Legal Case Study: A Cursed Child
In the case, A Cursed Child, Ruby Malcolm had a meeting with a social worker at United Family Services. Ruby is concerned about her daughter who has violent outbursts with swearing, she says things to people that no one understands, sometimes she has crying fits, and she frequently skips school. Ms. Malcolm was beginning to feel like nothing she did made a difference. Ms. Malcom’s parents thought that she should physically punish her daughter however Ms. Malcolm did not believe in hitting her children. However, she was concerned about her son being influenced by her daughter, Irene’s behaviors.
Problem Identification The problem is how Sandra should approach the treatment team with Ms. Malcolm’s intentions. Ms. Malcolm intended to remove …show more content…
Irene from inpatient treatment and to use cultural healers to attempt to save her daughter. Ms. Malcolm believed that someone had put a curse on her daughter because the behaviors had started about a year ago and the hospital could not find the problem. Sandra has a background and appreciation for cultural and racial diversity and would like to understand and support Ms. Malcolm, although Sandra may not agree that pulling her from the hospital is the best thing for her.
Analysis
Ms. Malcolm is a thirty-two year old woman. She is divorced and is the sole care giver for her three children. Ms. Malcolm has Maria who is a diabetic and sixteen, Irene who is fourteen and has behavior problems and her son John who is thirteen and has no issues at this time. Ms. Malcolm is concerned for John’s well-being and that he could be influenced by his sister Maria who is struggling with her behaviors.
Haitian American’s have strong ties to their families. Ms. Malcolm’s maternal parents live in an adjoining unit but have different opinions on how she should handle Irene’s behavior issues. The culture strongly believes in physical punishment but Ms. Malcolm does not agree with this part of her culture and even makes a statement that this is not acceptable in America. Often times a child in this culture is not raised by just immediate family but rather the extended family also so this may cause issues between Ms. Malcolm and her parents. Ms. Malcolm had completed her GED. Ms. Malcolm is employed as a nursing aid and has kept a steady job. Ms. Malcolm also has the stress of keeping her home in order, she is responsible for the cleaning, cooking, childcare, etc. Ms. Malcolm was suffering from high anxiety, related to many stressors but specifically her inability to control Irene. Ms. Malcolm’s symptoms included: having trouble sleeping, often feeling nervous, and crying a lot. Ms. Malcolm was offered medication management of her symptoms but said she did not believe in drugs and that talking to Sandra about her issues would be enough to assist her in managing her issues. Ms. Malcolm is a Haitian American. Haitian Americans have strong beliefs related to their culture. They believe that several types of illness are caused by supernatural origins or angry spirits. Illness in their culture is perceived as a punishment. They believe in the power of prayer to physically heal the sick. All Haitians practice Voodoo, where they worship the spirits. They use spiritual healers and black magic and to heal illness. Illness in their culture is also seen as highly stigmatizes, shameful, and people with illness are often hidden from society and cared for at home.
Alternative Strategies
Alternative One Sandra should support Ms. Malcolm in removing her daughter from the inpatient care. Considering the Haitian family culture, Ms. Malcolm and her support system strongly believe that she should come home and preform the ritual. This allows Ms. Malcolm who is now responsible for her family to be empowered to make the best decision for her daughter. This is a right of our clients that we allow them to make decisions in their treatment and goals (National Association of Social Workers, 2008).
Sandra should talk to Ms. Malcolm about what the future would look like for her and the family if this intervention did not work. Sandra and Ms. Malcolm could create a safety plan together. This plan would be for herself and her two other children, if things were to get out of hand with Irene. This would of course give anyone in the family unit permission to call the police on Irene in order to keep themselves safe. Irene would then be escorted to the hospital and would be referred once more to an inpatient treatment facility. Sandra would also be ethically responsible to let Irene know that she has the right as her parent and can remove her from the facility (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). Just the same, she has the right to get her back into placement, even if things are simply just not working. Sandra should talk to Irene about failure and that the biggest failure would be not trying. Sandra could praise Irene on wanting to keep her family unit together, her strength to face the issue head on, and her willingness to do whatever it takes to help her daughter.
This alternative has many advantages such as it empowers Ms. Malcolm through using narrative theory, which allows Ms. Malcolm to tell her story and make her own decisions for her family’s well-being. Another advantage would be that this would build rapport between Sandra and Ms. Malcolm and could better Ms. Malcom and her parent’s relationship. This alternative would allow Ms. Malcolm to follow her cultural beliefs and she would most likely continue her therapy with Sandra at United Family Services. The disadvantages to this alternative would be that someone could get hurt if Irene comes home, Irene could run away from home, and the intervention could not work which could make things worse. This could also make Ms. Malcolm feel even more like a failure, as she mentioned feelings of failure to Sandra in the past.
Alternative Two
Sandra should support Ms. Malcolm in removing her daughter but first educate the mother on the risks of removing her from treatment. Try to negotiate first if the spiritual healers could come to the hospital and perform the ritual in a safe space for everyone involved. Try to talk to Irene and Ms. Malcolm and see if they can even think of someone who would want to curse the daughter. This would privilege Sandra to learn more of their family history and any trauma that might have taken place, this is an advantage for this option.
