Mock Client Interview and Analysis

Mock Client Interview & Analysis Dialogue between the social work counselor & Amal: Social Work Counsellor: Good morning, Amal. How are you today? Amal: (Gets up); says, 'I don't wanna be here. I'm normal, everyone else isn't' Social Work Counsellor: Oh? Now why do you say that? Amal: (Walks to the window & looks out); 'Because they're all against me. I don't fit in. I don't belong. Social Work Counsellor: Please tell me more Amal. You can tell me anything. Amal: The other kids are slow.

They don't think, and only obey the teacher. I like to be active there isn't enough time for gym or recess like my old school. I'm bored there. Social Work Counsellor: Have you told you teacher about your feelings, Amal? Amal: No not like how I told you. The teacher doesn't ask me anything. I don't think the teacher likes me. The other kids also don't like me. I'm different, no one understands.

Social Work Counsellor: Were you happier in your old school? Were you loud in class at your old school? Amal: Sometimes, but it was different. The other kids would be also and then we would get quiet. That doesn't happen at this school. The kids are boring here. They aren't fun or social during class. I'm just different. Social Work Counsellor: During our discussion, I've noticed that you have been active in walking around and looking for other distractions.

Do you find it hard to sit down in class and listen to the teacher? Do you think you can do that if you really tried? Amal: That's boring. I guess I could but I don't wanna change. I like to think about other things if I am just sitting there with the teacher talking. I daydream and so I like to talk to others until I've had enough. That's how it was in my old school. Social Work Counsellor: You are such a bright and interesting young man, Amal.

Wouldn't you like to become an important figure in society or go on to have a career? An education will make that happen. I know it is tough to focus when you are used to playing around until settling down. The class is used to doing what it is that you are not used to. I can help you adjust if you want to. Amal: I guess I can try. I mean we can't move back just because of me. I'm not used to being quiet.

How can I stop my mind from wandering? Social Work Counsellor: It is always best to keep an eye contact with the teacher and keep listening to what the teacher is saying and also watch what the teacher is writing and teaching on the board so that you understand what she is saying when you are looking at the teacher speak.

The focus on the teacher and on the task will prevent your daydreaming and this will also help you to gain more attention from your teacher and from your classmates. Amal: So by looking at the teacher all the time and listening to everything said I will be OK? I never thought of it that way, I guess I never really paid attention to anything because my mind always wandered.

I guess I am loud in class because I wanted attention because I didn't fit and no one would pay attention to me. I thought that being loud would make me popular with the other kids because they are quiet. But that didn't happen. Social Work Counsellor: It is often very difficult in being the new kid in school. You are not the only one to have gone through this process. Many go through the process of adjustment, often for the better.

It is important to remember that your parents do try to provide better opportunities for you and sometimes that means having to relocate to a new area. If this were not true, your mother would not be here with us today. Amal: I guess you're right. I didn't think you would understand but I guess in a way, you do.

I know it isn't going to be as easy as it sounds with you but I am going to keep looking at my teacher and thinking about what the lesson is and what is on the board. Social Work Counsellor: That's good Amal. It sounds like you have paid good attention here and are very interested in becoming a part of your new class and becoming friends with your classmates. Amal: I don't want to disappoint my parents who have moved here.

I was looking for attention and not I think I know how to get along with the other kids. I also think that they may ignore me at first but then they will like me. Social Work Counsellor: I am sure they will like you too, Amal. I am glad things worked out so well during this session here this morning.

I also think what's important is that you try and speak to your classmates when it is at the right time, such as when you see other students talking, that would be a good time to maybe nudge the classmate next to you and talk about something you are interested in. Amal: You mean like sports? I like ice hockey. I think that's a fun game. They kids play that here in Canada, right? Social Work Counsellor: Yes Amal, they do play ice hockey here in Canada.

