Reference no: EM133529640

You have been hired as a Diversity and Inclusion (DI) Outreach Specialist for a human services agency in your community. The agency was established to assist diverse and vulnerable individuals in need of local resources. Your job is to ensure individuals in the community are aware of the services available to them and help them find resources applicable to their unique situation. Your supervisor has asked you to create a comprehensive and culturally appropriate plan of care based upon the following scenario.

Mock Client Scenario: Amal is a 23-year-old Iranian American male who lives in low-income housing with his 57-year-old, Iranian-born mother, Doretha. Doretha is severely disabled. Amal has visited the agency three times to request referrals for services. The agency supervisor asked that you handle his case because of your expertise and experience in providing culturally appropriate referrals/resources to clients.

Amal reports that he has struggled with social anxiety and depression for most of his life. He does not, however, have a formal diagnosis from a licensed professional. Amal did not finish high school but did take and pass the GED. Amal and his mother do not currently have full-time jobs and do not qualify for medical insurance. Amal reports they have applied for state benefits but have not attended the necessary appointments to fill out the paperwork to obtain those benefits.

Doretha has never visited the agency, but Amal requested information on ways to help his mother leave the house. Amal revealed his mother is not comfortable leaving the house because of language barriers and the fear of being found by his violent father. Amal has no contact with his father or his father's family due to a Domestic Violence (DV) order.

Amal disclosed that he occasionally uses marijuana and often drinks too much. Amal believes he cannot be successful due to his lack of education and job experience, and poor social skills. Amal and his mother are Muslims, but do not participate in daily prayer or family customs. During one of his previous visits to the agency, Amal mentioned he also is questioning his sexual orientation. He is not attracted to females, which has caused problems in his relationship with his mother due to their Muslim customs and religious practices.

Amal believes turning away from his cultural traditions and religious beliefs is partly why he has mental health issues, sexual orientation uncertainty, and continued problematic use of alcohol and other substances. Amal came to the agency to find information about higher education, job placement referrals, mental health, substance abuse, and/or other relevant local services.

In completing this assignment, will create a plan of care for Amal based on his current situation and concerns. The plan you create should show respect and consideration for Amal's background and demographic characteristics. The plan of care will explicitly identify Amal's unique requests and consider his cultural background. Additionally, your plan of care will pinpoint services available to Amal, offer a brief description of the service, and provide referrals and/or resources from national, state, and local agencies/organizations.

Culturally Responsive Questions

Engaging with vulnerable and diverse clients is both an art and a science. The first meeting is a time to build rapport with clients and to ask essential questions that will help you support and provide culturally appropriate resources to the client. This week you will create some assessment questions you think would be particularly useful in helping you identify Amal's most pressing concerns. The answers Amal provides will give you information to use when you design his plan of care that addresses these concerns in a culturally responsive way.

1. Write at least 5 open-ended questions you would ask Amal in your initial meeting/assessment.

2. Explain how you believe the questions you wrote show respect for diversity and would help you better understand Amal.

3. Describe how you would use Amal's responses to create his plan of care.