Reference no: EM133454446

Assignment:

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. This is a song that Lisa, age twelve, sings after an episode of yelling from her mother, Katrina. As long as Lisa can remember her mother has called her "stupid, ugly, dumb, fat, and lazy." The constant belittling, shaming, and humiliating have taken a toll on Lisa. She has nightmares, wets her bed, and falls asleep in class. When her mother is not calling her names she is ignoring Lisa as "punishment" for not doing her chores.

Lisa's teacher, Ms. Kim is very concerned about Lisa's lack of energy and has called Katrina to set up a parent teacher conference. At the parent teacher conference Katrina tells Ms. Kim that Lisa is a "handful" and that she is not sure she can continue to take care of her and asked Ms. Kim if giving up her parental rights would be the best for Lisa. Katrina goes on to explain that she is overwhelmed with work, she is being harassed by Lisa's father, and her mother has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. With all the things she has going on in her life she does not feel she is capable of taking care of Lisa, who has become just one more burden.

Questions to respond to:

1. Emotional neglect can severely damage a child's mental health. What are some of the long term consequences of emotional neglect?

2. How do you think Lisa's teacher should respond to Katrina's question about terminating her parental rights?

3. What services would Katrina and Lisa benefit from?