Question

Case Management book (Fundementals of Case Management Practice, skills for the human services - 5th ed by Nancy Summers).

Please read the following case study and answer the questions to the best of your ability.

Case 16.1: Writing Impressions and Recommendations

Casey, 18 years old, is in her first year of college and comes into the college counseling center with her roommate, Aisha. Casey indicates that Aisha should come into the case manager's office as the case manager begins the intake process. Casey smells as if she has not bathed and her clothes are rumpled and askew.

Case manager: Have a seat. Anywhere is fine. Tell me a little bit about what brought you in today.

Casey: I can't sleep. (giggles) I can't sleep. I don't know. (drops her keys and begins looking over the side of the chair for her keys)

Aisha: She has been up for two nights. She says she has a good idea for this paper or that project or whatever she is working on, but she won't go…

Casey gets up and begins to pace.

Casey: I don't need to eat. She keeps trying to get me to eat. See, I got this new idea about how the people in Poland related to the Germans and I am trying to put this together for an essay. No one has ever looked at it this way before. World War II was so unsettling for the Poles. My grandparents were Polish—you know refugees after the war. I have, I can see this the way no one else has ever looked at it. I put some ideas together.

Aisha: I went over to the library last evening to get her. They were closing, and she would not leave. I just think there is something…

Casey: (bouncing in her chair and then jumping up again) Nothing is wrong. I know that's what you were going to say, Aisha. Nothing is wrong. You don't leave in the middle of a great idea, a breakthrough. It's a breakthrough. (raises her voice) Original. I'm the only person who sees it this way. I have to write it all down before I forget it or someone else gets to the ideas first.

Aisha: She wasn't like this when school started.

Casey: You're talking about me. What do you mean? Wasn't like what?

Aisha: Casey. You slept. You ate. You went to class. When were you last in Mr. Howard's class?

Casey: I'll catch up. I can catch up. You go. I don't feel I need to be in class every time it meets. I can more or less just know what is going on and be on top of everything when I get back. Right now, I need to do this. I'm on to something new. Look, did you know that in September of 1939 the Polish government went to Romania, you know, to get away from the Germans? And that means the Romanians were involved in this too. And then Germany attacked the Soviets in 1941. See? See how it all fits together?

Case manager: Tell me about your other classes.

Casey: I don't have time for them right now. I am trying to point out how the Germans brought all this together.

Aisha: (looks helpless). She talks about this all the time and I… (she looks down at her lap) What can I do? There is something wrong. Big time!

The interview continues this way with the case manager unable to get any substantive information from Casey. Aisha seems to want to help but Casey talks over her or interrupts her. The case manager refers Casey to be seen by a physician, and Casey is hospitalized.

1. Describe your initial impressions of Casey. What will you mentally note for later follow-up?

2. Describe your initial impressions of Casey and Aisha's relationship. What will you mentally note for later follow-up?

3. You are nearly finished writing up a social history for Casey. The last section in the social history is impressions and recommendations. What would you write based on this initial meeting?

Answer 1

Answer 1. In this case, the casie seems more than just devoted to her project. It is probably either because that she wants to be successful early or she is involved personlly as she stated like my grandparents are polish she know what others don't.

Her mental symptoms shows signs of obsession. She is confused and behaving in a psychotic manner. She is being delusional because she is unaware of what is right and within limits. She is ignoring everything important for one fact that may not be even right.

Answer 2. They seem like good roommate. Aisha do care about casie and her physical & mental health.

Casie does not seem to be very connected with aisha. At this stage, she thinks she does not understand what is important to her. She thinks she is coming in her way.

She may know that Aisha cares for her. But they definitely don't understand each other. There might be lack of trust between them due to lack of understanding. Casie seems to be hiding.