Questions and Answers of Fundamentals Case Management

First, you be the worker and let your partner play the part of a person who is seeking help for a personal problem or condition. Play the recording back. Critique your efforts with your partner,
You are seeing a 40-year-old man for the first time. He has a diagnosis of schizophrenia. This is a chronic condition that started when he was 19 and went away to college. Today he has come in to see
Elise is using alcohol to self-medicate. She suffers from debilitating depression, but since adolescence she has turned to alcohol and street drugs to alleviate the symptoms of this depression rather
Elmer does not want to be abusive to his wife and wants his marriage to resume. His wife left and is staying in a shelter where she has indicated that she will not come home until Elmer gets some
Ben has been sober for 2 years and is now working consistently on a job he likes. He divorced his wife during the time he was in rehab because she could not give up her drinking and seemed to “want
Marlo wants to stop drinking and get her children back. They were removed from her home a year ago after Marlo had her fourth DUI and caused an accident on a city street. She has been in jail and is
Kelly has talked and talked about getting a divorce from her husband who abuses her occasionally and has always been remote and uninvolved in their marriage. You feel strongly that she should leave
Do you see differences between the issues the man is having with the agency and the issues the woman is having with the agency? Are you and your agency more to blame in one instance than in the
A woman who is in your shelter feels neglected. Twice you are interrupted when you are talking to her because of severe emergencies. You apologize both times and continue your discussion with her,
A man is coming to your agency for assistance after release from a drug rehabilitation center. He wants you to do more for him than you think is wise. You have been very helpful in ways you could,
A man is waiting for his Social Security disability check to start. He has a serious heart condition and has been told he should not be out in extremely cold or hot weather. You stop by on a home
A woman staying in the shelter where you work has left her baby in the care of others repeatedly and gone out. She says she is going to the store or to look for an apartment or a job, but others let
A man on your caseload, addicted to heroin, has been arrested for selling heroin to a minor. You go to see him at the county prison where he tells you that selling heroin was the only way he could
To a child who says the other kids do not like him, but who is always hitting the other children and calling them provocative names: “You’re half the problem, you know. Stop yelling and hitting
A man whose wife just left has told you he wants to give up his job and simply leave the area, having no further contact with either his ex-wife or his children. You are concerned that he has not had
To the woman who has been in a wheelchair for several months following an accident in spite of her doctor’s feelings that she could now be up walking with crutches: “You need to get out of that
A woman who is refusing to take medication that would prevent her from having a psychotic episode comes to you and says she is not sure what to do. She does not feel well, but she would like to be
To the man who complains about his neighbors but spends time on his porch yelling at the children, which starts neighborhood feuds and tensions: “You’re always yelling at them. Of course they
A man who has been sitting by his wife’s side since she slipped into a coma is weary and has neither eaten nor slept for over 24 hours. You approach him with an I-message expressing your concern
To the woman who has completed 10 weeks in a rape victim support group and is still unable to work or leave the house much, but who says she is fine and getting over it: “It doesn’t seem to me
A woman has not come out of her house since she suffered a major injury at work. Although her doctors say she will be able to return to work if she goes to rehabilitation, she refuses to go and cites
To the person who had trouble completing a high school equivalency exam and is now talking of becoming a doctor: “You need to be more realistic about what you can and can’t do. Think of some
An elderly woman is trying to decide what to do about her need for help. The decision is between staying in her own home with assistance, or selling her home and entering a nursing home. She is very
A man has been on pain medication for a number of months, prescribed by his doctor for intractable low back pain. Following surgery he continues to feel a need for the medication although he is
A woman, recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, is using a prescription medication her doctor gave her to help her with the anxiety of facing the perpetrator in court. Lately you feel she has been
Marie was a client of a partial hospitalization program. She was loud and demanding, but she often felt hurt upon learning that others were afraid of her or reacted to her as if she were angry. As a
Annette came to your office needing her prescription filled. She was in Marywood Hospital, a private mental hospital, and was discharged on Tuesday. She was given prescriptions but has no money to
“This whole setup is the pits. He gets to stay in the house after beating me half to death, and I have to go to this cramped little room. Does that make sense?”FEELING:EMPATHIC RESPONSE:People
“I know you said this is temporary housing and all, but I never had a place like this place. I can’t stand to think I have to move again sometime, and God knows where I’ll
“Those dirty, lousy creeps! Everything was fine in my life, and they really, really ruined everything! I don’t care if I go on or not. Why live if someone can just take everything away from you
“When I was in court, the defense attorney really pounded me. You know, like he thought I was lying or didn’t believe me or thought I was exaggerating.”FEELING:EMPATHIC RESPONSE:People
Persis has been clean for 9 months and comes in to see her case manager about how she is really tempted to use again. Persis asks if there is something more she can do. The worker says, “Oh, come
Tonda is discussing her need for help with a depression that, she says, started several months ago. She talks about the amount of time she has missed at work and how it has reached a point where she
Reynaldo just lost his job and is frantic about how he will pay the rent. He talks to the worker about how he will pay his rent and whether he will be eligible for unemployment. In the course of the
Lindsey is an alcoholic and tells her worker she wants to stop drinking but doesn’t know how. She tells the worker that for a while she stopped drinking while she was going to AA meetings, but she
Ada is very upset over the divorce settlement. She got the house and the children, but very meager support and only a small amount to go to school to upgrade her skills. As she speaks with the
