Introduction
Disasters, crisis, and catastrophes do occur. These events may claim human lives and affect millions of people around the globe. The characteristics that characterize disasters are change, a great deal of ambiguity, and complexity. People are influenced differently during times of crisis in terms of how they receive information, how they process it, and how they act upon it. Individuals or organizations may exaggerate communication reactions because if humans are operating from a more primitive or automatic fight-or-flight thinking mode, then their brains cannot queue up all those important decisions. One way to avoid this is through effective communication strategies where different group members or individuals speak so that each person can be heard before responding with a new idea. In the case study, a natural crisis has already occurred whereby the tornado has destroyed Suzie’s home, and the family has been forced to relocate. Suzie is also facing a financial crisis whereby she cannot provide for her family because the tornado destroyed the restaurant she worked in. The two crisis have led to feelings of being trapped, unfulfilled, and depressed. Suzie needs help coping with these emotions and getting back on track.
Challenges Facing the Client Suzie
Suzie faces many challenges as a result of her situation. Besides losing their home, Suzie and her family have experienced financial difficulties because the tornado destroyed the grocery store where Suzie worked. This has meant that she has lost a source of income and has to look for work elsewhere. Suzie is also facing concurrent symptoms of depression due to not being home, losing her family home, and not being able to provide for herself and her family yet again.
Crisis Intervention Theory
A crisis is when the body or mind is pushed to its limit. With severe stressors, the mind and body may go into a period of crisis but can also remain stable if adequate steps are taken to reduce the effects of stress (Guthrie et al., 2022). For example, some people may respond to a crisis by entering a deep sleep or trance-like state in which they appear unresponsive to others’ voices and sense of reality. Typically, crisis last 6 to 8 weeks, after which they can be recognized as chronic or protracted. The latter condition is referred to as a transcripts state, and Treatment must be prolonged to help individuals return to a state of stability. Suzie’s case can be explained using the basic crisis theory.
Basic Crisis Theory
Basic crisis theory began with Hans Lindemann in the 1930s, who created a framework to help people cope with life-threatening situations. Preoccupation with the deceased, identification with the dead, some disarray in daily routine, and some physical issues are all examples of normal grief behaviors. Neither aberrant nor unhealthy, these reactions are often seen in such situations. Basis Crisis Theory is a crisis-focused psychoanalytic strategy that provides short-term therapy to people who experience grief, loss, and change. It focuses on the commonality of the grief process for many people. The theory suggests that grief does not have an identifiable beginning or end point and is experienced in waves or cycles through time. Therapy aims to manage these cycles by helping clients face their emotions and recognize coping methods.
Suzie suffered a natural disaster. She lost her job and her home. Basic crisis theory aims to help clients face their emotions and recognize coping methods. In this case study, I chose it because Suzie has experienced grief from not being home, loss of family and community, stress from the tornado, and poor health due to poor eating habits. Basic Crisis Theory provides short-term therapy for those experiencing any life crisis. It can help them get control over their emotions by accepting what happened, recognizing their feelings, and coping methods for each situation they face.
Additionally, Suzie has experienced significant loss in her life. She was raising her family before the tornado struck, and she lost her husband and home. She then lived at her parent’s house until she could rebuild. Suzie has experienced symptoms of depression since she has been unable to manage this change with the same level of commitment that she used to have as an adult. Basic crisis theory fits well when explaining why Suzie chose basic crisis theory as her treatment approach because it focuses on managing grief cycles using tools such as active listening and self-reflection so they can manage their situations once again so can live their lives as comfortably as possible\
The following steps should be followed to implement the Basic Crisis Theory. The first step in the intervention process is finding the exact nature of the issue. In this case, Suzie has lost her home and her family. The second step is to create a bond between you and your client. Open-ended inquiries based on empathy, sincerity, and positive regard help establish rapport with Suzie, so she feels comfortable sharing more details about her situation. Thirdly, ensure that Suzie is away from any tool she could use to hurt herself. Clients that are depressed most of the time try to commit suicide. Suzie’s safety should be addressed during this crisis intervention period.
