Respond to two colleagues:
- Identify other potential gaps in the life model as applied to the population your colleague identified.
- Offer another potential theory for filling the gaps of the life model when working with the population identified.
Needed response for post 1) (MM)
Identify and describe the diverse population and the unique characteristics and/or the distinctive needs of the population in 3 to 4 brief sentences.
The diverse population is the children with mental needs and physical disabilities I worked with at the Department of Family and Protective Services. These individuals come from low-income families and diverse backgrounds. The children with mental/psychiatric and physical disabilities in child protective services require special attention and needs which their parents cannot provide them. The children are very often in CPS custody so they can access long-term mental and psychiatric care their parents cannot afford even with insurance. Due to the parent’s inability to care for children with psychiatric needs and physical disabilities the children remain in Child Protective Custody until they age out. The children would need help preparing to live independently after they age out of foster care and take care of their needs.
Explain how the life model can be applied for the population.
The life mode can be applied to this population with the mental and physical disabilities that limits them to what they can do in everyday life. Despite the physical limitations they may have they are still capable of completing many other tasks that will help them to discover their worth in this society. The life model can help these individuals develop coping skills, teach them how to manage the frustration they have about completing simple everyday task that we take for granted. Life model can also help to deal with the different stressors and lack of family support in their lives (Turner, 2017). The life theory may also help clients identify factors that influence vulnerability and oppression (Westefeld & Heckman-Stone, 2003).
Explain where the gaps are in applying the life model for this population.
The gaps in applying the life model to this population is the concern that they will be unwilling or unable to use the available social supports due to their inability to comprehend what is being offered to them as well as them being unable to communicate their actual thoughts and feelings. Also, there may be insufficient resources to meet their needs. Often the children do not want help as they are eager to be out of the system (Turner, 2017).
When looking at the gaps, explain which theory might be helpful in filling the gaps of the life model when working with this population.
The empowerment theory, I believe, would be useful in filling in the gaps in the life model since it motivates people to acquire skills that would help them overcome challenges in their current environment and, ideally, help them build coping skills for themselves. The empowerment theory is similarly value-based, and it works with disadvantaged and stigmatized individuals to help them improve their adaptive potentials and promote individual/environmental transformation via individual and group action (Turner, 2017).
References
Turner, F. J. (2017). Social Work Treatment: Interlocking Theoretical Approaches (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Westefeld, J. S., & Heckman-Stone, C. (2003). The Integrated Problem-Solving Model of Crisis Intervention: Overview and Application. The Counseling Psychologist, 31(2), 221–239. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000002250638
Needed response for post 2) (AL)
The diverse populations I worked with while in my fieldwork experience were same-sex adoptive homes. I did my field experience in rural Oklahoma, where same-sex adoptive homes are not common. I was assigned a case that included a lesbian married couple certified adoptive home. The adoptive parents are married and are fostering a male newborn and wanting to adopt. The alleged father of the foster boy shared his concern for two women fostering his son, and he alleged his son would grow up and turn gay if the parents adopted the boy. In the case, the DNA results reveal that the alleged father was not the father. The adoptive home was able to adopt the boy and is now facing ridicule from family, friends, and community.
Identify and describe the diverse population and the unique characteristics and/or the distinctive needs of the population in 3 to 4 brief sentences.
In working with this case, I found that same-sex parents need social support from families and friends in their decision to adopt and need to be treated equally by schools, childcare facilities, and other organizations (Goldberg et al., 2018). The lesbian community needs to be treated equally and have the right to be a parent.
Explain how the life model can be applied for the population
According to Turner (2017), The Life Model improves the level of fit between people’s perceived needs, capacities, and aspirations and their environmental supports and resources. The social worker, in this case, can help the couple improve their ability to manage stress from the community, family, and friends by offering them resources to support groups and counseling.
Explain where the gaps are in applying the life model for this population.
The lesbian community may experience environmental pressures. According to Turner (2017), The social and psychological environments provide instrumental resources and emotional support to the tasks of daily living. However, for some individuals, some resources and supports are not useful to clients’ personal styles and needs. As it relates to the family in my case, the social worker may not be able to find resources that offer support to lesbian parents.
When looking at the gaps, explain which theory might be helpful in filling the gaps of the life model when working with this population.
In assisting same-sex parents, the feminist theory might help fill the gaps of the life model. According to Wall (2013), lesbian mothers face discrimination because society believes lesbians should not be mothers. The feminist theory will empower these lesbian parents. As Wall (2013) explains, the overall goals of feminist theory are clear: understanding women’s experiences within a patriarchal society, empowering women, and influencing societal change via political activism. The goals are especially suited to working with lesbian parents because they provide a framework to acknowledge the disadvantages faced by lesbians based on the fact that they are women and part of a sexual minority as well. Moreover, the theory focuses on women’s empowerment and seeking political change in the form of equality for lesbian relationships and families. In applying the feminist theory to fill the gaps, the parents can gain personal power and learn to cope with the ridicules of other people, organizations, and communities.
References:
Goldberg, A. E., Frost, R. L., Manley, M. H., & Black, K. A. (2018). Meeting other moms:
Lesbian adoptive mothers’ relationships with other parents at school and beyond. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 22(1), 67–84. https://doiorg.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1080/1089…
Wall, M. (2013). Feminist theory, lesbian parents, and social work. Synchrony, (63), 1-20. http://www.redalyc.org/html/5138/513851569028/
Turner, F. J. (Ed.). (2017). Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches (6th ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
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