Biopsychosocial Identification of an HIV Positive Client - Assignment Example

Biopsychosocial Identification of an HIV Positive Client According to Lum (2004), detailed identification of the client is needed to understand the emotional and social interactions regarding the client. The following biopsychosocial assessment was conducted on a HIV positive client to facilitate in finding of solutions to his stress. Identification: The client is a twenty nine years old African American male and about to be married. He is stays alone in a rental house near his employer. Occupation: the client is employed as a banker by a multinational company. Marital status: single but intending to get married in a month’s time Referral information: the client’s case is presented for the first time (self referral). The reason for the client seeking counseling is because he feels guilty in that the marriage engagement is facing the HIV status complication. Data source: mental health examinations were initially prescribed on 16th of September 2010 before beginning counselling sessions. Psychiatric disorders accompany HIV positive individuals, such as depression upon realization of their status. The client in this case study has receded into denial which can not allow him to share his status with his client. Assessments establish the psychological functioning of the client before the diagnosis. General medical report from his clinician as well as a mental health report indicated that the client was ready and fit to begin therapy. Family background: the client is the first born in a family of four. The others are girls who are still at school. The father is a church minister and the mother is also a staunch Christian. The client defied the Christian upbringing and eventually contracted HIV which has been the cause of his distress. Relationships history: the client has been involved in two other relationships which did not work out. The reasons of his break-ups from the previous relationships ware largely due to dual relationship issues prompting the client’s lovers to abandon him. These relationships were intimate sexual relationships even though they have not had intimate sexual relations with the current girlfriend. Presenting challenge: The client has been diagnosed with HIV and has not come to terms with the condition. Despite the challenge in disclosing the information to the fiancé, he has not absorbed the shock of learning that he is HIV positive. The client is worried that he is going to die. “I can’t imagine it is happening to me, my life is over now,” he says as he breaks down to tears. It is clear that he has had a promiscuous lifestyle when he laments of defying his parents, “Dad and Mum were right, I should have avoided irresponsible sexual behaviour.” The client is withdrawn from limelight fearing that people would discus his status. Furthermore, he does not want his fiancé to learn of his status. The fiancé gets dragged into this challenge in that marriage with the client would not be practical since she is HIV negative - “She is HIV negative and would not look at me if she knew about it, what could we be talking about? I have messed up everything, yet I don’t feel like giving up on her.” Similar challenge: a client refusing to expose her positive HIV status to her fiancé. The woman client feared the predicament she would face in case she disclosed her condition which would destroy her prospects of a happy marriage. She was grieving for the shocking news of the HIV status which was least expected. Denial and anger were overwhelming her and she often broke down in the sessions. The counseling sessions managed to confront the client using assertive techniques to explain the risks involved and the legal position of the counselor if such a disclosure was not made in good time. The client was assisted in identifying with the strength that lied in disclosure. For instance in Shulman (2008, p676), it is recorded that a social worker should take measures to ensure that the client does not threaten the life of another person by not withholding such information as would assist in the prevention of a threat raised by such a client. Recent problems: the client was assisted to figure out situations which stressed him. Some of them included the last break-up which affected him in his studies. He almost got suspended from college after failing in many papers and participating in a fight that ensued in the termination of the relationship. The case was solved by identifying the weaknesses that the client displayed in the relationship and coming up with options to choose from in tackling the stress. Social worker: How did you manage to bounce back from the stress? Client: I gave myself a break from the relationship. It was terrible in the beginning, but I managed, eventually, in a few weeks. Social worker: That was so soon! I am surprised you managed such, this is commendable! You must be a very strong man? How do you compare that stress with this one? Intervention plan: Based on the strength perspective, the appropriate intervention measures that the counselor should take into all the environmental issues facing the client into consideration, to formulate an all inclusive recovery. This means for instance that the social setting that the client is living in should be incorporated in the healing facilitating plan. This will be enhanced by identification of problems around the client and offering possible solutions. Lack of self confidence: the target will be to enhance personal courage when facing the world and avoid running away from problems (Roberta, 2001). Strategic activities will include moving in the public and taking in public activities such as playing a game. The assignment to ensure this will be placed on the family’ second born sister who likes sports. This will be carried out in the next three weeks, and the evaluation will be on every weekend where the sister will accompany the client. The assumption here is that the client is probably involved with in a lot of guilt finding missions that place the blame on himself if acceptance thought cross his mind. According to Seeleby (2006), the premise behind the participation intervention is the resilience obtained by the incorporation and involvement of the client in activities likely to boost their recovery. The author also postulates that the creation of opportunity for young people to participate and actively contribute to activities raises their morale to solve most pressing issues. The feeling of belonging acts as a motivating factor to live positively and ultimately impacts on decision making. Shulman (2008) highlighted the Bowen Family Systems Theory which demonstrates the massive capacity of the family in offering solutions to coping with anxieties. The case presented by the client could be half solved if he felt close to his family. The younger sister will facilitate the mending of broken ties between the family and the client. The fact that the sister has accepted to follow up the clients’ progress shows the possibility of a reunion with the family. References Cummins, L. K., Pedrick L. E., & Sevel J. A., (2005) Social work skills demonstrated: beginning direct practice: text-workbook. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., Lum, D., (2004) Social work practice and people of color: a process-stage approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/ Cole- Thomson Learning Publishers Roberta, S., (2001) Clinical social work practice in behavioral mental health: a postmodern approach to practice with adults, 2nd Ed. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon Saleebey, D., (2006) The strengths perspective in social work practice. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon Shulman, L., (2008) The skills of helping individuals, families, groups and communities. 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