Guidelines
Read the following case example and answer the questions listed below. This paper is worth 35% of your grade and will be graded on the content of your answers as well as your writing skills. Please make sure to use APA for proper citation and format. The exam will be graded on a 100 point scale, with the point value for each answer noted next to the question.
Format:
Use the titles of the questions as subtitles in your paper. Do not type or repeat the question in your answer, just answer it in paragraph form.
The Case of Marty
You are working for an agency in Manhattan that provides outreach to the homeless living on the street. Marty, your client, is a 46 year old single man, who came to the United States from the Dominican Republic when he was 22 years old. When you approach Marty, he is eager for help and agrees to meet with you regularly with the goal of improving his living circumstances. Marty is legally documented, has the equivalent of a High School education, speaks Spanish and fluent English (learned after he came), no children, and few known social supports besides other homeless individuals on the street. He has been homeless on and off over the past 16 years. Marty was a street vendor in the area surrounding the World Trade Towers before 9/11. Because he was a hard worker, Marty was trained by his employer to manage several other vendors and was moving towards having his own business. Since 9/11, he has suffered from severe depression and excessive anxiety, causing him to lose his job.
Eight years ago, Marty sought out SSDI (Social Security Disability Payments), but was denied because his doctor’s diagnosis did not qualify him for benefits. Since then, he has not seen a doctor. He has tried to work and had several street vending jobs over the past 10 years but quits or is fired as soon as his symptoms start to appear. His difficulty seems to be connected with working on the street “in the open” for long periods of time. Memories return, he has flashbacks and begins to panic.
All of the housing programs he has applied to require that he either be working or have some proof of disability. He prefers to live on the streets, rather than the shelter because the way he is treated in the shelter makes him feel a loss of “dignity”. He has become known among the street homeless as a person who knows where to get good free food, clothing and will show the people new to being homeless how to avoid police and find a safe place to sleep. He used to think about going to college to study business, but has currently given up hope of this ever happening.
Marty expresses to you that he fears he will be always be homeless unless he qualifies for a permanent subsidy. He says that he has discovered that if he contracts the HIV virus, he will qualify for a permanent housing subsidy for a private apartment and will never have to worry about returning to a shelter. He reports that he learned from an HIV awareness group at his church that HIV is no longer considered a “death sentence” and one can have good quality of life for many years if they follow a medication regime and take care of themselves. Marty explains that he is planning to become infected, and that he believes this is his best chance for housing. He states that he would rather be sick and have a shorter life span than become homeless again. He says that although he has an aunt and female cousin in the area that may be willing to take him in, he is ashamed of his own “weakness” and feels that he should be able to care for himself. He states that burdening his family with his situation would be “shameful”. Despite his situation, Marty states that he wants a better life and finds strength and peace in his weekly visits to church.
Questions:
1. Strengths Based Practice (15 points)
Describe three of Marty’s strengths. Your description of each should include a positive characteristic you think he has along with how this is illustrated in the case vignette. Refer to the Saleeby article, “Power in the People: Strengths and Hopes” on Blackboard to illustrate the importance of strengths based practice and how it applies to Marty
2. Systems Perspective (20 points)
Identify three relevant systems operating in Marty’s life. Describe what is currently happening in each system that is either supporting Marty or creating an obstacle. It is possible that both could be occurring in one system. Refer to Chapter 2 of Dubois and Miley (Blackboard) to illustrate the important of systems and how it applies to Marty
3. Professional Values (20 pts.)
Discuss two professional social work values, principles or ethical standards that would be important to uphold in your work with Marty, and explain using evidence from the case why you chose these. Refer to the NASW Code of Ethics to back up your choices.
4. Ethical Dilemmas (15 pts.)
What is an ethical dilemma in social work? Identify one ethical dilemma in this case. Using the “Ethical Standards” section of the Code of Ethics and the Reamer article, explain why it is an ethical dilemma. Describe two main competing professional ethical values, principles and standards.
5. Empowerment and Collaboration (15 pts.)
Review the definition of empowerment in your notes. Describe two specific ways in which you would work to empower Marty. Make sure you are clear about why these particular empowerment strategies are important in this case.
6. Characteristics of Social Workers (5 pts)
Name two personal characteristics that you have which would be helpful in your work with Marty. State why you feel these particular characteristics are important.
Name one characteristic that you would like to cultivate in yourself in order to help Marty (this would be a characteristic that you don’t feel you currently have, or have to the extent that you would like to).
7. Conclusion (10 pts)
Write a conclusive paragraph that sums up the points you have made and how social workers would intervene on a micro, mezzo and macro level.