Additionally, in our case study, the next step that should be followed is to ensure that Suzie has been made physically safe and that the problem has been clearly described. This can be as simple as asking her how her day is going and meeting her basic requirements, for instance, food and shelter. The next step in giving help is making sure Suzie has the knowledge to comprehend her options for handling her circumstance after meeting these fundamental needs have been satisfied. The following process ensures that Suzie gets a co-worker who will help them back to her feet. The co-worker might help build a new home and get her a new job. All the above steps, when appropriately used, will help intervene and solve Suzie’s crisis.
Factors that have impacted the Case Study
The first factor that impacts this client and crisis is the natural disaster. A natural disaster of an F3 tornado has caused extreme damage to homes, businesses, and communities. The second factor is the financial crisis, where the family cannot afford to buy a home because all the money used to purchase the house was used to rebuild the community after the tornado. The third factor is an emotional crisis for Suzie as she has been feeling depressed due to not being able to help her family rebuild their lives after such a considerable loss happened. The loss also made her feel lonely and isolated from others who could talk about what happened or help them figure out where to get back on their feet after losing everything.
Ethical Consideration in the case study
Professional and ethical considerations are important in the case study. How does Suzie feel about the issue of the financial crisis? This could be a danger to Suzie and her family by spiraling depression which can negatively impact their health and threaten their housing situation if they cannot afford it. Ethical concerns may include confidentiality, disclosure, and informed consent (Sim & Waterfield, 2019). The privacy, exposure, and consent issues make it a severe challenge working with Suzie since she still has trouble putting the pieces back together after an F3 tornado destroys her community. The team must take care not to further upset Suzie by discussing issues surrounding her home and the post-natural disaster recovery process.
Respect and Dignity
One of the ethical concerns that may arise while working with Suzie during the intervention process is the lack of respect. According to studies, people and families that have typically relied on their resources and have limited experience with social service organizations make up the majority of disaster survivors. Because of the social stigma frequently associated with these groups and their concern about losing their respect, independence, and control over their lives, many victims of natural and technological disasters may find it challenging to seek assistance from such organizations.
Self-Determination
Social workers are often charged with helping survivors cope with their post-disaster experiences and returning to everyday life. They usually help people by providing them with what they need to get by, help to find jobs, shelter, and food. Sociologists believe that for a community to recover after a disaster, social workers must place great value on self-determination, autonomy, and respect for other people’s rights. Social workers must be careful when working with clients suffering from disasters such as hurricanes or tornadoes. It is essential to uphold those rights to achieve the goal of helping your client succeed economically without losing power over their lives.
Justice
Suzie lives in an impoverished community. Natural disasters and other crises often stress rural residents; these experiences may be psychologically damaging. Social workers should view their role as helping clients cope with significant events that change their lives. They can do this by assisting them to access services quickly, seek other available support, and work through their emotions to rebuild their lives.
Advocacy
In this case, Suzie’s story is a compelling illustration of the need for emergency responders to advocate for survivors’ rights and be responsive to the varying needs, wishes, and goals of different community members. During emergency response efforts in Suzie’s Story, we see how social workers are involved in advocacy activities by advocating for more durable facilities that meet the needs of survivors. The role of social workers has been identified as an important segment within disaster relief efforts by leading these groups through advocacy efforts as they move toward rebuilding their communities.
Recommendations to Client
Art Therapy and Meditation
Suzie is stressed by losing her home, job, and family. Art therapy helps Suzie to express her feelings and emotions artistically. This can be done by drawing, painting, or making sculptures from found objects. Exercise helps Suzie cope with stress and releases endorphins that can reduce anxiety. According to Green et al. (2021), meditation is another way to deal with stress that has been shown to help people reduce their anxiety levels.
Social Work Services
Suzie needs additional social work services and home management to help with the loss of her family home. She also needs other resources like food supplies, toiletries, and clothing. Social workers should not only build her home but also ensure she gets access to the necessities since Suzie has no means of living after losing her job.
