The Importance and Role of Social Work with Different Population Groups - Case Study Example

Social Work with Diverse Populations Name: Institution: Social Work with Diverse Populations Section 1 Question 1 Mia is a 45-year-old woman living in a foreign country. She has experienced challenges in the process of adjustment from her home in Austria to come to live in Australia. Her challenges have been exacerbated by the fact that she is unable to communicate fluently and effectively in English, thus making it hard for her to navigate the new environment. As a 45-year-old woman who has been in an unsuccessful marriage, Mia is concerned about her welfare while living in Adelaide. She also faces the challenge of effective decision making when it comes to making an important decision such as where to live. Although she has lived in Australia for six years, Mia has not been able to decide whether she prefers to continue living there or go back to her hometown. Part of the reason for her readjustment problem is connected to the fact that she was diagnosed with breast cancer while in Adelaide. She is perhaps concerned that with her health condition, adjusting to a new environment will only make matters worse and prevents a speedy recovery. She is also concerned that perhaps she will not receive medical care that is as efficient as that of Adelaide. Mia does not have any friends or relatives living in Adelaide or even nearby. Her closest family members live in Austria. This creates the problem of lack of a sufficient support system needed especially at this highly challenging time. Her immediate challenges have affected her in three ways. Foremost, the psychological challenge has arisen from the fact that she separated with her new husband within a year. Separation can be an emotionally overwhelming process, which may leave, separated spouses hurt and psychologically distorted. One is likely to experience depression, anxiety, anger, hurt, and fear, among other emotions, which can lead to a sense of failure. This is especially possible for Mia, who has had a previous unsuccessful marriage. Secondly, she has suffered physically because of breast cancer. The pain of going through medical procedures, side effects, and taking drugs can possibly take a toll on the body as well as the mind. Thirdly, she is suffering financially because of not being able to get a well paying job. Her financial strain has been aggravated by the medical fees she has to pay in order to get better. However, through her experiences, Mia has demonstrated strength in how she has dealt with these challenges. Foremost, she was strong enough to leave a situation in which she was unhappy, despite the fact that this meant she has no other form of support. In addition to this, she was able to handle her medical obligations and undergo operation and treatments. She was also able to carry out the necessary activities necessary for her lengthy recovery, such as natural healing, dieting, and spiritual meditation. This she did without an emotional support system that could be received from friends and family around her. Now that she is contemplating on moving to Melbourne, she is showing strength through a sense of hope that her circumstances will improve, since she will at least have good friends around her. The statement that “something is holding her back” could be caused by a variety of factors affecting her life. Mia could be afraid of what the future holds for her if she does move to Melbourne. Historically, she has made seemingly hasty decisions such as marrying her second husband within six months of meeting him. He proved to be a wrong choice for her. She is afraid that perhaps she is making another similarly big mistake, which will affect her negatively along the way. Mia is also afraid of adjusting to a new environment. She had travelled twice to her native home country, after which she realized it would be difficult to move back there. As such, she is exhibiting the same type of hesitation to move to Melbourne. I would try to gain Mia’s trust through attempting to relate with her on a personal level. This includes listening to her circumstances, identifying her specific areas of challenge, empathizing with her, and helping her to navigate difficulties through providing the best course of action. Question 2 The existential therapy focuses on an individual’s free will, the search for inner meaning, and his or her sense of self-determination. The existential approach deals with assisting a person to identify and establish a sense of self-awareness (Colaizzi, 2007; Harris, 2013). This includes specific motivations experiences, and immediate environmental and psychological influences, which lead people to taking specific actions. As the sense of self-awareness is achieved, an individual will be able to experience a more fulfilled life. In the case of Mia, the important thing would be to ask her what her personal motivations are. From experience, it would be possible to discern her personal interests. For instance, if she moved to Adelaide from Austria in order to work, one could deduce that she is motivated by her career as a lecturer. In addition, it would be beneficial to determine Mia’s key interests in moving to Melbourne. The fact that she does not have any friends or relatives in Adelaide but has friends in Melbourne could be a huge motivation for making her leave. Another