Sheafor; B. & Horejsi, C. (2015). Techniques and guidelines
for
sociol work proctice (10tlt edition).
Pearson- pp.213-215.
Greystone Family Service Agency
ldentifying lnformation
Narne: Shiriev McQarihv *
D.O.B: iulv 4 1994 A.ge: __2;_
Client
_.
Case Record
+:
345e
Soc. Security #:
505-67-8310
Re;er.a: Cci.8 2!14Sociai Worrer: ._ Jane Green, PSW
Address:
2109 B Sireet
Repcrt Prepared: Oci. 13,
Greyslone,
Phone:
M-l-
Da:e of
20114
09E70 _--
555-0123 *
Reason for Report
This report was prepared ior use diir"ing consultation vriih Dr. Jcnes. tne agency's psycniatric consultant, and for purposes ci peer supervision. (The ciieni is av',are ihai a repcr: ,s
being prepared for this purpose.)
Reason for Social Work lnvolvement
Shirley uras referred tc this agency Dy Dr. Smiih, an ei"neigency roorn physician ai City
Hospital. Shiriey was treateci tnere {or ha\ring iaken an unkno"vn quantity oi aspirin in an
appareni suicide attempt. She is reacting r,vith anxieiy and Cepressicn to her untvanied
pregnancy. The father is a forrner bcyfi"iend rvith rnrhom she has broken of'f. She does noi
want him nor her parents to iearn lnat she is pregnani.
She does not want an abc(ion anc does nor want io care for"a chil0. She has thought
about acjopiion but knours littie abcut iryhai woulcj oe rnvolved. She agreeci io come to ihis
agency in order tc figure out how she mighi deal v;ith he.r cjilemma.
Source of Data
This report is based on two one-hcur !ntervrews with the client {Oct. I and 1 1) anci a phore
conversation with Dr. Smiih,
Family Background and Situation
Shirley is the youngest cf three chiicir"en. Her crother', ..}chn, age 3C, is a cnemicai ergineei'
in Austin, Texas. Her sister, Martha , age 27, is a pharnracist in Seattle. Shirley does not feel
close to either sibling and neither knows cf hei: pregnancy.
Her parents have heen married ior' 33 years. They iive in Spokane. \{ashington.
Her father, Thomas. is an engineer ior a farm equipmeni company. Her rnoiher, Mary, is a
registered nurse.
Shirley describes her narents as nard-working, nonest people tvho hai,e a strong
sense of right and wrong and a co*'rmitnient to tamily. The famiiy is mrcdie class and o{ lrish
Figure I l.l
Sample Social Assessment Repori
Part 4: Techniques and Guidelines for Phases of the Planned Change Process
heriiage. The McCarthy's are iite-l*ng Catholics. The three children aitended Catholic grade
and high schools. shirtey says that if her parents knew of the pregnancy "it would just kill
them.' Her wish to keep her parents from learning oi the pregnancy seems rnotivated by a
desire to protect them from distress.
Physieal Functioning and Health
Shirley is 5'7" taliand weighs 115 pounds. She is about three months pregnant. Dr. Smith
reports that she is uncien*eight but otherwise healthy. He has concern about her willingness
to obtain proper prenatal care; he had reterred Shirley to Dr. iohnson (an oBlGyN physician), but she did nat keep that appointrnent.
Shirley says that she is in good health, eats well, exercises minimally, and reports no
medical prob{enrs" She is not taking any medication.
trntellectual Functioning
Shirley compieted two years at the University of Washington and then transferred to the
Universiiy of Montana where she is currently a junior in computer science. She has an overall GPA of A-.. Despite her good grades, Shirley describes herseif as a "mediocre student."
She is attrasted to subjects where ihere is a clear right and wrong answer. She does not
like courses such as philoscphy, which seems'trvishy-washt''to her. Atthough she values the log-
icai and precise thinking that is part of computer science, she expiains thai she tends to make
personal decisians impulsively and "jurnps into things without considering the ccnsequences."
Emotional Functioning
$hirley describes hersel{ as "moody." Even before the pregnancy, she had bouts of depressicn when she wsuld sit atsne in her rssffi for hours at a time. She never sought treatment
for the depre*sion. ln describing herself, shirley uses the words "chiidish" and "immaiure";
she has always felt younger than oihers her age.