Shawna wants to go to college. She attended a poor rural school where most of the students do not go on to college. Her scores for the entrance exams were very poor in math, and she feels unsure that
Ed suffers from chronic mental illness and needs medications to maintain his mental health. Recently he went to several workshops on the use of supplements and vitamins to maintain mental health. He
Elvita has decided to leave an abusive relationship, but she feels guilty leaving her abuser’s children behind. She talks about how she knows that once she leaves, she cannot have any more contact
Anita and her family moved, and her parents feel Anita is not adjusting well to the move. Anita wants to return to her old school to be with her friends. Her parents ask the worker to talk to Anita
Carlos is afraid his mother is dying. He is talking to the worker in the hospital emergency room about an “attack” his mother seemed to have when she could not breathe and turned blue. She was
A man calls and says he was sexually abused as a child. It has come to haunt him recently, but he is not sure where he should turn for help. You encourage him by: You discourage him
A woman, the mother of two children, has been without a home for a number of months. She tells you she really wants a permanent place to stay. You know there are very few places she can go. You also
Chris is a single father who is trying to work and raise three small children. His wife was killed 2 years ago in a traffic accident. After the initial shock and outpouring of support from friends
Margie is in a sheltered workshop for people with developmental disabilities. She does well at work and has many friends. She lives with her mother, and her mother is not happy with the new level of
To the person who has lamented not spending enough time with his son: “Children are important. They grow up fast. You only have so long to spend with them when they are kids. You should keep that
You are interviewing a rape victim when her boyfriend barges into the room and demands, “What’s going on in here?” Your message expresses your need to continue the interview. Do not allow
To a person who bounced three checks in 3 months because she cannot seem to balance her checkbook: “Go take an accounting course, for heaven’s sake!” Look at the above worker
You have been working with a child in temporary housing. You have discovered the child is very artistic, and you have found an artist who is willing to volunteer time to teach the child on Saturday
A man with two children needs temporary shelter. His oldest, a daughter, is old enough to drop out of school; and in the course of placing him, you learn that he has encouraged her to do just that.
To a person who is always forgetting to take his insulin: “I’m sick of these socalled lapses of memory. You must want to feel sick most of the time!” Look at the above worker
You have been working with a man who was beaten and robbed. Because of the injuries, he has been unable to work. His employer calls you several times, saying he thinks the man is simply “freaked
A woman you have been working with tells you her husband is really a dear. He has done many wonderful things for her, and she is feeling guilty about calling you, but he does keep her confined to the
To a person who is driving without a driver’s license: “You’re just doing this to tempt fate.” Look at the above worker communications, and identify what is wrong with the way each one
You are interviewing a man who appears to be quite delusional in the hospital emergency room. The new security officer at the hospital does not seem to understand that the behavior is part of an
A woman, who has been a prostitute, recently discovered she is HIV+. She is currently staying in a shelter where you see her. Several nights she comes in drunk and tells you, “Hey, it doesn’t
To a person who is drinking and taking tranquilizers: “That’s a risky thing to do!” Look at the above worker communications, and identify what is wrong with the way each one is expressed.
A young woman and her baby have been given a voucher for temporary shelter after she lost the apartment in which she was living. She was evicted for back rent, and her rent fell into arrears only
An elderly woman has been having trouble caring for herself in her own home. Twice now, in the middle of the night, she has called an ambulance and has been taken to the hospital for chest pains.
A man and woman have been referred by the county Children and Youth Services for parenting skills training. They are poor and have had their four children removed from the home. They have been told
The worker to a woman who was accosted and assaulted in her neighborhood and is afraid of calling the police: “Can you tell me a little bit about what happened tonight?”Read the above questions
A man is trying to sort out whether or not to leave his employer. He feels that the small company is poorly run and that he could do a better job if he went out on his own. On the other hand, he
A 16-year-old girl was brought in by her parents after they caught her and some of her friends huffing glue and gasoline. The girl is reluctant to talk and seems a little petulant about being brought
The worker to a man with intellectual disabilities whose mother, with whom he has always lived, died unexpectedly: “What did your mother die of?”Read the above questions and decide which of them
A woman tells a worker about a long and difficult marriage she has endured. She mentions abuse, both verbal and physical, and talks about her own failing health in recent months. The worker asks,
A woman is referred to the social service department in a large hospital after having a stroke. She is somewhat incapacitated and has had a lot of therapy while hospitalized. Now she is going home
The worker to a single mother who has been referred for parenting skills training: “Could you tell me something about the problems you have been having with Johnnie?”Read the above questions and
A woman is telling about the time her coworkers waste when the supervisors are out at meetings all day. The worker responds, “Why don’t you say something?”Read the questions that above and
A worker is interviewing a man in the food bank. He tells the worker that he and his children have not eaten for 24 hours and that he has spent most of that time getting referred around town until he
The worker to a woman in a shelter who has been out searching unsuccessfully for a house or apartment for herself and her two children: “Where all did you look?”Read the above questions and
A patient in a partial hospitalization program for the chronically mentally ill tells the worker that when the group went to the mall, one of the patients took a pair of socks without paying for
A man calls a hot line and tells the mental health worker he wants to die. The volunteer asks, “Does this have to do with being abused as a child?” The man is startled and says, “Why, uh, no.
