A situation that disturbs a person’s regular functioning might cause psychological or bodily distress. However, resilience theory aims to explain how a person can recover from a catastrophe and even improve their performance, according to Schultz’s case study of child abuse, irresponsible parenting, and mental challenges (Turner, 2017). Crisis Theory and Resiliency Theory are critical in enabling individuals to recover and health from life situations.
The Hazardous Event– Ella Schultz’s life events led to a developmental crisis during her school years. Her family was a mess, full of issues begging with the drunken father, who scolded her when she arrived home from school. Her father could punish her, strike her, and even throw objects at her. However, her mother sided with her father, ignoring Ella.
The Adverse Effect- The dysfunctional family’s hostile environment exacerbated her vulnerability. She was homeless for 11 months due to her stressful and painful situation. Again, she was even arrested for shoplifting and loitering. She was also infected with STIs at one point.
The Precipitating Factor– Ella’s fragility exacerbated her immediate family’s failing and her alcoholic father. Depriving Ella of her basic psychological, emotional, and physical requirements caused enormous stress in her life at the time. Ella’s lack of adjusting and coping strategies rendered her vulnerable to being homeless, shoplifting, loitering, and bisexual, which caused her to catch STIs.
The State of Active Crisis- Ella is 16 years old and is currently homeless owing to family turmoil. His father was a heavy drinker who abused and slapped her. Her mother didn’t protect her, so she left. Ella has many psychological issues due to her family’s setting, which can be addressed through treatment.
The Reintegration or Crisis Resolution Phase- An individual strives to accept the state and master a cognitive perspective of what happened. Environmental supports are discovered and utilized throughout this phase (Park et al., 2021). Ella has accepted herself after attempting to avoid additional negative events. She’s been arrested twice and treated for STIs. Ella may regain self-esteem and reunite with her family through interventions and counseling at the residential group home.
Ella’s Assets and Resources
She has assets like a treatment center, counselors, and a group of girls and women she met at the homeless shelter. The homeless adolescent camping group has been tremendously helpful to her since they have kept together and avoided making terrible decisions (Eronen & Bringmann, 2021). For example, she has avoided alcoholism and drugs through this group. She has received knowledge, advice, and resources to deal with any situation and build resilience. Following the recommendations will likely modify this perception.
A social professional can help her understand Ella’s pain better by using resilience and crisis strategies. All this assistance can only benefit her if she truly needs to improve her situation, she should take the initiative to get help. A counselor can help her reach the reintegration crisis stage, but it is up to Ella to decide if she is ready (Turner, 2017). The rehab center, the group home, changed her life that would be a mess, as she would still be doing ill things. All of these tools and resources help her reintegrate, but she must want it fast.
Reaching the Reintegration Stage of the Crisis
As a social worker, I would encourage to seize the advantage of the residential group home. I would also help her identify unhealthy behaviors and fix them gradually to avoid physical and psychological effects. I would educate Ella on the impact of activities such as loitering, shoplifting, and irresponsible sexual behaviors. Again, I would encourage and help Ella re-establish contact with her parents. A social worker can assist persons affected by a crisis to influence psychosocial functioning throughout the transition period. As a social worker, I can help Ella reintegrate by providing knowledge, resources, and emotional support.
Reintegration may include clarification, teaching, and comfort about common responses to trauma and crises (Turner, 2017). As a social worker, I can help Ella understand her past, so she doesn’t make the same mistakes. Still, she will gain resilience if she recognizes her past situations and how they shaped her decisions. I will assist Ella in overcoming her fear of seeing her father by making her see the value of a father figure despite his excessive drinking. I would also remind Ella of the happy times when her father worked at a bank before becoming an alcoholic; I hope she returns home.
Use of Crisis Theory and Resiliency Theory
Ella’s coping mechanism is managed and strengthened using crisis and resilience theories. They both assist Ella in solving problems. A person’s emotional reaction to trauma causes a temporary incapacity to cope with it if they lack problem-solving abilities (Turner, 2017). A person with great resilience will likely respond better than predicted in times of crisis and adversity. Since a crisis is only temporary, both crisis theory and resiliency theory can help individuals cope better. This would help Ella cope with future setbacks.
Finally, Crisis Theory and Resiliency Theory are critical in helping client with both physical and mental challenges. Both theories enable an individual to navigate through tough times just like Ella.to avoid complications and foster recovery of clients, social workers should employ the principles of Crisis Theory and Resiliency Theory. Crisis and Resilience Model has been established to assist practitioners in understanding the relationship between components, gaining an understanding of the risks of damage to a child’s health and development, and planning intervention strategies.
References
Eronen, M. I., & Bringmann, L. F. (2021). The Theory Crisis in Psychology: How to Move Forward. Perspectives on Psychological Science: A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 1745691620970586. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620970586
Park, E. R., Luberto, C. M., Chad-Friedman, E., Traeger, L., Hall, D. L., Perez, G. K., Goshe, B., Vranceanu, A.-M., Baim, M., Denninger, J. W., Fricchione, G., Benson, H., & Lechner, S. C. (2021). A Comprehensive Resiliency Framework: Theoretical Model, Treatment, and Evaluation. Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 10, 216495612110003. https://doi.org/10.1177/21649561211000306
Turner, F. J. (2017). Social work treatment interlocking theoretical approaches. New York Oxford University Press.
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