Dealing with Job Loss and Unemployment Stress in Families

Social Work - Working With Individuals and Families
Name Course Instructor Date
Question 1 (24 marks)
You have been assigned this case. Demonstrate and analyse FOUR (4) needs of the family that requires your immediate attention and follow up. Identify and explain how you would use any ONE (1) principle of Saleebey’s Strengths Perspective during your intervention stage with the family.
The family is dealing with job loss and unemployment stress, Brian has emotional issues and is acting out, Brian is also increasingly aggressive and withdrawn, and there are anxiety problems linked to job losses and how the family members will survive a harsh economic situation. To enhance, restore and improve social functioning, there is a need to look into how the family will be better placed to cope with Ivan’s job loss, which explains why Brian is stressed and anxious.
Saleebey promotes a strengths-oriented approach to helping people and not the problem–medical approach. The model highlights the need to focus on a client’ strengths and link them with resources that would assist them to reach their goals and address their own inhibitions (Boyle eat al., 2013). Thus, one of the principles is to focus on an individual’s strengths, desires and interests. The nuclear family is close knit, but living away from the extended family, and a focus on promoting and improving individual resilience will be beneficial. This is particularly for Brian, who has fared worseoff than his siblings after his father lost his job.
Question 2 (20 marks)
Examine FOUR (4) systems (formal or informal) that you can tap on in your intervention with the family. Discuss how these systems will be able to better support the family.
Parental relationships, parent-child relationships, sibling relationships, and the family system all affect how people interact and their coping mechanisms. As such, interventions that target strengthening relationships and the family’s functioning are likely to be beneficial in the long-term. Parental relationships set a precedent and example of what to expect and children learn from the environment including the household. Evaluating and strengthening the parents’ relationship will be helpful and the parents will be better placed to support their children and especially Brian. Family and peers affect a client’s coping, and evaluating how Ivan’s loss of job has affected the family psychologically and socially and not just economically is beneficial when intervening to strengthen the family functioning.
Question 3 (40 marks)
Based on the case study, you intend to meet up with the whole family for your first session. Appraise any TWO (2) benefits of meeting with the whole family. Describe any
FOUR (4) engagement skills you intend to use during the family session. Illustrate how each of these skills could aid in building a good client-social worker relationship.
Meeting the whole family is necessary to understand their individual and collective needs and expectations. This helps offer them the best ...