Family assessment of a post-divorce household adjustment

¶ … Family Assessment

Oral Case Presentation/Family Assessment

Identifying Information and Presenting Issues

The family presents as a mother, her 4-year-old daughter and the mother's partner. The mother is Liz Rochaleau who was recently divorced and moved into a new situation with her daughter Jackie. Liz's partners name is Katie. The couple has only been living together for a short period of time, and during that interval Katie has been having issues at daycare. She seems tired, withdrawn and sometimes he clothing is unkempt.

Pre-engagement Process

Read the entire case file, look into research on similar cases, find out all of the people who could possibly shed some light on the case, and make sure and understand all of the regulations and ethical entanglements that could be involved.

Engagement

The family needs to be approached carefully for two reasons. First Liz is a recently divorced mother who may not react well to having her parenting skills questioned. She may be aggressive because unless the social worker approaches her carefully, stating that this is just an assessment, she may feel like she is being attacked. Secondly, this is a gay couple, and they may feel defensive based in that fact also. The social worker needs to demonstrate openness, caring and respect from the very first moment in order to build rapport.

Assessment of Family System

Family Structure: The family consists if a mother, her daughter, and the mother's partner. The child's father has visitation rights.

Family Functioning: This is an assessment of how the different members of the family interact with one another. The mother obviously cares for her daughter, but she seems to be depressed herself. Liz and Katie seem to get along very well, but there is some obvious latent animosity from Jackie toward Katie. The primary boundaries that exist are within the family group. Since he is also involved in the life of his daughter, the father has to be included in this dynamic, and as the primary subsystem. Decision making for the family comes primarily from Katie. At this time, Liz is seems to be having issues with her ex-husband, and this makes it difficult for her to act in a proper parenting role. Jackie does not accept Katie's parenting, so Jackie is often on her own. Communication is also a problem between the mother and the daughter. Jackie is lost because of the new situation, and does not seem willing to talk to her mother. There is almost no communication between Jackie and Katie. The intergenerational aspects are the entire problem. Jackie does not feel a part of the new family. She still seems to be grieving the loss of the family she had grown up with.

Family Life Cycle Adjustments: The primary issue here is that Jackie is at an age where she is between developmental stages. She is leaving dependency and trying to establish herself as an individual (Cherry, 2008). She also probably feels that she has no control over her environment at a time when she needs to establish that control.

Social Environment: The family is having a difficult time making ends meet because Liz had to move from her previous location, and Katie's income is being stretched. This affects the comfort that Jackie has in the environment.

Family Strengths, Resiliency, Conflicts, and Problems: The family is having a difficult time with relatives who are not happy with the divorce or the living situation. They have some strong ties in the community, but those can offer only moral support and very little financial assistance. The conflicts between the two women revolve around the money situation and Jackie's discipline.

Family's Culture, Rituals, and Beliefs: Since this is such a new family grouping, they have not had the time to establish norms in this area.

Individual Strengths and Problems: Katie is a strong individual who seems to want the best for everyone involved, but she also admits that she may be out of her depth. Liz seems to be on edge most of the time, and Jackie is trying to make sense of the whole life change she has just experienced.

Summary

The family is having problems that are common to this situation. Jackie is not receiving the attention she needs because of the mother's depression. Liz and Katie are having issues because of the divorce and Katie's difficulty in knowing what to do for Jackie. It seems to be a systems problem (Morgaine, 2001).

Planning

Find some support groups that will help Liz deal with the divorce. Discover different counseling centers that help with the issues presented.

Intervention

The primary intervention this family needs is different levels of counseling. Jackie needs to understand what she is feeling and be given the ability to move to the next developmental stage in her life. Liz needs to have someone to talk to about her depression. The whole family needs to have family counseling so that they can discuss the problems they have with a third party. Finally, Katie needs to talk to someone about how blended families can be successful, and her role in the family. Liz could use a support group to help with her grief over her divorce.

Evaluation

There need to be follow up visits, and discussions with the various therapists about the progress the three are making. Also monitor how Jackie is progressing in daycare.