There are other advantages to this strategy with some similarities to the first alternative like empowering Ms.
Malcolm to make her own decisions and continue to build a relationship with Sandra. The family would get more education on western medicine practices and the risks associated with removal from services and medication. It can be dangerous to stop medication abruptly. You are advised to down dose off of most medications. Some disadvantages to this option would be that it might not be possible to perform the spiritual ritual at the facility. The treatment team could be completely against Sandra’s ideas and Ms. Malcolm’s wishes. This could also cause issues for Sandra at work with her co-workers and she would have to explain why she supported Ms. …show more content…
Malcolm.
Alternative Three
Sandra should not support her decision to remove Irene from inpatient treatment. Advise mom not to remove her daughter against medical advice. Sandra should explain that western medicines are a complicated thing. There is a lot of trial and error with figuring out the right mix of drugs to help with the chemical imbalance she has. This is because everyone is different. There is not a one size fits all. Sandra should use narrative theory to empower Ms. Malcolm to continue telling her story and how she is feeling. Sometimes all we need is someone to vent to in a safe place and to know that someone is listening to what you have to say (Walsh, 2010).
The advantages to this alternative would be that Sandra knows that Irene is safe at the facility and Irene would continue to receive medication and other treatments.
The disadvantages to this alternative are numerous. Sandra could lose rapport with the client. Ms. Malcolm could terminate therapy with Sandra. Ms. Malcolm could still pull her daughter from the facility without Sandra’s blessings. Ms. Malcolm mentioned that she was becoming assimilated to America and one disadvantage could be that Ms. Malcolm and her family could lose more of their cultural identities if not able to carry out the ceremony. Ms. Malcolm and her children run the risk of losing the support of her parents or causing issues in the family system by not doing what is believed to be the norm in their
culture.
Recommendation My recommendation would be Alternative One. I would support Ms. Malcolm in whatever her decision may be. Narrative theory has been proven to be successful when working with multicultural practice because it allows for social workers to find meanings and understand events and behaviors of their clients (Walsh, 2010). I feel like this is a good theory and alternative because Ms. Malcolm has not actually said I would like to pull my child from inpatient treatment. I feel like Ms. Malcolm is torn between her family’s cultures and frustrated that her child is sick and the hospital has not been able to figure out what is wrong yet. Feeling like this is an appropriate reaction and I believe that Ms. Malcolm may just need someone to listen to her vent her feelings and to support her decision making skills for her family. I believe that for Ms. Malcolm, Sandra is that person she feels safe sharing with. I also really like this alternative because it provides a backup plan for Ms. Malcolm if things do not go as planned with Irene at home. It points out the family’s strength and allows their story to be told.
Problem Identification The problem is how Sandra should approach the treatment team with Ms. Malcolm’s intentions. Ms. Malcolm intended to remove …show more content…
Irene from inpatient treatment and to use cultural healers to attempt to save her daughter. Ms. Malcolm believed that someone had put a curse on her daughter because the behaviors had started about a year ago and the hospital could not find the problem. Sandra has a background and appreciation for cultural and racial diversity and would like to understand and support Ms. Malcolm, although Sandra may not agree that pulling her from the hospital is the best thing for her.
Analysis
Ms. Malcolm is a thirty-two year old woman. She is divorced and is the sole care giver for her three children. Ms. Malcolm has Maria who is a diabetic and sixteen, Irene who is fourteen and has behavior problems and her son John who is thirteen and has no issues at this time. Ms. Malcolm is concerned for John’s well-being and that he could be influenced by his sister Maria who is struggling with her behaviors.
Haitian American’s have strong ties to their families. Ms. Malcolm’s maternal parents live in an adjoining unit but have different opinions on how she should handle Irene’s behavior issues. The culture strongly believes in physical punishment but Ms. Malcolm does not agree with this part of her culture and even makes a statement that this is not acceptable in America. Often times a child in this culture is not raised by just immediate family but rather the extended family also so this may cause issues between Ms. Malcolm and her parents. Ms. Malcolm had completed her GED. Ms. Malcolm is employed as a nursing aid and has kept a steady job. Ms. Malcolm also has the stress of keeping her home in order, she is responsible for the cleaning, cooking, childcare, etc. Ms. Malcolm was suffering from high anxiety, related to many stressors but specifically her inability to control Irene. Ms. Malcolm’s symptoms included: having trouble sleeping, often feeling nervous, and crying a lot. Ms. Malcolm was offered medication management of her symptoms but said she did not believe in drugs and that talking to Sandra about her issues would be enough to assist her in managing her issues. Ms. Malcolm is a Haitian American. Haitian Americans have strong beliefs related to their culture. They believe that several types of illness are caused by supernatural origins or angry spirits. Illness in their culture is perceived as a punishment. They believe in the power of prayer to physically heal the sick. All Haitians practice Voodoo, where they worship the spirits. They use spiritual healers and black magic and to heal illness. Illness in their culture is also seen as highly stigmatizes, shameful, and people with illness are often hidden from society and cared for at home.
