Summary of the Presenting Problem and Relevant History (Case Study Sample)

Social Work: Michael’s Case
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Social Work: Michael’s Case
Summary of the Presenting Problem and Relevant History
The presenting issue concerns a thirteen-year-old boy, Michael, who has gone through physical as well as emotional abuse. Michael has two sisters that he adores so much, and he doesn't want them to undergo similar experiences. The abuser is his father Rick, who tore the entire family apart due to the heavy beatings he gave the kids and the mother. His anger and outbursts could be linked to marijuana and cocaine use, not forgetting the heavy drinking. Michael endured his father's beatings for years at the watch of his mother, Karen, who did not do anything to help him. He believes that his mother hates him, which is seemingly accurate considering her words, ‘I wish you were never born’ and the fact that she did not even try to stop the husband from beating Michael. The conviction that his mother hates him makes Michael perceive himself as unlovable by anyone.
In different upbringing circumstances, maybe Karen would have been able to stand up to Rick, but then, she is a victim of child abuse. Additionally, Rick beats her too, typically in front of the kids, which is hugely demining. Karen and her brother Patrick were physically and verbally abused while growing up by their father, and similarly, the mother was not able to protect them. Patrick has been of great help in looking out for Michael and his siblings.
Michael tolerated the beatings for years until Rick started beating his sisters too and so he decided to seek help by talking to his teacher, who filed a report with Child Protective Services (CPS). This led to the quick removal of Michael and his two sisters from the family home. Michael was put under the care of his uncle Patrick while the sisters went to foster care, an aspect that troubled him much. He wished that Patrick could take all the three of them so they could grow up together.
A Trauma-Informed Assessment of Michael
Brief Description of the Trauma History
Michael's trauma is a result of the things that he has gone through. His father Rick beat him for years, and he had to live with that pain every day. Michael's father was unpredictable because one moment, he was making fun, which would be followed by an outburst and then the beating. Every day for him must have been full of fear because he did not know what to expect. Typically, Michael is ready for the worst. The young boy did his chores perfectly in an attempt to please his father, but his efforts would only be futile. Before his father arrived home, Michael would clean up the house and bring him the newspaper and beer. Nonetheless, when the father went off on him, Michael still thought he had done something wrong and had to get better. The assault went on until Michael started figuring out a way to poison or kill him, except he did not have someone, particularly the mom, to help him see this through.
Michael took the blame on himself. Even after all the pain that his father had caused him, to some extent, Michael thought that it was his fault, and that is why he wants to get better so that the father would stop beating him. However, there is nothing that Michael would have done to change the actions because Rick was damaged and troubled, and for this reason, he took his frustrations to the wife and children. After a long time of getting used to this routine, Michael got better at reading his father such that when he is all laughing and joking, he knew that Rick would soon flip on them.
Michael is deprived of a mother's love, and this has contributed to psychological and social effects. His mother, Karen, did nothing about the assault, something that hurts Michael so much. Even if she was still undergoing the beating too, Michael feels that there is something that the mother could have done. He thinks that his mother hates him, and that is why he finds himself unlovable. Michael tried to assist his mother and sisters when they were being beaten several times, but then, the mother never thanked him. Karen was never happy to see his son Michael not forgetting the instance she said she wished he was never born. Additionally, this one time, Michael worked so hard for a test anticipating a compliment from the parents, but none was given, so he declared there was no need to work hard.
Summary of Emotional and Behavioural Symptoms As a Result of the Trauma
Emotionally, Michael has a lot of negative feelings, such as hating himself. He believes no one can ever love a person hated by his mother. In other words, Michael deems himself unworthy of love. He is not talkative and loves to keep things to himself. When Patrick tries engaging him in conversations, Michael is courteous but barely interested in lengthy discussions.
Michael also has an anti-social character. He loves being alone listening to music or just on the computer, has no friends, and eats alone in school. Michael is generally fearful and somehow depressed. It is for this reason that he is unable to sleep at night. At the age of six, Michael had visited the mental health services and diagnosed with psychological issues. The diagnosis was impulse conducts and concentration. As a result of the trauma, Michael generally became a negative person such that a positive compliment embarrasses him.
Developmental and Cultural Factors Salient to the Assessment
Michael’s growth and development has been impacted by various factors. One of them is the family influence. Families tend to have the most insightful effects when it comes to nurturing children and defining the way they develop socially and psychologically. In developing healthy and functional people, they require basic love, respect, and care. In this case, Michael does not have any of these things. He significantly suffers from a lack of love. Parents are supposed to be role models, but Michael's guardians have all the negative influence. Fathers and mothers tend to be correspondingly proficient in looking after and gratifying children’s requirements in diverse but complementary techniques (Frascarolo et al., 2016).
The psychological stimulation of the child has been dramatically affected. Michael is diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). At the young age of six, the teachers reported impulsive behaviors and concentration. The hostile environment is the cause of the psychological issues that Michael depicts. At some point, the teacher recommended that Michael be diagnosed with a learning disability. This might not have been the condition that Michael was suffering from, but the unconducive environment could have affected psychological stimulation. Michael has not been able to do well in school due to developmental concerns. He asserts that school is not for him, an aspect that can be linked to consistent failure.
Drinking is the culture of the people in that community, particularly in social interactions. Even so, Rick is described as an ugly drunk, meaning that his drinking was beyond the line. The drinking largely contributed to Michael growing in an abusive, thus the negative psychological and emotional effects. Additionally, wife domineering tends to be a common factor in the case. Rick beats his wife, and she can't defend herself or take action against the matter. It's like this is a norm or a way of life in the region. Karen’s mother was similarly beaten and was not able to defend herself or the children. Seeing his mother being helplessly beaten affected Michael's mentality making him exceedingly bitter about the situation as the mother never prevented the physical abuse from his father.
Attachment can be defined as young kids' propensity to pursue contact with the guardians when vulnerable, worried, or scared and find the contact to be comforting (Fearon & Roisman, 2017). The attachment relationship has been highly affected. Michael's parents showed him no love; thus, he perceives himself as unlovable. He believes that he cannot be loved because his mother hated him. As such, the relationship that Michael had with his parents is likely to contribute to the failure of forthcoming intimate relations.
Using core concepts as a guide for prioritizing treatment issues
The concept used is that children can display various responses to loss and trauma. Kids exposed to trauma can show several post-trauma responses that tend to differ in their intensity, scope, onset, and frequency (Joshua, 2019). Michael is experiencing a post-traumatic reaction. He should be treated for anxiety, which is evident on different occasions. Michael stated that he has been feeling jumpy and worries regarding various aspects. He is primarily anxious about the well-being of his sisters since they rarely contact as they were removed from the parent's house.
After going to bed, Michael does not seem to get a good night sleep as he starts thinking and at times, becomes nervous. Seldom, he wakes up in the middle of the night shaking and sweating. This is a sign of stress and anxiety that should be addressed for the betterment of Michael. Stress and anxiety tend to be mental conditions, but in most cases, they comprise physical signs. Augmented sweating is among the common physical symptom linked to the illnesses. If night sweats happen due to stress and anxiety, one could additionally have emotions of dread, fear, and worry that keep re-occurring. After all the traumas that Michael has gone through, it is only logical to suffer from stress, anxiety, and depression. Treating these conditions will help the patient deal with different negative emotions that he has been handling. Cognitive-behavio...