Commitment to a Psychiatrist
Suzie would need to set up a mental health team with a psychiatrist and therapist who can sit down with her and ensure she is well. The psychiatrist will monitor her depression, so it does not get out of control and arrange therapy sessions to work together to determine the best course of action. The priority should be getting a new home established or at least an apartment, if not needed, that can be provided by the company who owns the land where the house used to stand.”
Suicide Assessment Tool
Skills Needed During Crisis Intervention
Sensitive and Empathetic
During this crisis intervention, the social worker must be compassionate and empathetic towards Suzie. The social worker should be able to ask questions that are appropriate for her age and gender, like ‘how do you feel?’ or ‘what’s it like living at your parents’ house?’ The social worker must also be able to maintain respect for all parties involved in this situation, even if their opinion differs from yours. The social worker should also know how to appropriately communicate with someone who has been through Trauma by asking follow-up questions such as ‘how long have you felt that way?’ or ‘when did it start?’
Good communication
To ensure that the crisis is intervened appropriately, there is a need for communication between the client Suzie and the social worker leading her in the crisis intervention process. Good communication means that there will be understanding between Suzie and the social worker. Suzie can open up, and that way, she can be helped.
Steps Taken to Reduce Vicarious Trauma
Vicarious Trauma, also referred to as secondary stress, is a professional challenge that mainly affects professionals dealing with trauma victims in their daily lives. Listening and watching the victims go through the events of Trauma may, at times, affect the social workers that work tirelessly to help the victims overcome their stress. Professionals, therefore, also need to be assisted in handling their stress. According to Equip Healthcare (2019), several steps can be implemented to achieve this. These steps include;
Monitor the Work Environment
The professional should assess whether the work environment increases or reduces the likelihood of experiencing Trauma, whether to the professionals or the victims.
List the symptoms of Trauma.
Professionals should be aware of the symptoms associated with Trauma, and therefore they will be aware of whether they are falling into the well of Trauma. Such symptoms include withdrawing from social activities, having pain and aches, and becoming violent.
Engage in Online Trauma Tests
Due to advancements in technology, trauma tests are available on the internet. Professionals should therefore gauge their trauma level by undergoing such tests. This enables them to become aware and therefore work towards achieving a Trauma free life.
Practice Self- Care
Professionals that engage in helping others are at risk of falling into Trauma. Such professionals should therefore have self-care routines that reduce their trauma level. Self-care activities include engaging in exercises, therapy, and even meditation. In addition, getting enough sleep and spending time with nature are all self-care activities.
Request for Organizational Support
Individual professionals might face a hard time while trying to assist their victims. Organizations should therefore come out fully and support social workers. Support involves providing enough resources that professionals can use to help the victims.
In conclusion, we can note that other crises have different levels of harm to the victims. Crisis victims sometimes fall into depressing and stressful moments requiring guidance to overcome the situation. Various intervention models should be implemented to ensure that the crisis victims are helped get back on their feet. Support should also be given to the professionals dealing with such victims to ensure they do not fall into Trauma.
References
Equip Healthcare (2019). Preventing, Recognizing & Addressing Vicarious Trauma A Tool for Primary Health Care Organizations and Providers Working With Individuals. https://equiphealthcare.ca/files/2019/12/EQUIP-GTV-Tool-Vicarious-Trauma-Nov-25-2019.pdf
Green, J., Huberty, J., Puzia, M., & Stecher, C. (2021). The effect of meditation and physical activity on the mental health impact of COVID-19–related stress and attention to the news among mobile app users in the United States: a cross-sectional survey. JMIR mental health, 8(4), e28479.
Guthrie, M., Zubatsky, M., Redlinger, L., & Smith, C. W. (2022). Family stress and counseling. In Family Medicine: Principles and Practice (pp. 39–51). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Sim, J., & Waterfield, J. (2019). Focus group methodology: some ethical challenges. Quality & Quantity, 53(6), 3003–3022.
write