Report: Applying Problem-Solving Models to Helen's Case Study

This case study report analyzes the personal dilemma of Helen, a 19-year-old college student, who is torn between marrying her boyfriend Johnny and fulfilling her parents' expectations of financial support. The report identifies the problems faced by Helen, her parents, and Johnny, and analyzes the potential consequences of different decisions. It then explores various problem-solving strategies, including simple life strategies and the Creative Problem Solving Process, to help Helen make an informed decision that considers the well-being of all parties involved. The report emphasizes the importance of awareness, critical thinking, and seeking alternative solutions to navigate complex personal problems.

Running head: CASE STUDY REPORT
CASE STUDY REPORT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CASE STUDY REPORT
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Discussion..................................................................................................................................2
Problems of the case study:....................................................................................................2
Analysis of the problem in the case study:.............................................................................3
Strategies to solve the problems of the case study:................................................................4
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
toc

2CASE STUDY REPORT
Introduction
Problem solving skill is essential and used in our day to day lives. Problem solving
and thinking skills go hand in hand. It refers to the ability to use facts, knowledge and think
critically, creatively, to solve the problems. It is important to assess the problems and find an
effective solution in order to ensure the problem does not arise again and the decision made is
accepted. This paper is a case study report that refers to a 19-year-old student named Helen
who has fallen in love with boy 10 years older than her Johnny, who is an IT technician. They
want to get married but Helen’s parents do not approve of the decision as they feel she is too
young to get married ad want their daughter to support the family financially. This case study
is about what steps Helen should take in order to solve the issue. This paper will critically
examine the problem solving models that can be used to avoid the problem.
Discussion
This case report will talk about the personal problems faced by Helen. How to assess
and make an effective solution with the help of a problem solving and thinking skill model or
theory.
Problems of the case study:
This case study intends to talk about the personal problems faced by Helen. In this
case, it is evident that Helen is in a dilemma as she wants to do both the things and feels to
prioritize the people in her life important. This is creating a pressure for Helen. Effective
decision-making is the main agenda here. The decision here made by Helen has to make her
as well as everyone involved happy. In this case, Helen, needs to think critically as to how
she can make adjustments will be suitable and make everyone happy to ensure a happy life in
the end. Other than this, other problems can arise from the case study. The focus of the study
is on Helen here and there are several other problems of Helen that can arise like she is a

3CASE STUDY REPORT
young girl and is a student it can hamper her results, she can fail. Helen has a lot of pressure
not only of choosing between her parents and Johnny but also because of the expectations,
her parents have from her at an early age of financially supporting her parents. Problems not
only arise for Helen but also for her parents and Johnny. Parents here are concerned for Helen
as their daughter is too young to get married and they have an expectation from their daughter
that she will look after them. Johnny will also go through problems as Helen might reject him
if she chooses to be with her parents. Johnny might become emotionally damaged leading
him to severe mental illness that can affect his personal as well as professional life.
Analysis of the problem in the case study:
Personal problems often affect the mental health of a person. Personal problems lead
to certain behavioral and mental changes that affect a person’s performance in their
academics or workplace, cause anxiety, depression, sadness, excitement and anger. Here the
main problem of Helen is to make effective decision that can make everyone concerned with
the problem happy and herself as well. In this case study it is not only Helen who is the one
going to get effected but her actions or decision, everyone involved in the situation might get
affected. Hypothetically, if Helen chooses to be with the Johnny by going against the will of
her parents there can be many consequences to this action like her parents might disown her
and not maintain any contacts with her out of anger. The other situation, which can arise, is
the parents might live in a poor emotional as well as economic state as it is mentioned that the
parents want Helen to look after them after she gets a job, which means they want her to take
care of them financially. The parents might suffer from a shock physically and mentally after
hearing about the decision made by Helen. In many cases, it has been seen that when
daughters leave the parents in a state like this, parents usually go through these problems.
They have an emotional breakdown and lead lives unhappily.

