Client System Analysis Select a client system for beginning problem analysis

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Client System Analysis

Select a client system for beginning problem analysis. This can be an individual, couple, family, small treatment group, or community task group. Limited contact—i.e. 1-2 encounters with the client system—is acceptable and expected, since this is your first semester in your field placement.

 

Engagement

Client description and engagement: Briefly describe your client system (about 2 pages). Date of interview, name, address, age, gender, ethnicity, religion, marital status and history, referral source, etc. Caution: Remember confidentiality: Do not use the client's real name and disguise any other identifying information.

a. Source of data: Include the individual(s) who provided information and reason for the report. What brought the person to treatment at this time? (A person does not come to treatment because they have been depressed for nine months. They come to treatment because they have reached the end of their rope. What was that precipitating event?). Hint: Write this from the client's perspective, e.g., "Mr. Jones reports that" or "Sammy state that"...to maintain objectivity and report the source of information.

b. Client History: Include chronological developmental history including all major events from prenatal to present. Include information on: Medical and psychiatric history; intellectual and emotional functioning; education; employment status and patterns (including military); economic functioning; home and neighborhood environment; drug or alcohol usage, including assessment of addiction risk or history; relationship, intimacy, and sexuality issues; history of violence, legal issues; religion; recreation; etc.

c. Family History: Include chronological history of family and brief descriptive information about family members. Include three generations of family, including the client's own generation. Hint: Keeping information about each person in the family in one section or paragraph allows the reader to develop a picture of each family member.

d. Current Situation: Including physical functioning and health practices; intellectual, spiritual, and emotional functioning; current significant relationships, including spouse, significant others, friends, extended family, support systems; problem-solving capacity; financial situation; legal involvements; housing and transportation; use of community services. Draw and complete an eco-map. If possible complete the eco-map with the client and describe the process.

Assessment

e. Describe the problem-for-work of your client system. Include an analysis of the problem as the client sees it, as defined by significant other systems involved, and as you see it.

1. Presenting Problem: How does the client define the problem? When did the problem begin and how often is it currently occurring? How long does the problem last? What happen right before and after the problem? Where does the problem occur physically? Why is this problem happening to the client at this time? When was the problem not happening, or happening differently?

2. Coping Strategies: What has the client used in the past to address, reduce, manage, or resolve the problem? Why is the client having difficulty with the problem at this time? What is the outcome the client wants with the problem? What is preventing the client from using former coping strategies? What is the capacity of the client to employ previous coping strategies?

f. Strengths (1/2 page): Discuss the prosocial behaviors, positive attitudes or thoughts, strengths, resources, access of services and motivation of the client, which you discovered during the process of problem identification and assessment. Describe how at least one of these prosocial behaviors, positive attitudes or thoughts, strengths, resources, access of services, and/or motivation of the client could be pivotal in the development of an intervention plan.

g. Interplay of presenting problem and coping (1/2 page): Briefly discuss how the presenting problem and coping strategies effect the client’s daily life, the purposes they (presenting problem and coping strategies) serve, and the ways they operate in the client’s intrapersonal, interpersonal, or environmental experience.

i. Provide at least 2 plausible hypotheses for the etiological factors (underlying or root causes) of the problem and/or the sustain factors (features maintaining the problem). A hypothesis is a tentative explanation about the cause and nature of the presenting problems, including both etiological and sustaining factors.

ii. Make sure that your hypotheses reflect at least two of the three levels: intrapersonal (within the client’s mind e.g. self-talk), interpersonal (between different people), or environmental (outside, but impinging upon the person).

h. Practice theory application (1-2 pages): Using 2 outside (i.e., non-textbook) sources, refer to practice theory, such as cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, trauma-informed practice, to guide your understanding of the client’s problem. Review scholarly literature on practice theories and select the best theory that identifies the etiological and sustaining factors of the underlying dynamics, causal roots, or explanatory mechanisms contributing to the client’s problem. Use the theory and evidence provided by the client to develop your case plan.

 

Contracting and Planning for Intervention

i. Describe the process of moving from problem identification to contracting and goal setting with your client system.

j. Evaluate the status of your relationship with the client. How will you maintain (or if needed) improve it?

k. Describe diversity and cultural differences (race/ethnicity, class, education, gender, sex, socioeconomic status, religion) that exists between you and the client system. How did you address diversity and cultural differences within your relationship with the client? What effects will these differences have on your relationship with the client? What were your stereotypes, biases, and assumptions about the client? What steps did you take to avoid practicing from a place of stereotypes, biases, and assumptions? What did you do to become culturally competent, sensitive, and responsive with your client? Give one example where you demonstrated cultural humility.

l. Briefly describe any missteps you had in contracting and goal-setting for intervention. How did or would you recover?

m. Specifically, describe the contract and goals that you have developed or are developing to address the problem-for-work you identified. In particular, comment on the nature of the contract established (verbal, written, implicit, explicit) and the rationale for your choice. Write 1 – 3 goals for your client using the S.M.A.R.T. format. SMART refers to specific, measureable (time, frequency, duration, or intensity/magnitude), attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

n. Evaluate the quality of your goals. How specific are your goals? Measurable? Did you develop them with the client? How will you know when the client has achieved each goal? What will you use to measure the success of each goal?

o. Identify 2 social work values presented in the NASW Code of Ethics that are relevant to any stage of the helping process (e.g. engagement, assessment, planning/contracting, implementation, evaluation, termination, and follow-up) with the client. Discuss how your work with the client demonstrates the chosen ethical standards.