1 Week 11: Final Project- The Case of the Cooper Family Katrise L. Moton SOCW: 6466- Social Work Practice with Children and Adolescents Dr. James Schiller February 9, 2021
2 Client and presenting problem Savannah Cooper is a 16 year old female that resides in the home with her mother, father and younger brother. Savannah has symptoms of anxiety, a possible eating disorder and self- injury/harm. Savannah is an over achiever and has excellent academic performance and behavior in school. Due to her feelings of wanting to remain in control, she has developed an obsession towards her academic performance and even her calorie intake. Savannah is also very concerned about her weight which has resulted in her exercising excessively and weighing herself several times a day. Savannah’s younger brother Milton is 9 years old and displays the opposite behaviors in school. Milton’s behaviors in school are, disrespecting the teacher, hitting other students, not completing work, not paying attention and carving his name into the seat on the bus. Mr. & Mrs. Cooper also struggle with redirecting Milton’s behaviors at home. Milton often plays violent video and computer games and is constantly being a nuisance to his neighbors and pets. Just recently Savannah completed a large project for class and when she discovered Milton had destroyed it, she went into her bedroom and cut her arm with a pair of scissors. Although I will focus on Savannah as the primary client for this case study, Milton could also be identified as a client as well. Underlying problems or potential mental health diagnoses While it may seem common for most adults to seek mental health treatment, mental health illnesses can develop in young children and adolescents also. Often times it can be difficult for adolescents to express their thoughts and emotions, so it is extremely important to be able to identify warning signs and possible symptoms of a mental health condition. Determining the underlying problem or issues can result in the client understanding their behaviors, decrease the severity and find solutions for treatment. Savannah’s parents are some-what perfectionist and this behavior has also affected Savannah. Savannah’s constant need for control has increased her anxiety resulting in her self-harming behaviors. Her obsession with her academic preformation, weight and how she handles stress are all underlying problems that should be addressed. According to Grimal, E., Jollant, E., Oldershaw, A., Richards, C., Simic, M. & Taylor, L (2009), healthy adolescents, and adults who engage in reward-driven, risky behaviors, demonstrate poor
3 decision-making ability. Decision making in deliberate self-harm (DSH), a reward-driven, high- risk behavior, has received little attention. This article argues that poor decision making is present in adolescents who currently self-harm but not in those with previous history, improvement in decision-making skills may therefore be linked to cessation of self-harm. It is
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