The lakes are often deeply frozen during the winter months, which bring ice hockey players to play. Ice Hockey is also Professional Ice Hockey in Canada as there are a handful of professional teams. If you enjoy ice hockey, it is a good idea to ask your classmates if they also enjoy playing ice hockey and to find out whether they would be interested in playing with you when the conditions are right to play on the ice at a local frozen lake.

Make sure an adult is present and a first aid kit is available. Amol: OK that is a smart idea and I will do that. I like ice hockey and playing here sounds like a great time! Social Work Counsellor: Oh yes, the scenery is beautiful with green trees and snowcapped mountains in the background, crisp Canadian air and only the sound of wilderness. Thank you for coming today, I will keep in contact with regard to your progress. Take Care! Amol: Thank you Counsellor.

Bye! a.) The base problem as portrayed via the dialogue is that of a lack of positive attention and structure from the home. The psycho-social modality of attention between Amal and his caretakers have become the classroom environmental variables. The mother of Amal, Dalia, does exhibit concern for her son yet does not seem to be able to assist him.

The inability of Dalia and the father figure of Amal, if one is present, to enable Amal to cope with the new transition does mean the burden of coping method does fall upon the auspice of state resources. This is essentially the reason Amal is acting rambunctiously in the classroom and has a disruptive attitude.

The additional base problem does include the following: Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Amal's behavior is indicative of a generalized anxiety disorder to where the introduction of a child into a new environment will cause a social anxiety that inherently produces one of two possible responses. The first response is to be introverted and isolated. The second response is to be loud and conspicuous. The response is a function of the underlying cognitive sociopathic condition of the subject.

Amol also seems to have an attention deficit hyperactive disorder that is triggered when the general anxiety disorder response is evoked by environmental stimuli. There is a correlation between the anxiety he expresses from the acts of boisterousness in the classroom and the fact of these behaviors not occurring within any other environment.

The mother has not raised concern with regard to her son's behavior in general as the nature of Amal's misbehavior is a function of psychological understanding of how he perceives his environment and of how his environment perceives him. b.) Amal's behavior during the interview and counseling session conveyed a sense of independence and an intelligence that was more spatially inclined rather than focused and logical.

The structured classroom environment to which he has been submitted has seemed to give rise to his thinking that all in this new environment are against him and are against his well-being. The beginning of the interview relayed a sense of despondency to which further cajoling would render a response. As Amal's personality opened up, one can see that his intelligence has been usurped by a sense of inferiority with regard to his new environment.

Amal's behavior after the first part of the interview, which is marked by when he starts to open up about why he feels the way he does, then becomes a function of trying to become more compliant to the expectations that the teacher has for him. Amal seems to be thinking of his parents, perhaps not at the beginning of the session, but indeed toward the middle and certainly at the end of the session it is evident that Amal is focusing on his parents.

Perhaps his mother has a profound influence on him and were she not present, one may assume that the outcome could have been different. The disposition of Amal at the end of the session indicates that his apprehension with regard to the worries that proceeded his visit have waned, and will continue to subside as he applies the tactics of adjustment which were discussed. His psychological adjustment throughout the session indicates that his adjustment is a function of the attention he receives.

If he continues to not receive attention in a positive manner, he will likely not adapt and function appropriately within the classroom. c. The power issues in the interview is the ethnomethodological aspect of the whether the child or the classroom is the reason for the ostensible misbehavior.

Is the classroom considered to be a 'rule ridden' environment to which a more free spirited boy is less capable of adapting? Should the issue lay with the client or does the issue indeed reside with the environment the child is subjected to? Is the appropriate methodology to have the client remain in the classroom and subject to adapting to an environment that is not conducive to the learning style? The economic issue of having a child within a classroom that is rather 'cookie cutter' in nature does prevent not only the individualized attention and development of the student, the public sector tax payer funded classroom seeks to provide a standard education to the population of the community.

Amal is likely to benefit from a private and more direct form of education. However, it is unknown as to whether the parents are aware of this actuality nor if they have investigated privatized learning or if they are able to fund a private education. The tertiary power issue arises from the role model of the household.

