Treatment Plan for the Character of Sandra Bullock in Crash Movie - Essay Example

? Case study treatment plan Case study treatment plan Introduction Crash is a 2004 movie, which focuses on the issue of racism andracial prejudices in the United States. Racism, as well as prejudice that accompanies this concept, can be regarded as the most common aspects in the movie. The movie focuses on the supremacy of some races that have the tendency to dominate over others. In the movie, there is also analysis of the differences that exist between the rich and the poor, as well as the distinction between persons who yield immense powers and those who do not have any powers. In the movie, Sandra Bullock is depicted as Jean. While analyzing the character of Sandra Bullock, it is crucial to evaluate a treatment plan that can be best suited for her character. In the movie, there is arousal of racial awareness; as the viewer gets a glimpse of what racism entails. Jean and her husband view blacks as minority, and this explains why Jean treats them with a lot of contempt. Jean’s hatred towards the blacks emanates from the fact that they steal their car (which belongs to Jean and her husband). As a result of the car theft, Sandra (Jean) develops some hostility towards the blacks, which she portrays through the fear she has for them. On this regard, therefore, her behaviour is altered and she no longer trusts African Americans. She is always anxious when she spots them around and does not want to associate with them. As a white who holds high social status in society, Sandra believes that blacks are poor, and such fears are confirmed by the fact that it is them who stole her car. With the character of Jean in mind, there is a need to develop a treatment plan, which will be essential in dealing with her character and facilitate her change her attitudes towards other races (Warren & Fassett, 2011). Treatment Plan Presenting Problem The problem in Sandra’s case encompasses fear that she has developed as a result of being robbed by blacks. She and her husband were robbed of their car by black men, as a result of which she develops some hatred towards blacks. Sandra depicts the image of a person fed up with other races and this can be indicated by the fact that she considers herself superior since she is a white. On the other hand, blacks appear inferior to her, and that explains why she has developed bad attitudes towards them. It is her hatred for blacks that make her not to associate with them and identify with a certain class, which comprises of the whites only. Her behaviour is unacceptable in the contemporary society since people should strive to shun racism and not to reinforce this vice. As such, a treatment plan can be developed with the ultimate aim of addressing her attitudes and behaviour. Model of identity development that guides the analysis of the client As the issue of racism and other social problems has become common all over the world, models have been developed with the sole purpose of analyzing clients who have been at the centre of issues that relate to racism. The best model of identity development that can be helpful in analyzing the character of Sandra is Helms racial identity model. In this model, there is the application of personal identity, which relates to the personality feature that a person has. Such personality features include traits, which have an influence on a person’s self esteem, as well as how he or she feels about other people. Based on the identity model proposed by Helms, Sandra tends to develop some behaviour, which can be termed as unique in relation to her social group. This emanates from the fact that she identifies with other whites while despising blacks because they do not form part of his racial group. Helms’ model of identity development consists of six stages, which form the basis for the development of the appropriate model of treatment that can be used on clients. The first stage in the model includes contact, where the client should be made to see that racism becomes a central issue when they hold negative perceptions regarding other people. There is the development of non-racist position in this model, which can play a crucial role in covering racist beliefs that can be considered conscious. The emphasis in this stage is also on the realization that there are certain experiences, which make a person consider the white skin to be more superior to other racial groups (Middleton et. al., 2011). The second stage in this model is the disintegration stage. During this stage, the client tends to have some experiences, which will change his view of the world. This is because the new experiences tend to alter the worldview of the client. The person at the centre of the treatment plan (in this case Sandra) will start experiencing feelings of shame and guilt, which may make him move to the reintegration stage, especially with their continued persistence and dominance. The next stage of Helms’ identity model is a stage marked by an attitude, which relates to blaming the victim for what has happened or what is taking place in his or her life. Sandra should overcome the feeling that whites have more superiority than blacks. Although there tends to be some privileges accorded to the whites, which blacks are not given, Sandra should acknowledge the fact that there is a need to respect blacks and not hold them with contempt (Bernal, 2003). The next stage in Helms’ model is pseudo-independence, which can be regarded as a stage where racial identification takes place. During this stage, the client should be helped to identify that she is a racist, and she ought to denounce such feelings. The client should be aided to develop feelings of being a non-racist. Sandra should be facilitated to realize that, although she is