SW1021 Family Studies and Interventions Discussion Responses…

PLEASE RESPOND TO THE TWO CLASSMATES POST BELOW. MUST BE ORIGINAL WORK AND SOURCES MUST BE CITED IN APA FORMAT.

(CLASSMATE 1)

In this vignette, Maria and her 9-year-old daughter Sonia have requested counseling services. The family has been experiencing dysfunction surrounding Maria and her husband, Gerry, who separated 6 months ago. In addition, anxiety and depression for family members appear to have intensified due to the father’s increased drinking. The clinical social worker will need to be mindful of current environmental factors that impact the family’s interpersonal effectiveness skills (Lewis et al., 2025). According to Lewis (2025), the family will benefit from counseling services if the therapist can provide assessment, conceptualization, and interventions to mitigate anxiety within the family system. The clinician can do this by using cultural and intellectual humility when interacting with family members in a therapeutic setting.

As Maria is experiencing depression and currently taking antidepressant medication, the clinician will need to identify and examine how Family of Origin Violence (FOV) can potentially impact childhood and adult depressive symptoms. If the family is experiencing unproductive interpersonal communication, it can have lasting repercussions on a family member’s self-esteem and boundary-setting (Lewis et al., 2025). Sonia has taken on the parentified child role, meaning she is caring for her mother but is not expressive of her own emotions, which can lead the family into crisis if left unresolved (Myer et al., 2014). The clinical social worker will need to use a strengths-based approach during the counseling sessions. The clinician can achieve this by engaging in collaborative family counseling to identify the family’s current strengths, needs, and abilities. It is important to note that this will be an ongoing process, and the clinician should provide informed consent and outline treatment expectations to promote transparency. The clinician could lead the family to gain insight into their current disorganized system, potentially aid them in adjusting to changes in their routine, and promote adjustment (Myer et al., 2014).

In conclusion, the clinical social worker will need to ensure they provide ethical, evidence-based interventions to assist the family in improving their ability to function during a crisis (Myer et al., 2014). The clinical social worker will need to provide ongoing risk assessment, psychoeducation surrounding substance use, referral to self-help groups, and examine the importance of exploring emotions to assist Sonia with enhancing her stress tolerance by promoting her emotional health. The clinician will need to help the family structure and prioritize which problems to address first to promote a healthy adjustment to the current demands they are encountering (Brown & Manning, 2009).

References

Lewis, J., George, B., Dike, J., Breaux, R., & Brem, M. (2025). Family-of-origin violence, insecure attachment, and depression symptoms in emerging adults: A brief report, Journal of Family Violence, doi.org/10.1007/s10896-025-00858-5

Myer, R. A; Williams, R. C.; Haley, M.; Brownfield, J. N; McNicols, K. B; Pribozie, N. (2014). Crisis intervention with families: Assessing changes in family characteristics. The Family Journal, 22(2), 179-

References:

Lewis, J., George, B., Dike, J., Breaux, R., & Brem, M. (2025). Family-of-origin violence, insecure attachment, and depression symptoms in emerging adults: A brief report, Journal of Family Violence, doi.org/10.1007/s10896-025-00858-5

Myer, R. A; Williams, R. C.; Haley, M.; Brownfield, J. N; McNicols, K. B; Pribozie, N. (2014). Crisis intervention with families: Assessing changes in family characteristics. The Family Journal, 22(2), 179-185. doi.0.1177/1066480713513551

JM

(CLASSMATE 2)

A clinical social worker utilizing structural family therapy would review each component of the family structure including Maria (Mother) Husband (Gerry) and Sonia (Daughter). Presently the subsystems within the family involve a Parental-Child subsystem between Maria and Sonya, a spousal subsystem between Maria and Gerry, and Parental system with Maria (Gerry has separated from Maria and it is unknown if he is living within the household however it appears Maria requested counseling services for her and her daughter and since the couple is not divorced would not require the other parent to sign off on his daughter receiving services although it is critical to note that Gerry not being present during counseling sessions presents a broken link within the family chain). It appears familial roles are not constructed appropriately associated with the definition of the role, for example Sonia is spending time inquiring with her mother about her depression when Maria is not reciprocating the inquire regarding how Sonia feels along with her emotionally absent father experiencing an increase in alcohol consumption. The hierarchy structure appears to be reversed with Sonia taking on a parental role based on her mothers depression and fathers alcohol use which is a common attribute of a child being raised within an environment with an addicted parent according to (Lander et al., 2013).

Regarding a case conceptualization a structural family social worker would begin with Sonias behavior as presently Sonia utilizes two separate models of behavior within two separate environments. While in the classroom Sonia is acting out whereas when Sonia is within the parental home suppresses her emotionality and becomes an emotional caregiver to her mother. With Gerry not being involved with family unit an emeshment has begun to develop between Maria and Sonia however the roles are reversed within this enmeshment due to Marias ongoing episodic depression. Between Gerrys alcohol use and Marias depression it would appear the Sonia is experiencing emotional instability, poor academics and behavioral outbursts all symptoms related to a child growing up within a parental alcoholic use environment according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2019) website. The symptoms involving each member of the family unit correlated with Gerry increasing alcohol use due to the separation of the marriage, Marias depression occurring due to the marital situation and becoming the primary parental caregiver and Sonia experiencing behavioral dynamics in her school setting but displaying a regression of emotion within the home environment.

• Related to interventions, a structural family clinical social worker would engage the family beginning with a restructuring of the family system to restore previous hierarchy and boundaries within each subsystem particularly Marias ability to parent Sonia appropriately without expecting Sonia to be a primary emotional caregiver for her mother. The clinical social worker would solidify role definitions within the family structure to ensure that triangulation and enmeshments were reviewed for appropriateness especially when Maria is not emotionally present for Sonia. Aligning this with Gerry as well is a very important step to the creation of a co-parenting relationship that is consistent across environments.
• Along with the above interventions listed the following referrals would be created:
• Sonia- A child-based group for Children of Alcoholics to support Sonia with her thoughts/feelings about her fathers absenteeism and alcohol use.
• Maria- An individual counseling MFT, LCSW, LPCC or Clinical Psychologist for support with depression maintenance
• Maria & Gerry- Marital Counseling for the purpose of reshaping the relationship or developing a co-parenting program for Sonia.

References

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2019, May). Children of alcoholics (Facts for Families No. 17). https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-Of-Alcoholics-017.aspxAmerican Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. (2022.). Children of alcoholics.

Lander, L., Howsare, J., & Byrne, M. (2013). The impact of substance use disorders on families and children: from theory to practice. Social work in public health, 28(3-4), 194205.