Reference no: EM133354739

Assignment:

Knowing who owns the problem is an important first step in working with clients. This allows us to understand who is ultimately responsible for resolving the problem. Once we recognize that many of the difficulties our clients bring to us are theirs, we need to determine the extent to which we are able to assist in problem resolution. Both the determination of who owns the problem and the decision to get involved are the first strategic decisions you make in your work with clients. Your involvement must be tailored to the clients' strengths and capacities so that you do not take over where the person is competent or take from people the opportunity to grow and learn from their experiences.

In the following situations, identify who owns the problem. As you study each case, decide whether it is you, as the worker, who owns the problem; whether the client and perhaps the client's family owns the problem; or whether both you and the client own the problem at the same time. Be sure to explain how you arrived at your answer using a few sentences.

1. A client you have placed in temporary housing is angered by the neighbor's loud music. The client appeals to you to do something about it. Who owns the problem?
2. You work at an agency where you assist the victims of crime in handling the emotional and technical ramifications of the crime before they go to court. The partner of a victim takes you aside and asks you to persuade the victim to drop the charges. The partner tells you confidentially that it would be better for the victim if "they didn't have to go through this." Who owns the problem?
3. The mother of a 23 year old rape victim, with whom you have been working, calls and says that ever since the rape, her daughter has been crying and unable to eat or sleep. She tells you it is urgent that she know exactly what happened to her daughter, but that her daughter refuses to talk about it. She asks if you can tell her what happened. Who owns the problem?
4. You are talking to the victim of a violent crime in the emergency room. Her boyfriend barges in and demands to know "what's going on." Who owns the problem?
5. You have placed a woman in temporary housing after she left her home following severe abuse by her husband. The husband calls demanding to know where she is and tells you he will get his lawyer and sue you if you do not tell him. Who owns the problem?
6. You are working with a support group. One of the participants tells you on the side that another participant is monopolizing the group's time with frivolous details and asks if you will do something. Who owns the problem?
7. Your client is going to court on his third DUI charge. The family of the woman whose car he hit calls your office before the proceedings because the article in the paper stated your client was receiving help from your agency in preparation for the trial. The family wants you to withdraw your services and advocate with the judge that your client be sent to prison and not to a rehabilitation center. Who owns the problem?
8. You are arranging for housing for a woman who is in a homeless shelter. Her parents come to see you and ask you to see that she also goes to therapy. They tell you she has never "seemed right," and they ask you to give them your opinion of her mental status. Who owns the problem?
9. You have developed a goal plan for a child. The parents agree with the plan, which involves summer camp and other recreational activities over the summer, all with a therapeutic program. The teacher calls to tell you that this child can hardly benefit from school and that sending him to camp is a waste of the taxpayer's money. What he needs, she tells you, is therapy. Who owns the problem?