becomes supportive for the client.

4CASE MANAGEMENT
Case Management Method/ Process is always client centered. Being holistic at its
core, it handle the clients’ situations (that is physical, medical, emotional, psychosocial,
financial, behavioral) in self sustainable way.
2.2 Case management tools
Case Management can be defined as the context within which the quality case
managers does provide their humanistic and healthcare services to the clients and to the
client’s support systems. Case management process comprises of several sub processes and
phases which are cyclic, iterative and recursive and is continually applied to the client’s
needs until their interests are achieved. The case management steps are assessing, screening,
stratifying risk, implementing, planning, transitioning, follow up, post-transitional
communication and even evaluating the outcomes. The case management process intervenes
with the client’s sociocultural status and in this case – the case management focusses on areas
like socially isolated condition of John along with his economic instability, bring out a
positive outcome.
The philosophy of Case Management guides the principles that includes – 1. Working
with the client’s already present social and emotional support systems. 2. It is very holistic as
it handles the client with medical, financial, physical, psychosocial (Rothwell et al., 2017),
emotional, social, behavioral treatment and management protocols. Case Management
method is very adaptive to the client’s needs and the environmental settings in which the
client is about to receive human and health services.
2.3 Psychotherapy in john’s case management
Psychotherapy also known as or talk therapy is about helping subjects with a wide
variety of different mental illnesses along with emotional difficulties which happens to be a
case of John as well. Psychotherapy can be helpful in elimination of John’s psychological

5CASE MANAGEMENT
symptoms of identity issues or also to control the anxiety, social anxiety, social isolation and
memory issues of John. The problems that can be helped by the psychotherapeutic
counselling and benefits received with be coping correctly with the functioning of daily life;
reducing trauma’s impact, reducing and decaying John’s traumatic childhood symptoms like
depression(Zahl, Steinsbekk& Wichstrøm, 2017), anxiety(Mago et al., 2018) fear and social
isolation. Various types of psychotherapy (Cuijpers et al., 2016) are used in different types of
mental psychopathologies and pathophysiology and to increase its effect in John’s case
management, it can administered with useful medications as well.
Psychotherapy can be conducted in a range of clinical and social settings like
individual, couple, family and even a group. It is designed both for children and for adults.
Clinical psychology sessions are administered once in every week up to 30 sessions- 50
sessions for a single subject. Both the patient and the psychotherapist needs to actively
participate in the psychotherapy process. The successful relationship between the subject and
her psychotherapist is dependent on working collaboratively and on trust and integrity. A
considerable amount of benefits can be obtained from this talk therapy and this can be used as
an important tool in managing John’s case of social isolation, overwhelming emotions, social
fears and anxieties. Psychotherapy is applied for short-term or a long-term depending on the
complexities and intricacies of the mental issue. The treatment goals are planned
collaboratively by the psychotherapist and the subject. Confidentiality is an important
principle at work that is also basic requirement for progression of psychotherapy. Although
the patients exchange their personal thoughts, acts and thoughts with their psychologist but
dual relationships are a huge ethical drawback and should not be fostered by any means.
Psychotherapy can be combined with the medications in order to treat the mental
health symptoms. Drug assisted psychotherapy can be useful for John as well because John
has a history of childhood trauma and family violence and memory agonies are common is

6CASE MANAGEMENT
his case. Hence, after complete assessment – a correct psycho-modulation pharmacological
management can be provided for John. In fact, for many people medication assisted
psychotherapy as worked pretty well and John can benefit from the same. Healthy form of
lifestyle improvements like good nutrition, daily exercise, adequate amount of sleep - can be
pivotal in supporting John’s recovery along with his overall wellness.
2.4 John’s homelessness and Case management
Adlerian therapy is an individualistic approach where the clinical psychotherapist
work with the client in order to identify the obstacles together and create a wide range of
effective strategies directed towards the patient goals (Babbitt, 2017). According to theory
followed by this branch of psychology – a transitional thinking along with insightful learning
can be extremely useful tool in overcoming the inferior complexities of the subject.
Moreover, the Adlerians also incorporates a social fulfilling of a social interest that they
believe the ligating factor in one’s treatment.
Alderian psychotherapy or Adlerian psychology (Sperry, 2016) works through the
following processes - 1. Engagement -The therapist and the client begins to establish a good
and effective therapeutic relationship. This relationship consists of a collaboration towards
the addressing of the client's main problems. The therapist encourages the patient or client to
achieve his or her goal 2. Assessment – Therapist assesses the client’s background, past and
present history especially early memories of trauma and if they was any violence associated
with the family dynamics. The therapist tries to comprehend the client’s thinking styles in
order to reinforce some and eliminate the others 3. Insight - Therapist provides an
interpretation of client’s life situation. The therapist provides an insight to the client’s past
life experiences and root of trauma and to what intensity – the client has been affected by it
and how the client can be able to overcome it. 4. Reorientation – in this stage, the