a white, she can also be non-racist. This is crucial in helping her advance towards denouncing the racial prejudices and feelings, which she has. The fifth stage in the model encompasses immersion. During this stage, the client should make attempts develop anti-racist attitudes while at the same time connecting to her racial identity of being a white. Sandra should make efforts to join hands with other whites who have been striving to end the issue of racism (Kevin, 1996). The final stage in the identity development model is autonomy where the client should be aided to seek social justice. Sandra should positively connect with her racial identity as a white while she also strives to fight against racism. With this model, the client can be assisted to advance through the stages and develop appropriate strategies, which they can employ to deal with racist ideals. Historical experiences of the client There are certain historical experiences that affect the current life experiences of the client. The experiences of the client encompass a battle that she has with stereotypes, especially with regard to minorities. Anthony and Peter who are black men steal from Sandra, and this marks her beginning of hatred towards blacks. In the movie, Sandra develops feelings of hatred towards blacks, which she portrays throughout the film. She lives up to the stereotypes that she has about blacks and does not seem ready to denounce such feelings. As a result of the experience that she had with Anthony and Peter, Sandra tends to become domineering throughout the movie, and this explains why she wants to express dominance towards other characters such as her husband (Sutherland & Feltey, 2009). As the movie progresses, Sandra depicts the picture of a character who wants to exercise control over others, and this worries her a lot, especially when she does not have the chance to express this control and dominance. Sandra is also unhappy, and this affects her, especially when she has some time alone. Her historical experiences are also coupled by the views she holds towards Hispanics, and this is depicted with the encounter that she has with the locksmith. From the behaviour that Sandra has it is evident that she has feelings of guilt and feels ashamed by the fact that she is a racist (Sutherland, & Feltey, 2009). Strengths and weaknesses of the client Sandra possesses some strengths and weaknesses, which distinguish her from other characters in the movie. Some of the strengths of the client are that she accepts her attitudes towards other races. Sandra comes to the realization that she has not treated other racial groups fairly, and this makes her experience feelings of guilt, as well as shame. The other strength of the client is that she acknowledges the need to treat other characters well. This explains why she feels emotional when faced with issues of control that she wants to exercise towards others. She faces difficulties of dealing with her attitude towards other people. As such, she has the feeling that she ought to probably change her behaviour and start treating others with a lot of respect. The other strength of the client is that she comes to the realization that she harbours racial sentiments. This can be seen in the case where she feels ashamed of herself after mistreating a Hispanic who is a locksmith (Koditschek et. al., 2009). Apart from the strengths that the client has, there are also some weaknesses that she possesses. Sandra’s weaknesses can be considered as the main reason she harbours negative feelings and attitudes towards other racial groups, especially the minorities. One of the weaknesses of the client is that she is domineering, and strives to exercise control over other people. For example, she wants to control other characters such as her husband, Peter, and Anthony. She also wants to dominate her house help. Another weakness that the client has is negative attitudes and feelings towards minorities. To Sandra, whites are more superior to other races while blacks, Hispanics, and Latinos have many weaknesses. She also has a weakness; as she cannot relate to other races without treating them as lesser human beings. She generalizes about all other racial groups when Anthony and Peter stole from her (Koditschek et. al., 2009). Culturally relevant treatment strategies and goals Some treatment strategies and goals are relevant to the issues being faced by the client. The goal of the treatment plan is to make the client realize that her attitudes towards other racial groups are not desirable. In addition, the treatment plan aims at ensuring that the client denounces her attitudes towards minorities and develops appropriate mechanisms, which can be instrumental in coping with the issue. Another treatment goal includes making the client an advocate of social justice who will play a crucial role in championing for the rights of the oppressed in society. The other goal includes developing anti-racial attitudes in the client so that there is no any chance of such behaviour occurring in the future. The treatment should also aim at ensuring that the client coexists peacefully with people from other racial groups. Treatment strategies that are relevant to the client’s culture encompass an analysis of the identity of the client. Based on the client’s racial identity, the issues that she presents can be analyzed and the client facilitated to overcome racist feelings. As a therapist, I would facilitate Sandra to appreciate other races and their contribution to the wellbeing of the society. This way, she will overcome the feelings she harbours towards other groups. The other cultural strategy is letting the client realize that skin colour is not a determinant of the ability. This way, she will know that persons from other racial groups have immense