Paper details:
Application: Using Geno grams and Eco maps for Intervention

In addition to a Geno gram, it is important for social workers to develop an eco map with clients. Social workers use Eco maps as a tool to assess present relationships and interactions with people (other than family) and support systems in the lives of clients. Knowing and understanding these connections provides the social worker with a sense of the resources clients may have when they need support. The information that the social worker gathers from both the Geno gram and the Eco map can provide a foundation to develop a sound intervention plan.

For this Application Assignment, construct a geno gram and an eco map for the family from the Final Project case study. Think about how the information you gather might be useful in developing an intervention plan.

The assignment (2–3 pages):

Construct a Geno gram and Eco map of the family in the Final Project case study.

Explain how the information you have gathered in the geno gram and eco map might assist you in developing an intervention plan.

Note: Please submit the genogram, ecomap, and the written portion of the Application Assignment as three separate documents to the submission link.

Note: Support your Application Assignment with specific references to the Learning Resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list only for those resources not included in the Learning Resources for this course.

Final Project Case study: Social History

Basic Data

Brief Client Description

Sarah is a 17-year-old high school senior who currently resides at home with her parents and two brothers. She attends B____ High School where she is a senior and involved in student government and girls volleyball and basketball. Sarah is approximately 5’8” with shoulder length hair. She is African American. Her weight is in the average range and she appears muscular in her build. Sarah was dressed appropriately for the interview in jeans and a sweater. She was well groomed. Initially she was quiet but as our session progressed she opened up more and was open to sharing both her thoughts and feelings. Several times in the interview she appeared to be anxious as she would bite her nails and play with her hair. By the end of the session she appeared eager to proceed with counseling and stated she was a “little bit hopeful things might improve.”

Developmental History

Sarah was born to a single mother who was 15 years old and unable to care for her. She was subsequently placed in a foster home for three weeks prior to being placed in her adoptive home. Little is actually known about her birth parents except that they were both in high school at the time and believed adoption was the best option for their child. The delivery was reported to be normal however; her biological mother only received pre natal care in the last two months of her pregnancy. Sarah was reportedly born two weeks early and weighted 7lbs. 6oz. at birth.

Sarah was placed with the Smiths at age 3 weeks. Her mother states that she was “beautiful” and a good baby who rarely cried and had a pleasant disposition. She did have ear infections on a frequent basis and subsequently had tubes inserted into her ears at 8 months of age. Ms. Smith describes herself as an “anxious mother.” She stated she “wanted to do everything right.” She relates that the couple had been trying to have a child naturally and had been unsuccessful during the first six years of marriage.

Ms Smith reports that Sarah sat alone at 3 months, walked alone at 9 months and generally did most physical activities earlier than other children her age. Her first words were Dada and dog at about 13 months. She was toilet trained at 2.5 years but had difficulty being dry at night until she was 3.

Social/Emotional Development

Ms. Smith describes Sarah as a delightful child who was spoiled by her grandparents and great grandparents because she was the only grandchild in the family and she had been “long awaited.” Sarah has loved animals since she was a child. She remembers enjoying riding her tricycle and playing with other children in the neighborhood. Sarah states that her father worked a lot during her childhood but that she loved to see him come home and no matter how tired he was he always played with her and made her feel like “his Princess.”

Sarah felt very close to her grandmother and great grandmother in her early years. She states they ‘were crazy” about her and she loved them both very much.

Significant childhood events include the birth of her brother when she was two followed by another brother at four. Sarah states that she does not remember much about the birth of either of her brothers except that her great grandmother passed away the week after the birth of her youngest brother. She remembers being very upset and not understanding why “Grannie would not speak to her and just lay in the box.”

School History

Sarah attended B______ Elementary School and ________ Middle. She is now at B___________ where she is a senior. She plans to attend __________next year and study Psychology. Sarah has “decent grades.” She admits she does not study much but maintains a B average. The only problems she has had in school have been daydreaming and not getting her work done and talking. She reports no problems with attendance and no behavior problems.

Sarah has always been involved with sports. She currently plays basketball and volleyball for her school. She has participated in other sports as well including soccer, softball, and swimming. She won state wide races with her swim team but quit when she was 12 years old because she was tired of it. She has been a cheer leader also.

Sarah has friends at school and in her neighborhood. However, she states that her parents don’t like some of her new friends and that has created friction in the home.

Employment History

Sarah is currently working part time at her father’s company in order to pay for damage she did to her mother’s car. She also worked there during the summer. She files, answers phones, and “does whatever people tell her to.” She says it is “OK” but she would prefer to work in a vet’s office.

Current Social/Emotional Issues

Sarah has recently been experiencing some difficulties. She was referred for counseling with her parents when she took her mother’s car without permission and drove it around all night. When she returned with the car she drove it into the garage causing significant damage. Her mother states she is “sure” alcohol was involved in the incident. Sarah denied this.

Sarah admits she often feels like an outcast in her family. She is not as smart, or talented, or “socially acceptable” as her brothers. As a result of these feelings she has had a difficult time finding her place in the family and often thinks of herself as a “leftover” which is her term for her place in the family.

Sarah has long standing issues about her adoption and questions about her birth mother. She states she often wonders if her birth mom thinks about her and if she wishes she had kept her. She adds that her birth mom is “probably crazy or on crack.”

Sarah states she sometimes sips alcohol at parties but has not tried drugs. She does have a boyfriend but denies they are sexually active. She says her parents don’t approve of many of the friends she really likes and prefer to have her spend time with their “snobby friends’ children.”

Self Description

In describing herself Sarah says she is friendly and cares about people. These are her strengths along with her sense of humor and that she is down to earth despite growing up in what she calls “a snooty” environment. She dislikes her looks wishing she was skinnier and wonders aloud, “Why don’t I have my moms figure?” She quickly adds” cause she is not my Mom” and giggles.

Sarah does not like that other people judge her based on what her parents do and don’t give her a chance to be herself. She worries sometimes that she is “crazy” for the way she feels about things and states she never met anyone she knows who thinks like she does. She also worries about going off to college and “making it in the world.”

Sarah sees her greatest accomplishment as her interest in helping others and that she cares about old people and the poor. She volunteers at an area nursing home and a day care center serving underprivileged children.

Sarah describes her greatest pain as her grandmother dying last year, her great grandmother’s death when she was four and she quietly adds “being adopted.”

When asked what she would change about herself if she could, she mentioned her looks, her athletic ability, and her brains. She wants to be happy, to help others, and to find someone special in her life to love.