Social Work Plan for Zania Case - Assignment Example

 Social Work Case Study on Zania Name Institution Social Work Case Study on Zania Introduction Humans can condition themselves to different situations and experiences. However, some people can never adjust to certain circumstances, and eventually breaks down in a manner that reflects the magnitude of the situation’s impact. In this case, Zania suffers a double tragedy: trying to accustom to the new culture and environment of a foreign country and the dilemma of facing domestic conflicts deriving from her husband’s maltreatment. It is clear that Zania needs help, which is mainly counseling about the situation she is going through. She is a refuge in Australia and helping her would require an interpreter that would help enhance communication. Considering what her son has said about her situation, it is correct to interpret that she has suffered the course for a very long time, most probably from her country of origin: Afghanistan. Assessment and Interpretation The son had reported that Zania always cried even on the matters no one could comprehend. Her husband is not supportive enough on this case. Instead, he concludes that Zania could be mad. From social work point of view, empirically looking at the matter reflects that Zania would be suffering from psychological disorders associated with war and crime. Being a refugee, she must have witnessed a lot in her home country prompting her to leave everything she had behind but to move to a foreign country with her family alone. She had even left other members of the extended family behind. In spite of all this traumatic experiences, she faces an abusive life from the one she loves in a foreign land, ironical to the fact that she had left her home to find peace amidst lacking the knowledge of the state of her property and families left behind. To this extent of physical abuse and psychological torture, it is feasible that anyone would be disturbed enough to cry at every single thought of the misery. The child is not in a position to make sound decision about this but Zania’s husband possibly can, given his age and the experience they must have faced together as family. The experiences would be also viewed as causations to his abrupt cruelty against his wife. It is vital to make careful arrangements into convincing Zania’s husband to attend the counseling and social work sessions too. It is an approach of ascertaining that a suffering family heals together. When a client is suffering from what seems to be a problem affecting the whole domestic unit, it is proper for the social worker to incorporate or integrate the whole family unit in the recovery sessions (Walsh, 2010). If a social worker focuses on only the client, the issues at home might recur immediately the client leaves the social work station. Social Work Plan and Choosing the Interpreter The practice of social working in this case would require an efficient interpreter given Zania does not perfectly understand English neither does the social worker understands Afghanistan (Arab). There are cultural differences as well; hence, the whole interaction entails a cross-cultural communication. The perfect plan for this scenario is to ask Zania her preference of an interpreter in cultural, ethnical, religious and gender contexts. The chosen interpreter should be eloquent and fluent in both languages; he should be in a position to understand the language and how it is has remained culturally manipulated in terms of comprehension and connotation (Tribe & Thompson, 2011). Following the confirmation of the first step by the client, the social worker must consider choosing an interpreter that understands the context of discussion in terms of its professional domain. For instant, if the discussion is bound to be about medical issues, an interpreter who understands medical issues should be preferred (Tribe & Lane, 2009). In the case, an interpreter who understands the matters of refuge and domestic violence is ideal. The interpreter is then informed of the plan in prior to enable him or her prepare for the task. If possible, there is vitality in arranging a meeting between the client and the interpreter in order to create a free atmosphere for the intended engagement (Green, Sperlinger & Carswell, 2012). The social worker should ensure smooth and effective running of the program that involves advising, counseling and providing necessary material requirements for Zania. Understanding social and cultural differences, there influences and impacts on individuals define the required knowledge in social work cases such as Zania’s. The skill include being able to identify the extent of these variances. Listening to the client is imperative while attending. The social worker should be skillful in developing the construct of meaning from what the client has to say, accurate comprehension essential to attaining the best result after the social work practice is over (Tribe & Lane, 2009). Important values the social worker should show include friendliness, empathy, responsibility and proper presentation. Interpreter-Client Relationship Interpreter-client relationship is a crucial social tool in this case. The client needs to trust the interpreter in all dimensions of her worries. She should open up to the interrupter as though she was opening up to the social worker. The psychological picture in this scenario is that the interpreter poses as the client herself (In Friedlander, 2006). The interpreter, therefore, stands in a position to alter the message during the social work interactions because nobody from either side of the client and the social worker can break the communication barrier but the interpreter, who relays information from both sides. The social worker should in this case ensure that the interpreter and the client acquaint themselves before the social work sessions. The insinuation of this picture should reflected in the sitting positions of the social worker, the interpreter and the client. The concept here is to show the client that if she could trust the social worker, she should trust the interpreter as well because the social worker trusts the interpreter too. The client should sit next to the interpreter in a manner that insinuates they are posing as a single entity (In Friedlander, 2006). The social worker would be sitting directly facing the duo to imply respect, attention and confidence in them. The position would be maintained throughout the sessions but when the husband finally joins the sessions, he should be sitting next to Zania to imply unity and reconciliation while the interpreter sits on the far end but as part of the trio, the social worker’s positions remains. Ecological Perspective The ecological perspective in social work addresses the relationship between individuals and the environment. It offers an individual the opportunity to undertake community practice. It is a distinguishing feature of contemporary social work practice (Greene, 2011). It helps in promoting the client’s environmental conditions. It adopts the person-in-environment perspective of undertaking social work. The approach is applicable in this case because it helps solve the case of a client who has experiences of domestic violence. Conclusion At times, the client and the family might be alarmed by involvement of an interpreter. Such may have the basis of suspicions about the interpreter informing on their homeland government about their whereabouts or even spreading the nature of their situation to their original or native ethnicity. Therefore, the social worker must convince the client and family on the importance and need of an interpreter. The social worker should explain that the interpreter’s need is purely on communication grounds that would enhance good outcomes of the program (Brisset, Leanza & Laforest, 2013). References Brisset, C., Leanza, Y., & Laforest, K. (2013). Review: Working with interpreters in health care: A systematic review and meta-ethnography of qualitative studies. Patient Education and Counseling, 91131-140. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2012.11.008 Green, H., Sperlinger, D., & Creswell, K. (2012). Too close to home? Experiences of Kurdish refugee interpreters working in UK mental health services. Journal of Mental Health, 21(3), 227-235. Greene, R. R. (2011). Human behavior theory & social work practice. New Brunswick, N.J: AldineTransaction. Friedlander, W. A. (2006). Concepts and methods of social work. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall. Tribe, R., & Lane, P. (2009). Guidelines for Working with Interpreters for Counselling & Health Care Staff Working with Refugees. Journal of Mental Health, 18(3), 233-241. doi:10.1080/09638230701879102. Tribe, R., & Thompson, K. (2011). Developing guidelines on working with interpreters in mental health: opening up an international dialogue. International Journal Of Culture & Mental Health, 4(2), 81. doi:10.1080/17542863.2010.503365. Walsh, J. (2010). Theories for direct social work practice. Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Read More