Can Targeted Interventions Lead to Recovery? Essay Example

This case features a 43-year-old Latina lady named Cortez Paula, who is formerly from Colombia but presently residing in New York. When she was 17 years old, she left home because of the continuous physical abuse that she endured from her biological parents. Life outside her home was rough, and she drifted into substance abuse, like cocaine as well as heroin. During her period of vagrancy and drug abuse, Paula met her husband David, and moved to America with him.

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They both used drugs, and when Paula got pregnant, she decided to quit. However, when Paula stopped using drugs, her husband, on the contrary, did not stop, and this led to their divorce. In the year 1987, she was unfortunately established to have HIV, and soon after words she gave birth to a baby boy. Soon after that, Paula resumed using, and in the year 1995, Paula was still abusing drugs, and this resulted in her losing guardianship of her only son, who was at the age of 8 years.

After she lost her son, Paula decided to get clean, and after this, enrolled in the BA course, and after that, she was employed on full-time basis. She continues working until she involuntary decided to stop due her deteriorating health. As indicated earlier, Paula was battling Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and she was also diagnosed with series of mania, bipolar disorder as well as depression.

Additionally, she was diagnosed with serious brain infection, hepatitis C and her T-cells were lower than 200 counts, and this is owing to her having HIV, and this automatedly leads to paralysis on the right lateral. Paula then began to speak to the health “social worker at an outpatient institution,” and through their conversation, she expressed concerns since she was pregnant and was scared of her partner.

The interdisciplinary group that was working with Paula was concerned about both her physical health as well as mental health in addition to the wellbeing of the unborn child and owing to her past concerning follow up and treatment. Soon after Paula drifted back into smoking, she ceased taking her mental ailment prescription; she was highly paranoid and had little concern for her health as well as that of her unborn child. Eventually, Paula was involuntarily admitted to the psychiatric facility, and there she would get the assistance she much requires.

The Focus of Treatment

Some several red frags or problems can be pinpointed in this case. One of the red flags is that Paula had a resurrect history of drug or substance abuse. She stopped using during her first pregnancy and had a chance to attend school and get a job; however, for a second pregnancy, she had little concern about the baby and put no effort into getting clean. Additionally, Paula had a long history of noncompliance when it came to her prescriptions.

Being aware of the severity of her condition at one point, she altogether ceased taking her medication despite knowing that could have grave consequences to her and the unborn baby. Hence this led to the physical and mental health deteriorating rendering her incapable of taking care of herself and her baby. Therefore, the primary focus of Paula treatment will be on the noncompliance with therapy and medication.

The Intervention Approaches

From the assessment, it can be determined that Paula tended to do things that can harm her and those associates with her. She has a significantly low capability of refraining from substance abuse, and she afraid of receiving guidance and help as well as building relationships, and this serves as the primary purpose as to why she became socially isolated. Therefore, social interventions and self-control skills would be helpful to Paula. However, it is essential to note this kind of single system study requires that the patients' baseline behavior is tracked, and this can be completed in approximately five days.

The self-monitoring or control treatment usually employs the cognitive and behavioral skills of the patient to assist in self-motivation and help in the attainment of self-objectives (Norris, 2016). However, in the case provided, Paula lacks follow through when personal goals are concerned and how she wants to live her life. She lacks practical social skills to communicate with others, and this acts as a barrier as it impacts her physical and mental wellbeing, especially when she does not allow treatment.

Literature Summary

The socials work activities and actions are operational at all levels and commonly incorporates some level of steps leading to cultural and behavioral changes amongst customers and or the society at large (Plummer et al., 2014). The experimental study had been proven to be effective in social work practices and with the expectation of creating some form of change or advancement. It is important to note that the experimental study is made up of a group experiment and single system research.

According to Horner, the goal of SSR is to record casual or functional links amongst dependent and independent variables. As indicated before, Paula would highly benefit from control and self-monitoring strategies, and this would assist her in paying closer attention to social situations, and this would help her in changing her behavior to match that particular situation. It gives a person authority to monitor and control their behavior and strive for positive goals as well as reach a certain level of independence.