4CASE STUDY REPORT
However if the situation is reversed, Helen rejects Johnny in order to fulfill the duties
towards her parents and look after them then there may be different consequences arising in
this matter. Here maybe the parents will be happy but Johnny will suffer. The alternative
consequences that Johnny might go through are Johnny might break down completely and
have trust issues, go through other mental problems like depression. Depression is one of the
leading mental diseases found. Mostly makes people sad, low self-esteem arises, insomnia
and many more. If suffered from mental issues it will automatically affect Johnny’s
performance in his work place, which can lead to unemployment. Many a times people
commit suicide when the level of depression increases and changes into clinical depression as
they think the way out of this pain is ending their life. Many cases have been reported to the
police of a person love ending their lives because of losing a relationship (Izzati & Takwin,
2018).
In this study, it is seen that if Helen chooses any one person as that is the main
problem at the end Helen is the one unhappy in both the situations. If she chooses her parents,
she would be separated from Johnny and if she chooses Johnny then she would break her
parents heart. In all aspects, Helen’s personal problems can take a toll on her health as well as
her academic performance. If not happy and mentally stable one cannot give any fruitful
performance.
Strategies to solve the problems of the case study:
Personal problems will always arise some being completely unavoidable. In this case,
the problem that Helen is facing cannot be avoided at any circumstances. In this case, she has
to make a huge sacrifice. It is not easy to tackle all problems that arises however efforts have
to be put in to ensure the problems can be solved. People cannot always go to a therapist if
they are going through some mental problems or emotional problems that they cannot cope

5CASE STUDY REPORT
up with. There are problems that are going to arise in lives where the decision has to be taken
by the person who is facing the issues. Many strategies help to assess and find a solution to
personal problems. Simple life strategies can be implemented to ensure the problems can be
solved with a proper solution (Morton, 2017). The following steps can be helpful for Helen.
1. Be aware – Helen should focus on the problem and assess whether she is
getting caught up with the problem. In this case Helen needs to identify the
problems, how grave it is for her, what are the effects, and how is it going to
influence her in the end. She should be aware of the demand made by her
parents and also about the decision her partner wants to make for their future.
2. Note the language- The next step for Helen is to sit and think about her
problems properly. She herself has to access the gravitas of the problem. Here
Helen has to think that how the problem is affecting her, whether the impact of
the problem will be positive or negative. In this case, the impact of the
problem is a negative impact that is creating a problem for Helen as she wants
to do both the things in life and does not want to choose any one and upset
someone or herself. As Helen is a college student and the oldest member in the
family with these problems she has other pressures in her mind as well like her
academics, her parents and the relationship.
3. Decide whether to focus on the problem or not- Many a times problems arises
that are avoidable. If they are not given priority then it does not affect the
person that much. In this case the problem faced by Helen is not unavoidable.
This is a problem which will have an impact on her life later. Helen must look
after the problems with different angles and also think about herself. It is
impossible for Helen to move away from the problem.

6CASE STUDY REPORT
4. Think laterally- In this case the situation is very clear as Helen has to choose
any one in her life. Helen should think differently and focus on how she might
deal with the problem. Apart from just choosing any one she should think of
different alternatives. She should think that she is not the only one going
through this problem. there are several other people just like her who are going
through the same problem. she should think what others would have done if
they were in her place. Helen should think whether she can apply and deal
with the problems like others have done in the same situation.
5. Search for solutions- The final stage and the main stage of the strategy is to
find the appropriate solution in order to make oneself happy. Here Helen
needs to think about alternative ways, which can help resolve the problems.
Apart from suffering through this time alone and trying to deal with the
problem alone Helen should talk to peers, ask for their advice. If necessary
consult a therapist. Talk to parents try to convince them and making them
understand that after marriage she will be looking after them, make her parents
talk to Johnny. She should talk to Johnny about the matter and give him a clear
idea about her looking after her parents. She should make everyone talk to
each other and clear the problem by creating a mutual understanding between
her parents, Johnny and herself.
Similarly, like the simple life strategies there are other problem solving strategies like the
Creative Problem Solving Process. In this process, there are certain steps like the Simple Life
Strategies that people; in this case, Helen can approach to make sure she can come up with
positive outcomes and solutions (Newell, Lagnado & Shanks, 2015). The steps are the
following:

