Working With Children And Adolescents: The Case Of Claudia ✓ Solved

Working With Children and Adolescents: The Case of Claudia.

Working With Children and Adolescents: The Case of Claudia Claudia is a 6-year-old, Hispanic female residing with her biological mother and father in an urban area. Claudia was born in the United States six months after her parents immigrated from Nicaragua. No extended family lives locally; the parents have neighborhood friends. The family struggles economically and with legal residency. The father finds manual labor inconsistently; the mother recently began working nights in a nail salon. Spanish is the only language spoken at home; Claudia is bilingual and attends kindergarten in a large public school in an impoverished urban neighborhood with rising crime. After witnessing a neighborhood mugging, Claudia became anxious, crying, refusing to be alone, repeatedly asking parents to check and lock doors, and asking if passersby were “bad.” Her anxiety showed at school: asking teachers to lock doors and discussing intruders. Claudia’s mother (Paula) hesitated to seek therapy because of undocumented status. The clinician translated forms to Spanish, explained confidentiality, and built trust. Goals included reducing anxiety and improving attention. The clinician used child-centered and directive play therapy (sand tray), feelings check-ins, psychoeducation with Paula, calming strategies, and regular parent meetings. Over three months Claudia demonstrated reduced fear, greater affect identification, decreased need for locked doors, and improved functioning at home and school.

Assignment: Read the case study for Claudia and find two to three scholarly articles on social issues surrounding immigrant families. Provide a paper (2–4 pages) that explains how the literature informs assessment of Claudia and her family. Include the following headings and content: describe two social issues related to the case that inform a culturally competent social worker; describe culturally competent strategies to assess the needs of children; describe types of data to collect from Claudia and her family; identify other resources to inform Claudia’s case; create an eco-map representing Claudia’s situation and explain how the ecological perspective influenced the social worker’s interaction; describe how the social worker used a strengths perspective and multiple tools in assessing Claudia and how those factors contributed to the therapeutic relationship. Use at least four references and citations.

Paper For Above Instructions

Introduction and literature-informed assessment

Claudia’s presentation—posttraumatic anxiety following exposure to neighborhood violence, amplified by economic stress and undocumented parental status—reflects intersecting social determinants known to affect immigrant children’s mental health (Potochnick & Perreira, 2010; Perreira & Ornelas, 2013). Research shows that exposure to community violence and instability, combined with parental stress related to precarious immigration status and poverty, increases anxiety symptoms and school difficulties among young children (García Coll et al., 1996; Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, 2001). The caseworker’s use of translated materials and early engagement with Paula aligns with best practices for reducing barriers to care for undocumented families (Perreira & Ornelas, 2013). These literatures inform a culturally and contextually attuned assessment: screening for trauma exposure, family legal stressors, economic hardship, and school functioning while attending to language, cultural beliefs about mental health, and trust concerns (Woolley, 2013; CDC, 2013).

Two social issues that inform culturally competent practice

1) Immigration-related legal vulnerability and fear: Undocumented status shapes help-seeking, trust in institutions, and parental stress (Perreira & Ornelas, 2013). Clinicians must recognize that legal vulnerability can reduce engagement and produce hypervigilance in children indirectly through parental anxiety. 2) Community violence and neighborhood disadvantage: Exposure to crime increases child anxiety, hypervigilance, and school-related fears (García Coll et al., 1996). Interventions must address safety perceptions and support regulation strategies rather than pathologize adaptive vigilance.

Culturally competent assessment strategies

Effective assessment combines language access, trauma-informed care, and empowerment approaches. Practically, this means providing materials and consent forms in Spanish, using bilingual clinicians or trained interpreters, and ensuring confidentiality protections are explained clearly (Woolley, 2013). Use play-based assessment for young children (play therapy, sand tray, affect check-ins) to elicit internal states nonverbally (Woolley, 2013). Incorporate parent interviews that respect cultural norms, validate parental expertise, and explore immigration history and legal stressors (Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, 2001). Employ an ecological assessment (eco-map, school reports, community resources) to situate symptoms within environmental stressors (McCormick et al., 2008).