aspect of the existential approach is the analysis of a person’s freedom and responsibility to make choices and dealing with consequences (Paquin, 2006). Freedom allows people the ability to choose between two or more options that shape the manner in which life will become in the future. In the case of Mia, a challenge of making this choice is evident, which means that she is not ready to face the consequences of her actions should she experience undesirable outcomes. As such, it would be prudent to explain to her the specific choices she has, and point out that even lack of making the choice will still mean that she will face the resulting consequences. Mia needs to be aware and ready to face both the negative and positive consequences of her actions. Through moving to Melbourne, she would be able to experience closeness with friends, which would help her to adjust, even though it would still be challenging. Another aspect of existentialism that relates closely with Mia’s life experiences is the establishment of an identity in relation to those around her. A sense of identity goes beyond the personal characteristics to include interpersonal relationships, which shape how an individual will relate to others (Simmons School of Social Work, 2014). For instance, Mia identifies herself as a mother with her two daughters, as a teacher in her profession, and as a wife during the time she was married. Now that she does not have people close to her, it is difficult to form an external sense of identity. However, there is some sense of hope that she will be able to do so in Melbourne where she has close friends. Another concept of existential approach in the interactional model is the importance of finding meaning in one’s experiences. Whether positive or negative, it is important to carry out a process of self-introspection, which helps one to realize the purpose and meaning of the experience. For instance, negative experiences will help one to take life lessons, which will be used to improve future outcomes while positive outcomes will be a source of pride and happiness in one’s life (Tsui & Cheung, 2009). Section 2 The former British Child Migrants were young children who were taken from their homes and families to live in Australia. In as much as the immediate family members were assured of their well-being, the children experienced challenges in their new environments. In a struggle to survive and establish a sense of identity, it was important that social workers play an important role in raising them to become responsible members of the community (Claire et al, 2004). The desire of these children was a place they could call home, and this desire did not dissipate even as they grew older. Ever since they moved to the new homes, they felt a sense of loss, abandonment, familiar and loving caregivers, community, and school, nuclear, and extended family. The children also failed to identify with a culture from which they were born, and were thus further confused about their socio-cultural identity. As such, these children felt as though they were different from other “normal” children, which affected their self-esteem negatively (Frost, 2016). These unfortunate predicaments only put more responsibility of social work. It involves establishing the unique challenges, needs and motivations of such children, and helping them navigate difficult situations. Social work also calls for a sense of empathy and personalized care, which helps children to realize early enough that they are loved and valued by the society around them. Social work is geared towards allowing children to grow in a positive environment that fosters the development of positive relationships in the future. Through caring for individuals on a personal level, they will be develop a healthy self esteem that will help them navigate future challenges. References Claire, B., Attard, M., Byles, M., Carlson, P., & Randall, S., Irizarry, C., & Kleanthi, E., (2004). Five stories: Remembering Childhood Removal from homeland by former British Childhood Migrants. Australian Center for Community Services Research. Colaizzi, P. (2007). Psychotherapy and Existential Therapy. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 33(1), 73-112. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156916202320900437 Frost, L. (2016). Exploring the Concepts of Recognition and Shame for Social Work. Journal of Social Work Practice, 1-16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2015.1132689 Harris, W. (2013). Mindfulness-Based Existential Therapy: Connecting Mindfulness and Existential Therapy. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 8(4), 349-362. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2013.844655 Paquin, G. (2006). Including Narrative Concepts in Social Work Practice Classes. Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 26(1-2), 127-145. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/j067v26n01_08 Rhodes, G. (2015). Britain’s child migrants: ‘I was told I was going on a picnic.’ The Guardian. Simmons School of Social Work (2014). Theories Used in Social Work Practice & Practice Models. Socialwork2simmons. Tsui, M. & Cheung, F. (2009). Social Work Administration Revisited: A Re-examination of Concepts, Context, and Content. Journal of Social Work, 9(2), 148-157. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1468017308101819 Read More