She often feels anger and sadness, but iries to keep her feelings from showing. ln this
senss, she is like her father, who aiways keeps things to himself until he finaliy "blows up."
ln spite of her accomplishments, Shirley seeryls to have poor self-esteem and focuses
more o!'l her limitations than her strengths.
lnlerpersonal and Social Relationships
Shiriey has no'closs friends;'She says it is difiicuit for her to interact with others and she wishes
she had better social skiiis. She has held various part-time jobs during high schooi and college,
but saciaiized only minimally witir co-workers. In coiiege, Shiriey had trouble getiing along with
her roommatss in ihe dcrrn, so she rnoved to an apartrnent so that she cculd be alone.
when she drinks aicohoi, she feels ;'nore outgoing and friendiy. However, this fact
scares her because severai uncles are aicohollc. For the past year, she worked hard at not
drinking at all. She was not drinking when she tcok the aspirin.
Her iormer boyfriend, Beb {father of her babyi, was the first person she ever dated for
more than a few monihs. The relationship endec one month ago. Bob is also a student.
Beligion and Spirituality
$hirtey was raised as a Caihoiic and retains many of the beli€{s and values she iearned as
a child. She describes herself as a spiritual person and one who prays quite often. She has
clear ideas of right and wrong but also feels she is in a stage ol liie when she is trying to
Figure
ll.l
Con-unued
Dam Colleclion and Assessmenr
decide whai she reall\-, ilelieves and is in the process of constrijciing a sysrern ol vaiues,
morais. and einicat orincipies.
Strengths and Problem-Solving Capacity
Aithough Shirley tends to miniinrze her strengths, she exnibjts inteiligence, an abiiity io vrork
harcj, a desire to make iriends, a loyaity to her farnily whiie also wanting io make her ewn
decisions. anci a moderate rnoiirraticn io cieal lvlth ner situation consiructively. She dispiays
a good vocabuiary ancj expiesses herseii ir: a ciear ;r-.ianrer.
She tencjs ic avcid mat(ing haro decisicns ans iets ihlngs piie up urril sire is {oiced oy
circumstances to follow tl're oniy cption stiii open to nei". She r.rsiialiy kno,uvs lnrhai she
"shouid cjo" but cjoes noi act; she at'lribuies ihis to a fear oi mai(ing mis'iakes. When faced
lvith ;nterpersonai conflict. she is ir':ciir':ec to r,^yitlldrar,v.
EconomicslHousingffransportation
Shiriey's parents are asststing her with ltie costs oi ler eciucaiion. She aiso',.ror.ks aboui
30 hou:rs per rneek at ihe Bayior Departmeni S'lore. earning minimum wage. With this
money. she pays rent and keeps her eight-year-oid car runninq.
Aside fronr her college sludect heaith insurance. sl'ie has no fieciicai cove ra.ge. Sr*
does not knou; if tnat policy covers nregnanry. Sniriey iives aione in a tirc-r.oorn apartmeni
vihich she says is iocated rn a "r'ough area" of toyrn. She is airaio io be out alone afte;. cjar.k.
Use of Communiiy Resources
This is the first time Shirley has nad contact lvith a social agency. During cut'sessions, she
asked rnany quesiions about ihe agency arrd expresseci scn'le ccnfusion ebout yJi"]y sne
haci been reierreci here by Dr. Snith. Sns acknolryiedged tnai feetings of embar!.assrneni
and sheme make it difiicult for her io iaix to abou: her ccncei.ns,
lmpressions and Assessrnent
This 20-year'-oid is experiencing inner ccnfijct ai:ci Cepressior becai-ise oi an unil,ianted
pregnancy. This gave rise tc a s,.ticide aiiempi. ir r<eeping with her" tenceilcy tc aycid
contlict, she has nci toid oihers ol ihe pregnancy. yet ine iathe: (Boi:) y;ril need to be
involved if she chooses the legal proceciure of reiinquisnment. ano her parenis'invoivemeni
may be needed for financial suppoit. Prenatal care is needed, bur it too has been avoidecj.
Abor.tion is not an acceptable soiution tc Shiriey. anc she is ambivaient about a6option anci
i'rour to manage her' iife ,,vhiie preqnant.
Goals forWork with Client
ln order to help Shirley make the necessa!"y decisions io deai wirn tnis pregnancy, i hope to
engage her in pregnancy optioils ccunseling, issues to be adoi"essed inciude n'raking a
iurther assessment oi nei ciepressicr and suicice ai'tempt, o3iaining ancl paying for mecicai
care, and deciding on lqJhelher to iniorm Boo and hei or,,.;n carenrs. She lviil neeci ernciionai
support, sonre struciiit'e. anc a gentle der,.|and for""r;crx so sne can cvercome her avoiciance,
make decisions. and iake necessarv action.
Note:The names in this report are fictitious.
Figure I l.l
Continued
2i5