7CASE MANAGEMENT
psychotherapists recruit new strategies to align the subject back with the detached social
settings.
Adlerian theory and practice can help John get rid of inferiority feelings and his fears
of getting addicted to alcohol and other drugs because of his friends. In psychologically
healthy subjects, the inferiority feeling can be used to provide ‘motivation’ towards self-
enhancement. Incorporating new positive ways of handling inferiority feelings can be used to
drive an individual towards a social interest and feeling of social fulfilment. Some subjects
find difficulty while coping with the inferiority feelings that lead them to isolation. There are
subjects who cope well with inferiority, driving themselves to become a greater person.
Adlerian therapy allows a therapist to work collaboratively with a client, supporting and
encouraging them to cope effectively with the inferiority feelings and in developing healthy
ways of handling and managing negative feelings. This can be used in case of John, to keep
away his negative feelings and feeling of homelessness.
One of the Adler’s cardinal ideas is to imbue an individual with social interest.
Adlerian therapy help its subjects to reach their psychologically healthiest, most fulfilled
selves so that they can again interact socially. John, if treated and counseled in the same way
so as to help himself out of social isolation, depression – he would eventually be more active
towards a social growth and interaction as well. John, after the Adlerian intervention – is
expected to become more receptive and responsive to others and this would treat his
condition of identity issue.
2.5 Homelessness and Mental illness
Many research have found a strong correlation of homelessness with mental illness. It
is definitely a complicated correlation but a definite two-way relationship. A homeless
subject’s mental illness can lead to behavioral problems which make it even more difficult for

8CASE MANAGEMENT
him to become economically stable. Poverty and low income leads to mental derangements.
Mental illness associated with homelessness can lead alcohol, drug abuse and dangerous
victimizations. John’s social conditions are in an ongoing state of deterioration because of his
present sociological condition of homelessness and economic instability imparted by a state
of joblessness. The case management plan can opt for The Transitional National Partnership
Agreement on Homelessness or the Australian Red cross to help John with basic necessities
of living before he finds a job.
3. CONCLUSION
The case management would comprise of psychotherapeutic, sociological, medical (if
needed), sociocultural and socioeconomic processes to help John cope with his social
isolation, traumatic memories and identity related issues. The principles of case management
should be practiced coherently while managing John’s homelessness. The government
programs and other non-government sectors toward the interests of homeless individuals can
be contacted by the case manager in order to provide social security and social support to
John.

9CASE MANAGEMENT
References
Babbitt, I. (2017). Changing frontiers in the science of psychotherapy. Routledge.
Bakker, M., Creemers, H., Schipper, K., Beelen, A., Grupstra, H., Nollet, F., & Abma, T.
(2015). Need and value of case management in multidisciplinary ALS care: a
qualitative study on the perspectives of patients, spousal caregivers and
professionals. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal degeneration, 16(3-
4), 180-186.
Bowe, R., Ball, S. J., & Gold, A. (2017). Reforming education and changing schools: Case
studies in policy sociology. Routledge.
Cuijpers, P., Ebert, D. D., Acarturk, C., Andersson, G., & Cristea, I. A. (2016). Personalized
psychotherapy for adult depression: A meta-analytic review. Behavior therapy, 47(6),
966-980.
Garrett, M. B. (2019). Incorporating Patient-Centeredness Into Case Management Practice:
Concepts, Interventions, and Measurement. Professional case management, 24(1), 17-
25.

10CASE MANAGEMENT
Mago, A., MacEntee, M. I., Brondani, M., & Frankish, J. (2018). Anxiety and anger of
homeless people coping with dental care. Community dentistry and oral
epidemiology, 46(3), 225-230.
Nalipinski, P., & Sullivan, S. (2018). Management of a patient with amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis: Focus on patient autonomy and quality of life. In Clinical Cases in
Dysphagia (pp. 40-52). Routledge.
Ong-Flaherty, D. N. P., Banks PhD, A., Doyle, M. S. N., & Sharifi, C. O. (2016). The
meaning of evidence and nonmaleficence: cases from nursing. Online Journal of
Health Ethics, 12(2), 2.
psZahl, T., Steinsbekk, S., & Wichstrøm, L. (2017). Physical activity, sedentary behavior,
and symptoms of major depression in middle childhood. Pediatrics, 139(2),
e20161711.ychosocial factors related to departure. Journal of Applied
Gerontology, 36(1), 71-93.
Rothwell, D. W., Sussman, T., Grenier, A., Mott, S., & Bourgeois-Guérin, V. (2017).
Patterns of shelter use among men new to homelessness in later life: duration of stay
and
Sperry, L. (2016). Educating the next generation of psychotherapists: Considering the future
of theory and practice in Adlerian psychotherapy. The Journal of Individual
Psychology, 72(1), 4-11.
Vourlekis, B. (Ed.). (2017). Social work case management. Routledge.

11CASE MANAGEMENT