Amal does not seem to understand how to focus in school and of the importance of not only going to school and completing the steps of obtaining an education, but to know and understand the material presented as to remember as he grows older. Many parents do not have the ability to convey this to their children, and in fact, many children must obtain this ability on their own time and effort. Amal appears to have to inherently adapt to his environment to succeed academically at his new school. d.

The related social work values and ethics are considered to be the overall mitigating factor in assessing the psychological and sociological interaction of the client situation. The social work values are ostensibly endemic humanistic values that are honed and developed through diligent study. The characteristics of the social worker are inherently the values established as a social worker in profession. This is to say, the characteristics of dignity and self-worth are intrinsic to the successful social worker yet are a function in the development of the professional social worker.

Therefore, a non-spurious and warm social worker whom is positive and facilitates an enhanced self-image to the client is indicative of the proper methodology between counselor-client interaction. The Code of Ethics that governs the social work practice, within the United States the National Association of Social Workers. (A Social Ecological Approach to Counseling in Challenging Contexts) is a derivative of one's own personality and judgment ability based on years of extensive training and mentoring in the field.

The broad sense of understanding with regard to social development and psychological interaction with one's environment in accordance to the client's personal experiences and general disposition comprise the framework necessary to render an ethical solution. e. Oppression is an interesting term as the expression implies a substandard treatment of an individual based on a superficial judgment. Whether Amal was a victim of oppression is an interesting notion when considering what could be interpreted as a clear and present ostracizing by the teacher and the students.

The students nor the teacher seem to have a real attempt to acclimate Amal to the class. A situation analysis provides the hypothesis of Amal's presence within the classroom as a student that becomes ignored simply because of ostracizing as the 'ugly duckling'. Whether physically ugly or no, the inequality of being left out can be subtle, as no one is directly in violation of Amal's human rights however the indirect effect of lack of attention has caused Amal to lash out in ways that indicate he wants attention.

The counseling did not directly address the notion of oppression. As there was not any conclusive proof of oppression, the empowerment of Amal to turn his negative situation into a positive was the approved method of counsel. Should Amal's attempts at interacting with more positive engagements be met with immediate disapproval, the notion of oppression of Amal will become much clearer. This is not to say that oppression was not evident.

However to approach the situation from the viewpoint of oppression often involves trying to remediate the situation by removing the client from the classroom environment where the oppression is occurring. Often times, the parents must pay for private schooling or find methods of transporting their child to another school district. In Canada, such measures are expensive and are not the most likely options that families whom suffer from these issues are likely to accept.

Therefore, addressing the situation by not assuming oppression provides an opportunity for the client to establish themselves within a harsh and hostile environment. Amal will not be able to constantly leave his environments as he gets older. Therefore, it is important at this point of his life to establish a footprint in knowing how to stand for his own interests within an environment where there are many interests to be filled.

By engaging his ability to solve social problems in a socially acceptable manner will provide the ability for Amal to successfully adapt to future social situation without fear should rejection or some other form of negative feedback come his way. f. The interview has directly impacted the client need within context. Indeed, there may be a case of oppression and if so, this methodology will assist our efforts to uncover such activity. However, the impact on the client is clear.

Amal arrived to the office with his mother, apprehensive, and in a disconcerting manner regarding his emotional state at school. Given his cognitive disassociation and the likelihood of ADHD and General Anxiety Disorder, many psychiatric doctors that would assess Amal may decide to prescribe an anti-anxiety medication such as Xanax or to address the ADHD with Lithium, for example. Amal's personality upon entering the office again, was that of a loner, isolation. Looking out the window is indicative of feeling trapped and alone.

The window represents a form of freedom, a way out. The interview shed light to Amal on the fact of not being trapped, but engaging him, speaking with him, and enabling him to understand that his adjustment to his new environment is yet another transition in many transitions his life will take. For Amal to open up as.