Jenna Harris is a 33-year-old Caucasian woman and a single mother of three children; a 16-year-old boy named Jimmy, a 10-year-old boy named Hector, and a 7-

  

THE JENNA HARRIS STORY

Jenna Harris is a 33-year-old Caucasian woman and a single mother of three children; a 16-year-old boy named Jimmy, a 10-year-old boy named Hector, and a 7-year-old girl name Kim. All of the children have different fathers, none of whom Jenna married. Jimmy’s father is Caucasian, Hector’s father is Mexican, and Kim’s father is Korean; Hector and Kim’s fathers are both immigrants. Jimmy loves his siblings, but they perceive that he is treated better than them because he is Caucasian.  Jimmy is popular in school, enjoys playing on the football team, and works part-time after school at the supermarket.  Jenna’s new boyfriend of six months, Sean, who is Caucasian, has recently moved in with her and the children into a two-bedroom house in a rural community in Sussex County. This has caused a conflict especially for Hector who is bright but has recently been demonstrating negative behaviors in school such as failing to follow directions, talking back to his teacher, and picking fights with his peers.  In addition, his grades are beginning to slip. Kim, a quiet child, does not want to go to school because she is often teased on the bus and in school for being “Chinese.” Sometimes Hector gets in trouble for defending and protecting his sister from the teasing and taunting. None of the children have a good relationship with their fathers or their fathers’ families. And, while Hector’s father provides financial support, Kim and Jimmy’s father do not. This has provided economic hardship for Jenna who has had to move the family often to find affordable housing. She sees Sean as a hope for some financial stability since he has a good job as a plumber with a local company. Jenna dropped out of high school when she was pregnant with Hector but completed her GED a few years ago. She works at Wal-Mart as an Associate. 

Directions: Be sure to appropriately integrate at least three social work underpinnings covered in this course and address all nine questions below:

I. Introduction (5 points)

a. Provide information that clearly communicates your understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experiences and diversity while working with others. (competency 2)

II. Presenting Problem (20)

a. Apply the bio-psychosocial assessment to assess this client.

b. What tool would you use to assess this client? i.e. ecomap, genogram, standardized questionnaire.

c. What is the presenting problem?

III. Conceptual Frameworks (20)

a. Describe two theories you would use to explain the client’s presenting problem?

b. How would you apply this theory to the case?

IV. Cultural Factors (20)

a. What aspects (i.e., cultural structures and values) of this case demonstrate oppression, discrimination and marginalization or create or enhance power and privilege?

b. How do these cultural factors impact the children and adults in this case?

c. How does ethnicity impact the self-esteem and development of the children?

V. Treatment Plan (15)

a. Describe an intervention that would be appropriate for this case.

b. Address the aspects of social justice in this case.

c. What are the strengths of the family and how would you incorporate the family’s strengths in the treatment plan to empower them?

VI. Conclusion (10)

a. Summarize the overall case and intervention of this case in one paragraph.

b. How does your self-awareness help you to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups like the family outlined in the case study?

VII. Use of the APA including the demonstration of the mastery of good writing skills (10 points)