Types of data to collect

Collect multi-source, multi-method information: (a) developmental and medical history, (b) trauma and exposure history (including ACEs screen) (CDC, 2013), (c) parent report of behavior and family stressors including legal/immigration status, (d) teacher/school reports on attention and classroom behavior, (e) direct behavioral observation in clinic and via play, and (f) community resource mapping (safety, social supports). Use standardized, developmentally appropriate tools validated with diverse populations when possible (Woolley, 2013; McCormick et al., 2008).

Other resources

Useful resources include school-based mental health services, bilingual community mental health providers, immigrant legal aid clinics, family resource centers, local faith-based and cultural organizations, and public health data (CDC ACEs). Professional resources include social work case study guides and evidence-informed assessment texts (Plummer et al., 2014; Woolley, 2013).

Eco-map of Claudia’s situation

  • Central node: Claudia (child)
  • Immediate family: mother (Paula), father — strong attachment, primary supports
  • Home language/culture: Spanish-speaking household — cultural identity support
  • School: kindergarten, teachers, security guards — daily context; mixed connection (helpful but source of fear about safety)
  • Neighborhood: impoverished area, rising crime — high-risk, negative influence
  • Community connections: neighborhood friends, no extended family locally — limited support network
  • Service system: community mental health agency (clinician with Spanish materials), potential legal aid, school counselor — varying strengths
  • Socio-legal systems: immigration status — stressor, weak/insecure connection

This eco-map guided the clinician’s interventions: prioritizing language access, building parental trust, coordinating with school, and addressing both child-level coping and environmental safety perceptions. An ecological perspective emphasizes intervening across microsystem (family, school) and mesosystem (family–school communication) levels rather than focusing solely on individual pathology (García Coll et al., 1996; McCormick et al., 2008).

Strengths perspective and multi-tool assessment

The social worker used strengths-based practices—recognizing Claudia’s secure attachment to parents, bilingual capacity, curiosity, and capacity for affect identification—to scaffold change (Plummer et al., 2014). Multiple tools (sand tray/play therapy, feelings check-ins, parent psychoeducation, teacher reports) provided converging evidence and fostered collaboration. These combined strategies enhanced rapport and engagement: parent trust increased through cultural responsiveness and confidentiality assurances; Claudia’s participation grew through play-based methods that respected developmental level (Woolley, 2013). The therapeutic relationship—built on respect, language concordance, and clear communication—likely contributed substantially to positive outcomes (Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, 2001).

Conclusion

Assessing and treating Claudia required culturally competent, ecological, trauma-informed, and strengths-based approaches. Literature on immigrant family stress, community violence, and child development supports the clinician’s choices: language access, play-based assessment, parent psychoeducation, multi-source data collection, and linkage to community resources. These elements together produce a respectful, effective pathway to reduce anxiety and support school functioning for children like Claudia (CDC, 2013; Perreira & Ornelas, 2013).

References

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. CDC.
  • García Coll, C., et al. (1996). An integrative model for the study of developmental competencies in minority children. Child Development, 67(5), 1891–1914.
  • McCormick, K. M., Stricklin, S., Nowak, T. M., & Rous, B. (2008). Using eco-mapping to understand family strengths and resources. Young Exceptional Children, 11(2), 17–28.
  • Perreira, K. M., & Ornelas, I. (2013). The social determinants of immigrant health. Annual Review of Public Health, 34, 1–23.
  • Potochnick, S., & Perreira, K. M. (2010). Depression and anxiety among first-generation immigrant children: Risks and protective factors. Social Science Research, 39(3), 567–575.
  • Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Concentration year. Laureate International Universities Publishing.
  • Suárez-Orozco, C., & Suárez-Orozco, M. M. (2001). Children of immigration. Harvard University Press.
  • Woolley, M. E. (2013). Assessment of children. In M. J. Holosko, C. N. Dulmus, & K. M. Sowers (Eds.), Social work practice with individuals and families: Evidence-informed assessments and interventions (pp. 1–39). Wiley.
  • Gonzales, R., et al. (2012). The role of immigration status in adolescent mental health: Evidence from Latino youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 50(5), 521–526.
  • Kataoka, S. H., Langley, A. K., & Stein, B. D. (2018). Addressing the mental health needs of children exposed to trauma in schools: A trauma-informed approach. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 59(2), 160–171.

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