The Case of Bobby
Bobby is a 6-year-old African-American male placed with his maternal grandmother by the child welfare system. Although his mother stated that she never used drugs while she was pregnant, Bobby was born prematurely. His mother did not have a home or regular income, and they moved from place to place for several years. Bobby slept wherever he could find a spot, and he ate only sporadically. Bobby did not cause much trouble because he rarely spoke. After Bobby was removed from his mother’s care, he was placed in foster care until his grandmother could be located.
Bobby’s grandmother became concerned about his behavior and development while caring for him over the last 6 months. Bobby hid food in his pockets and in his room, and his teacher reported he took food from his peers at school. Bobby also slept on the floor. Because he was so quiet, it took some time for Bobby’s teacher to notice he had difficulty speaking and interacting in school.
Bobby’s grandmother asked for help from his caseworker, who referred him to the school’s psychologist as well as a speech pathologist. As such, seven months ago, Bobby was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Conduct Disorder (CD). Bobby was prescribed medicine to address the issue, and started receiving speech therapy. Bobby’s grandmother and Bobby present to you, a mental health therapist, today for treatment as she feels the medicine is not working.
1.Identify cultural issues that would impact how you work with Bobby and why these issues are important.
2. Identify specific trauma Bobby has experienced and how that may be impacting his behavior and mental health.
3. Describe how Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy might help Bobby and his grandmother begin to resolve his issues, answering the following questions:
. Why you would utilize this technique over the others, i.e., what makes it different/more helpful than other treatment modalities for trauma in this specific case?
5. How would you implement this therapy with Bobby and his family? Please describe specific steps utilizing the “PRACTICE” acronym.
6. What would this specific therapy change about Bobby’s behavior and his grandmother’s understanding of trauma?
