Week 7 Solution Focused

PCN-521 Topic 7: Vargas Case Study

Since the last session, you received a call from Elizabeth who stated her family was in crisis. She reported that her nephew Geoff, the 15-year-old stepson of Bob’s sister, Katie, had nearly overdosed. She said that the family had noticed some changes with Geoff since his father’s recent death, but attributed the poor mood and slipping grades to the normal effects of grief. Elizabeth said that Geoff had never used drugs, as far as anybody in the family knew, and that the overdose was “a total surprise.” Elizabeth reported that after learning of this, Bob’s mother, Linda, called the school counselor but complained to Katie that “she was not at all helpful,” and told Katie exactly how she should handle it. Katie spoke with the school counselor who told her that she was not allowed to speak with Linda due to matters of confidentiality. Elizabeth informed you that Katie had shared her frustration with the school counselor’s suggestions to help him “get his mind off the sadness,” and believed he needed more help. You learned that Bob’s father, Tim, was trying his best to help, and that Elizabeth felt his intrusion was making matters worse. Among other things, Tim had taken Geoff out of school on a week-long camping trip against Katie’s wishes. Elizabeth said that the involvement of Linda and Tim, despite their good intentions, had begun to cause widespread family strife and asked if you could possibly see the entire family.

© 2016. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

© 2015. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved.

VARGAS FAMILY THERAPY

SOLUTION FOCUSED BRIEF THERAPY 3

Vargas Solution-Focused Brief Therapy

Tanisha Valenzuela

Grand Canyon University

PCN-521

Introduction of the subject

As you reported, it appears your nephew Geoff, the 15-year-old stepson of Bob’s sister, may be experiencing some challenges. Specifically, you indicated that Geoff had nearly overdosed. Additionally, you also mentioned that his dad’s death attributed the poor mood and slipping grades to the normal effects of grief. You also mentioned that Geoff had never used drugs, as far as anybody in the family knew and that the overdose was a “total surprise. You also reported that after learning of this, Bob’s mother, Linda, called the school counsellor but complained to Katie that she was not at all helpful and at the same time, told her how she should handle the situation. It is clear from your explanation that rather than handling the situation the intrusion by Katie was not only showing frustration but was also worsening the current situation. Furthermore, in Tim’s attempt to help, it appears that he had taken Geoff out of school on a week-long camping trip against Katie’s wishes. Analyzing the situation it is apparent that the entire family is in crisis. In this case, I would like to take some time to talk to you and see how we can remedy the situation. Comment by Laura Howe: Family session?

Family misunderstanding since Geoff’s father died Comment by Laura Howe: ?

It is no doubt that family can be fantastic but after a death, it is likely for many people to feel isolated or lost. In this perspective, the family is supposed to support for each other in time of difficulties. Here is the problem, death, as well as grief, can make people crazy and of equal concern is that it can rock a family’s center of balance. This is clearly portrayed by Geoff’s current behavior. Initially, Geoff had no history of drug abuse but it is very likely that the death of his father has affected him. On the other hand, death is also a common source of misunderstanding as family members try to cope up with the current situation. This is the reason other than helping in the situation Katie portrays complicated emotions which makes the situation even worse. It also seems that as much as anyone in this family tries to help, the situation is only getting worse. In this case, I would advise a number of ideas to rectify the situation. Comment by Laura Howe: Clinicians do not give advice. What does the family want to solve? How can they begin making steps to do the same?

How to help Geoff overcome grief

Generally, the death is the most traumatizing thing in life. In this case, it is likely to feel isolated and struggles with many intense painful emotions such as anger or profound sadness. This is why Geoff behavior has changed. Elizabeth family should understand that grief may involve extreme emotions not to mention behaviors. In this case, the family should be very supportive and make everyone in the family understand that what they feel is normal. Basically, Elizabeth family should understand the difficulties some of their members are going through and offer practical assistance. They should offer much attention to Geoff in the smoothest way possible without making the already existing agony worse.

The family should also help Katie cope up with the situation Comment by Laura Howe: Clinicians do not “should” clients. They decide what fits and how to achieve it.

Katie also appears to have been affected by the situation. She expressed her frustration to a school counsellor clearly illustrating she is in pain. Rather than condemning one another, the family should be united to create an essence of surviving the situation together. At the moment, the family is in a quagmire and rather than easing the effects of death, they are making everything difficult. Tim’s attempt to help Geoff without Katie’s approval is an indicator that this family is in disunited.

Conclusion

Now that we have gone through all the information and analyzed important facts, I am confident the situation will soon change. Family love, unity and the idea of supporting each other especially in times of death is critical. I am therefore confident that you will be able to follow this advice to bring your family back to its usual state. I will be calling you in three weeks, however, if you find it inconvenient in between that time, you can call me back for another visit so that we can talk more. Comment by Laura Howe: This assignment requires a transcript per the instructions. Interesting start! Requires full display of SFT ~ scaling questions, miracle question, engaging with family members and etcetera. Thank you for your submission! Week 7 Solution Focused

References

Retrieved from PN521-RT7CaseStudy (1).doc Comment by Laura Howe: Academic support for SFT?