Additionally, it is critical to note that the idea of self-regulation, monitoring, and the utilization of disruptive or self-disruptive behavior has been acknowledged throughout the practice. By employing this technique, will Paula identify the inconsistencies regarding her medical regime and her history of completing her medication to change her behavior? As per Thyer, the purpose of a single system research evaluation is to ensure that the intervention is chosen and is deemed appropriate for the desired outcomes (Thyer, 2010). The system is straightforward as all the data needed in the assessment, such as the client behaviors, are gathered before the initiation of the evaluation; this gives a clear insight as to what ought to be observed.

Evaluation of The Outcomes

The current framework of this intervention is an observation as it is the most precise and direct means of assessing the outcomes. Therefore, it involved the patient being capable of monitoring and thus pinpointing patterns and any change in behavior (Dudley, 2014). However, although the system seems singular, and the patient is involved in the monitoring process, the primary practitioner is continuously making his deductions concerning the changes and behaviors that they identify themselves. Evidence shows that observation as an outcome measure is linked to reduced subjective judgments.

Obtaining the Baseline Measures

Obtaining the baseline measures requires that the primary physician record through observations all the patient's behavior over time. In Paula's case, the observation's primary focus is reduced stress levels. In this case, is there a reduction in her paranoia and anxiety level? And this will offer a clear insight into her prescription and help determine if they are useful.

The Frequency of Follow-Up Measures

The follow-up measures should at least be completed every two weeks, and they should incorporate the patients' medical condition as well her level pf needs. Paula has been diagnosed with multiple disorders, which comprise HIV, T-cells reductions, severe foot ulcers that resulted in amputation, and hepatitis C. Additionally, Paula is pregnant for the second time, and with the rising concern of depression and physical harm, this puts her at a greater risk for monitoring.

The time frame is suggested, and the change of behavior takes time to achieve or produce. The doctor needs to ensure that there is no pause or gap during the observation, as this can result in missed change or relapse. The case of Paula is an urgent one owing to many working parts such as medication, pregnancy, and medical concerns, which can affect her behavior or cognitive state.

If the observation is proven to be effective, the rating scales can serve as effective alternatives. Therefore, the patient can use the self-anchored scale, and this they can use to rate their level of anxiety between zero and 100 (Tankersley et al., 2008). Thus, the rating and assessment tools can be employed when determining the effectiveness of the intervention. And this ought to be used in the case of Paula to select the right intervention for specific behavior.

The Usefulness of The Period Measure

The period measures offer an individual will have the ability to introduce interventions and any specific period in an attempt to assist the patient in pinpointing casual connections. In the case of Paula, when we talk about informal connections, we ought to take into consideration her behavior and where it stems from maybe he pregnancy or her fear for her partner.

Identifying the relationship between the working parts may necessitate for there to be introduced an alternative intervention to cater to the pinpointed weaknesses. The single system approach is beneficial as it gives the doctors an alternative to include the patient in the development of the intervention that is specifically tailored to the client's needs.

References

Bruhn, A., Mcdaniel, S., & Kreigh, C. (2015). Self-Monitoring Interventions for Students with Behavior Problems: A Systematic Review of Current Research. Behavioral Disorders, 40(2), 102–121. doi: 10.17988/bd-13-45.1

Dudley, J. R. (2014). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do. (2nd ed.) Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.

Norris, L. A. (2016). Self-regulation Strategies for Students with Disruptive Behavior Disorders. St. Cloud State University

Plummer, S.-B., Markis, S., & Brocksen, S. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Concentration year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].

Tankersley, M., Cook, B. G., & Cook, L. (2008). A Preliminary Examination to Identify the Presence of Quality Indicators in Single-subject Research. Education & Treatment of Children, 31(4), 523-548

Thyer, B. (2010). The Handbook of Social Work Research Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, inc.