7CASE STUDY REPORT
1. Assess the problem- In this case Helen should assess the problems and categorize it to
be a negative or a positive problem. Helen should think about the impact.
2. Situation of the problem- Here the exact problem should be the focus. Helen should
think critically how and what is giving her anxieties, stress or making her unhappy.
Helen should consider thinking how the entire situation making her feel.
3. Critical thinking approach- Helen should think critically that other than the main
problem what other problems that can arise from this. The problems should be
approached from many different directions.
4. Definition of the ideal solution to the program- Helen should not only come to one
particular solution but also have several other solutions in mind. After critically
thinking, she should choose the best one among all the solutions, which will solve the
problem.
5. Prepare for the worst outcome- In life things will always not go according to the way
a person may wish to lead. All problems have a solution but sometimes many do not
work. In this case. Helen should prepare for the negative outcome as well and find
ways to overcome those problems as well.
6. Measure Progress- This means how to measure progress of the decision made. Helen
made a decision, which she has to measure whether it is going accordingly or not. She
should keep a track of things happening around her related to the problem to
understand the progress.
7. Responsible for the decision- Here Helen must choose the solution herself and be
responsible for both the positive and the negative aspects that will come her way. A
decision should be concrete and she should be clear about her decisions.
8. Set a deadline for the solution- People need to set a deadline as to when the issues can
be resolved. In life, there will be many different problems. Not all problems

8CASE STUDY REPORT
necessarily will be the same. Here Helen must ensure that the problems are solved
during a certain period of time when it will be beneficial for everyone.
9. Consult peers- It is not necessary that all the problems can be solved alone. Taking
another advice mostly proves to be beneficial for people. In this case Helen should not
take any decision hastily rather she should consult people who have gone through the
same issue or her peers to get an overview of the solution as to what impact her
solution might have in the scenario.
10. Take action and solve the issue- Finally the issue has to be solved effectively and
proper action has to be taken. After going through all the points mentioned before,
critically think, consult friends one should come to a proper solution. Helen after
everything must come up with a solution that will bring joy to everyone, as she should
convince her parents as well as Johnny to make sure things go accordingly. Marrying
Johnny with consent of her parents will ensure peace and happiness. It will be the
most effective and positive outcome of the decision.
Strategies can help Helen to figure out the problems as well as make a solution that will
ensure peace and happiness amongst everyone. Life will always have some problems it is
necessary for people to assess and find a solution for the better future or for a solution for the
time being. Helen’s problem will easily be solved if she makes everyone sit together, talk
about the issues occurring in that situation and how everyone adjusts a little to make new
relationships (Erozkan, 2013). In this situation if Helen makes her parents understand and
believe in her that she will take care of them after marriage as well then she can be with her
parents and marry her partner making everyone happy in the situation. This ideal solution
comes out by thinking rationally about other problems that are stuck with this problem and by
implementing those strategies for an effective result.

9CASE STUDY REPORT
Conclusion
Problem solving skills are important. Many problem-solving strategies are applied
according to the issue. Everyone needs to know how to solve problems as it helps in the
personal and professional life as well. In this case report Helen goes through a personal
problem causing her and people around her trouble. With the implementation of the
strategies, Helen can easily make fruitful decisions, which might take a control of the
situation or even come up with solutions that are perfect for the situation. In this case, Helen
can implement the ideal solution and implement to see whether it fixes the problem or not. In
this case study the decision affects everyone is some way either positive or negative.
Avoiding problems can lead to bigger problems that can effect badly. However, without
problem solving skills and thinking skills life will be difficult as there are always some
problem that arises in life.

10CASE STUDY REPORT
References
Erozkan, A. (2013). The Effect of Communication Skills and Interpersonal Problem Solving
Skills on Social Self-Efficacy. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 13(2),
739-745.
Izzati, S., & Takwin, B. (2018, July). The Effects of Written Emotional Disclosure to
Subjective Distress and Mood on Individuals Experiencing Heartbreak. In Universitas
Indonesia International Psychology Symposium for Undergraduate Research
(UIPSUR 2017). Atlantis Press.
Morton, A. (2017). Disasters and dilemmas: Strategies for real-life decision making. John
Wiley & Sons.
Newell, B. R., Lagnado, D. A., & Shanks, D. R. (2015). Straight choices: The psychology of
decision making. Psychology Press.