The worker to a man who is requesting food for his family after running out of unemployment compensation and being unable to find a job: “Can you describe the sort of work you would be looking
A man wants to know if his wife is all right after she has been raped. He is sitting with a worker in the waiting room while his wife is being seen in the emergency room. The worker answers his
A child is talking to a youth worker while he waits for his mother to get a place to stay. “We’ve lived in 16 places,” he announces, “and I’m only 7.” The worker says, “What school did
The worker to an elderly woman whose dog of 15 years has died: “Couldn’t you get another one?”Read the above questions and decide which of them are better than others. Place a check mark next
A woman has come into temporary shelter with a lot of debts. She has been out looking for work today and is discouraged about not finding anything yet. She sits down tiredly in the worker’s office
An older man has just lost his job after repeated warnings to come to work sober and seek help for his alcohol addiction. He has decided that he should get help now. “Too little, too late,” he
The worker to a young woman who has just discovered her best friend and her boyfriend have been seeing each other behind her back: “Can you tell me something about your best friend?”Read the
A man is telling you about the night he witnessed a murder. The victim was his brother-in-law, and although he was never very close to him, he feels that maybe he could have stopped his death in some
The human service worker is on the phone with a woman, the victim of child abuse. The woman tells how she has felt recently, how she needed to call, and then sighs and says, “Oh, I don’t know how
The worker to a teenage boy who is afraid of failing a math course and losing an opportunity to get a scholarship: “Can you tell me a little bit about this math course?”Read the above questions
A man calls and says he is depressed. He has felt depressed for some time and is now thinking of suicide. The worker asks, “Where is your wife? Are you divorced?”Read the questions that above and
The human service worker is trying to learn what happened that resulted in Mrs. Peters being without housing. Mrs. Peters says she has been “on the street a while now.” The worker asks, “Have
The worker to a woman who is grieving after her husband died in a hunting accident: “Could you tell me about your husband?”Read the above questions and decide which of them are better than
A human service worker in the emergency room is talking to a man who was hit on the head before he was robbed. He seems to be having trouble getting the story out, but he wants to tell the worker
The worker to a woman in the hospital waiting room whose baby just died of pneumonia: “How old was your baby?”Read the above questions and decide which of them are better than others. Place a
A woman is telling a worker why she has come to the shelter tonight. Right in the middle of her gripping tale about what was going on at home only a few hours before, the worker says, “How long has
A single mother brings her 12-year-old son in because they are “not getting along.” She reports that he does not listen and comes and goes as he pleases. His homework has fallen off and his
A man in his 60s comes in on the recommendation of his doctor. He had a back injury some years ago and was placed on codeine at the time. After the back injury, other things went wrong. The plant
A woman comes in complaining of depression. She says it started when her husband left with a younger woman and she has not been “right since.” She reports having difficulty falling asleep and
A police officer asks you to come to the home of an older man he has been concerned about for several weeks now. The man is delighted to see you and tells you that he is having pains in his legs and
A father brings in his 14-year-old daughter who is running the streets, refusing to listen, and failing in school. He is at his wits’ end, saying he must work and cannot be home when the girl
A man has been referred by his family physician for help. The man seems extremely inebriated. His wife brings him in and says she is worried that he may go into delirium tremens if he withdraws from
A mother of two preteens has brought her son in for services. The woman is a widow. She confides that she has been having trouble controlling the boy, who is the oldest, and that the girl is
A woman and her two children are waiting to receive their welfare check. They came to your state from another to escape an abusive husband and father. The woman is frail and appears sick. They have
A man with an intellectual disability lives alone with his widowed mother. She has fallen and broken her hip and will be at the rehabilitation hospital for about 6 weeks. He cannot stay alone. He has
You are the case manager for a man who has only recently had a first manic episode. He had submitted to treatment, responded well, and returned to work. However, he is currently experiencing another
You are called by the daughter of an elderly woman who lives alone. The daughter lives in another city and is concerned because her mother does not drive and has seemed unhappy and listless on the
A 72-year-old woman on your caseload has been in mental health services for a number of years, ever since the year after she graduated from college. She has had severe episodes of schizophrenia over

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