abilities despite them not being white. Transference and Counter transference reactions There are certain transference and counter-transference reactions that may have an impact on the treatment of the client. Transference reactions may relate to transfer of emotions that the client experienced in the past to a present situation in her life. In the case of Sandra, there can be a tendency not to forget the experiences she had with the minorities who stole from her. Rather, she may develop feelings of hatred towards them, which she may seem to hold on even during the treatment period. Based on the client’s interpretation of the experiences that she had in the past, it may become complex for the client to find a solution to her problem. Sandra’s experience with the blacks is likely to make her express hatred towards all minorities and not cooperate in the treatment process (Costigan, 2004). Counter-transference reactions may also be experienced in the treatment process whereby there are certain feelings that the patient evokes in the clinician, especially as a result of transference projections of the client. This way, the therapist will have an idea of what the patient expects in the therapeutic relationship. As a result, it will become possible to develop appropriate strategies, which can be used to address the problems faced by the client. In order to deal with the transference and counter-transference issues in the therapeutic relationship, the clinician should facilitate the client to forget about the experiences of the past that keep on recurring. The client should have the capacity to manage the unconscious feelings and emotions, which he may have brought in her relationship with the therapist (Maher, 2012). Summary of treatment The treatment of the client encompasses a look at what ails her and what can be done to help her overcome her feelings and emotions. While treating the client, the first step should include creating rapport with the client in order to establish a client-therapist relationship. After establishing the relationship, the clinician should then listen to the client’s problems. Thereafter, strategies should be developed on how the client’s issues can be addressed. In the case of Sandra, the clinician should develop appropriate strategies to help her cope with the feelings and attitudes that she has towards other races. This encompasses emphasizing on the need to treat other persons with respect and appreciate them as equal human beings. The clinician should let Sandra know the negative consequences of racism; as this can go a long way in helping her denounce the feelings she harbours towards other races (Lago, 2006). As the treatment progresses, the therapist should evaluate whether there are any changes taking place in the client. Sandra should be evaluated, and her feelings towards minorities noted. The clinician has the mandate to ensure that the client makes some progress and is responding properly to the proposed therapy. This includes listening to Sandra’s side of the story, especially with regard to how she feels about people from other races. Positive progress in the client can be depicted by the ability of the client to forget about her experiences. The treatment process should take several sessions; during each session, the therapist should ask the client some questions regarding how well she is responding to the treatment. At the end of the treatment sessions, the client ought to have forgotten about her experiences and learnt not to discriminate minorities (Altmaier & Hansen, 2012). Conclusion In conclusion, crash is a 2004 movie, which focuses on the issue of racism and racial prejudices in the United States. The problem in Sandra’s case encompasses fear that she has developed as a result of being robbed by blacks. Treatment strategies that are relevant to the client’s culture encompass an analysis of the identity of the client. The treatment of the client is based on a look at what ails her and what can be done to help her overcome her feelings and emotions. While treating the client, the first step should include creating rapport with the client in order to establish a client-therapist relationship. References Altmaier, E. M., & Hansen, J.-I. C. (2012). The Oxford handbook of counseling psychology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bernal, G. (2003). Handbook of racial & ethnic minority psychology. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications. Costigan, L. (2004). Social awareness in counselling: A critique of mainstream counselling from a feminist counselling, cross-cultural counselling, and liberation psychology perspective. New York: IUniverse. Kevin, C. O. (1996). Testing Cross's revised racial identity model: An examination of the relationship between racial identity and internalized racialism. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 49(4), 476-483. Koditschek, T., Cha-Jua, S. K., & Neville, H. A. (2009). Race struggles. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. Lago, C. (2006). Race, culture, and counselling: The ongoing challenge. New York: Open University Press. Maher, M. J. (2012). Racism and cultural diversity: Cultivating racial harmony through counselling, group analysis, and psychotherapy. London: Karnac. Middleton, R. et. al. (2011). Racial Identity Development and Multicultural Counseling Competencies of White Mental Health Practitioners. International Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychological Therapy 11(2), 201-218. Sutherland, J.-A., & Feltey, K. M. (2009). Cinematic sociology: Social life in film. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Pine Forge. Warren, J. T., & Fassett, D. L. (2011). Communication: A critical/cultural introduction. Thousand Oaks, Calif: SAGE Publications. Read More