Alternative Strategies
Alternative One Sandra should support Ms. Malcolm in removing her daughter from the inpatient care. Considering the Haitian family culture, Ms. Malcolm and her support system strongly believe that she should come home and preform the ritual. This allows Ms. Malcolm who is now responsible for her family to be empowered to make the best decision for her daughter. This is a right of our clients that we allow them to make decisions in their treatment and goals (National Association of Social Workers, 2008).
Sandra should talk to Ms. Malcolm about what the future would look like for her and the family if this intervention did not work. Sandra and Ms. Malcolm could create a safety plan together. This plan would be for herself and her two other children, if things were to get out of hand with Irene. This would of course give anyone in the family unit permission to call the police on Irene in order to keep themselves safe. Irene would then be escorted to the hospital and would be referred once more to an inpatient treatment facility. Sandra would also be ethically responsible to let Irene know that she has the right as her parent and can remove her from the facility (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). Just the same, she has the right to get her back into placement, even if things are simply just not working. Sandra should talk to Irene about failure and that the biggest failure would be not trying. Sandra could praise Irene on wanting to keep her family unit together, her strength to face the issue head on, and her willingness to do whatever it takes to help her daughter.
This alternative has many advantages such as it empowers Ms. Malcolm through using narrative theory, which allows Ms. Malcolm to tell her story and make her own decisions for her family’s well-being. Another advantage would be that this would build rapport between Sandra and Ms. Malcolm and could better Ms. Malcom and her parent’s relationship. This alternative would allow Ms. Malcolm to follow her cultural beliefs and she would most likely continue her therapy with Sandra at United Family Services. The disadvantages to this alternative would be that someone could get hurt if Irene comes home, Irene could run away from home, and the intervention could not work which could make things worse. This could also make Ms. Malcolm feel even more like a failure, as she mentioned feelings of failure to Sandra in the past.
Alternative Two
Sandra should support Ms. Malcolm in removing her daughter but first educate the mother on the risks of removing her from treatment. Try to negotiate first if the spiritual healers could come to the hospital and perform the ritual in a safe space for everyone involved. Try to talk to Irene and Ms. Malcolm and see if they can even think of someone who would want to curse the daughter. This would privilege Sandra to learn more of their family history and any trauma that might have taken place, this is an advantage for this option.
There are other advantages to this strategy with some similarities to the first alternative like empowering Ms.
Malcolm to make her own decisions and continue to build a relationship with Sandra. The family would get more education on western medicine practices and the risks associated with removal from services and medication. It can be dangerous to stop medication abruptly. You are advised to down dose off of most medications. Some disadvantages to this option would be that it might not be possible to perform the spiritual ritual at the facility. The treatment team could be completely against Sandra’s ideas and Ms. Malcolm’s wishes. This could also cause issues for Sandra at work with her co-workers and she would have to explain why she supported Ms. …show more content…
Malcolm.
Alternative Three
Sandra should not support her decision to remove Irene from inpatient treatment. Advise mom not to remove her daughter against medical advice. Sandra should explain that western medicines are a complicated thing. There is a lot of trial and error with figuring out the right mix of drugs to help with the chemical imbalance she has. This is because everyone is different. There is not a one size fits all. Sandra should use narrative theory to empower Ms. Malcolm to continue telling her story and how she is feeling. Sometimes all we need is someone to vent to in a safe place and to know that someone is listening to what you have to say (Walsh, 2010).
The advantages to this alternative would be that Sandra knows that Irene is safe at the facility and Irene would continue to receive medication and other treatments.
The disadvantages to this alternative are numerous. Sandra could lose rapport with the client. Ms. Malcolm could terminate therapy with Sandra. Ms. Malcolm could still pull her daughter from the facility without Sandra’s blessings. Ms. Malcolm mentioned that she was becoming assimilated to America and one disadvantage could be that Ms. Malcolm and her family could lose more of their cultural identities if not able to carry out the ceremony. Ms. Malcolm and her children run the risk of losing the support of her parents or causing issues in the family system by not doing what is believed to be the norm in their
culture.
Recommendation My recommendation would be Alternative One. I would support Ms. Malcolm in whatever her decision may be. Narrative theory has been proven to be successful when working with multicultural practice because it allows for social workers to find meanings and understand events and behaviors of their clients (Walsh, 2010). I feel like this is a good theory and alternative because Ms. Malcolm has not actually said I would like to pull my child from inpatient treatment. I feel like Ms. Malcolm is torn between her family’s cultures and frustrated that her child is sick and the hospital has not been able to figure out what is wrong yet. Feeling like this is an appropriate reaction and I believe that Ms. Malcolm may just need someone to listen to her vent her feelings and to support her decision making skills for her family. I believe that for Ms. Malcolm, Sandra is that person she feels safe sharing with. I also really like this alternative because it provides a backup plan for Ms. Malcolm if things do not go as planned with Irene at home. It points out the family’s strength and allows their story to be told.