Case study for group presentation – LGBTQ

Part 1: Question from the Study

Alex’s suffering had become unbearable, and she wanted to escape the pain she was facing. She felt hopeless and isolated to the point where she felt that death was the only way she would be relieved. However, she was conflicted about ending her own life. Alex had the confidence to approach a local organization to seek counseling. I would give her the chance to express her thoughts and feelings to provide relief from loneliness since she isolated herself from friends and unexpressed negative feelings. I would let her vent and unload her feelings then reassure her that she is not alone, some people care about her and help is available and that suicidal feelings and thoughts are temporary.

Support available for the transgender individual from their social networks can help ease these challenges; for instance, the development of supportive social networks whose main objective is Gender and sexual identities. Principles such as community-based participatory research can help in the collection and analysis of information. Finding a qualified health service provider specialized in transgender issues will be of great value to Alex. Talking to Alex’s parents and involving them in the conversation will have an impact on the thoughts Alex has. When talking to a safe house, informal support may also be sought from people with similar problems where they discuss their experiences.

Transgender discrimination has been in various geographic, socioeconomic, and interpersonal contexts. There is prevalent discrimination in health care and employment. There is a need for multilevel interventions, policy formulations, legal protections, and training for health care providers for this particular group. There is a need to create more inclusive settings among policymakers, health care, clinicians, and researchers since higher sensitivity and services are needed in dealing with transgender women and men. Alex needed her identity to be recognized as authentic, and she needed better access to health care resources.

Improving care for depression in communities will provide more significant benefits to those in need. Researchers say that incorporating community groups in planning programs and efforts and meant to deal with discrimination and stigma. To provide training to deal with depression across health care and community agencies can provide a system that is complete and help depressed and discriminated people make improvements in social and health outcomes. Providing technical and mental support and culturally-sensitive outreach to individual programs that appreciate diversity will help in the acceptance of the group. A community engagement approach where there are different programs, including the community, work together with the public authority to make decisions and work together as a network in providing depression services.

Part 2: Social Work Theories

Social work theories are general clarifications that are bolstered by proof acquired through the logical technique. A hypothesis may clarify human conduct, for instance, by depicting how people interface or how people respond to specific boosts. Theories of Social Work gives a top to bottom investigation of the three-column model of real brain science (character qualities, abstract encounters, positive social foundations) and its application to work with sexual and sex minority customers. Common emergencies illuminate how people see themselves, how they respond to the world and individuals around them, and what aptitudes they create throughout everyday life. When taken together, these emergencies structure a “development timetable” that social specialists can use to educate how they treat customers, what administrations they give, and in what ways a specific customer varies based on what’s normal. Social work practice models represent how social specialists can actualize speculations. Practice models furnish social specialists with a diagram of how to help other people dependent on the underlying social work hypothesis. While an interpretation clarifies why something occurs, a training model tells the best way to utilize an assumption to make the change (Carolyn, Karikari, Chen, & Barnett, 2014). As a helping calling, the essential strategic social work is to assist customers with addressing their necessities and upgrade their prosperity.

For better and successfully reaction to customers’ needs and requests, proficient social specialists are furnished with a broad scope of information. Notwithstanding, what establishes social work information base stay a significant concern and a controversial issue. An exemplary discussion in social work is whether hypotheses are essential for training (np, 2017). Social specialists ought to acclimate themselves with five different mental assumptions that assume a job in social work practice.

One of the Social Work Theories includes the Psychosocial Development Theory. This theory was brought about by Erik Erikson back in 1959. It generally talks about how people’s feeling of self develops and ridiculously into contact with various social emergencies for a fantastic duration, every one of which powers the person to respond and adjust. These social emergencies incorporate trust versus doubt, which happens in early stages and advises how individual beliefs, industry versus mediocrity, which educates characteristics like hard-working attitude, competency and self-esteem, and closeness versus disconnection, which gives the premise to adore. Looking back from the case study, we see that Alex is going this phase in her life as even her parents were not welcoming to the ideas of Alex changing his sex to a female. The said, “call us when you have your head on straight again,” making them not supportive of his decision to change.

The other theory which may be applicable in this case study is the Humanistic Theory. This theory work from the point of view that every single individual is in a condition of steady “turning into” that every one of us is continually endeavoring toward self-completion through an accentuation on close to home qualities and more prominent care. Humanism in social work holds that people can profit by help in their self-improvement in manners that can upgrade connections, networks, and individual objectives. This hypothetical model advances investigation of unique character, the quest for connectedness with others through valuable relational connections, and adaptability in exploring one’s self just as in discovering significance in the bigger world. Humanistic ways to deal with social work regularly remain as opposed to progressively specialized subjective conduct draws near (Tomar, 2020). These systems can likewise give an option in contrast to conventional, bureaucratic, organization-based effort techniques. When using this as a social worker about Alex Case, it would be constructive as it will be used as a motivation by putting his needs and wants first. Alex’s self-actualization would be motivated by a social worker who has a vast understanding of the situation and make sure Alex needs are sorted out.

There are a few reasons why theories are essential in social work, generally appropriate of which are:

• They show social laborers how to see individuals through their assets accessible, not to characterize them as indicated by their issues;
• The utilization of hypotheses causes social laborers to feel increasingly protected and skilled in their training, diminishes sentiments of being uncertain; and
• They make social work practice increasingly proficient and productive as the more social laborers use hypotheses, the less they utilize their instinct.

After going through the Case Study well, I concluded that the best theory to be employed in the handling of Alex as the client would be the Psychosocial Development Theory. This is because parents are part of the social circle of an individual. In Alex’s case, she has a friend who supports her and her decisions. From the case, we are told Alex (Lisa) works in a women’s clothing shop. It shows she has well-evolved and affected her new lifestyle even if it hurt not to communicate with her parents. At the same time, the condition is not completely fine as she lost her job because of her hormones. After a colleague found them, her sex is making it her for the get a place to work job security. She has joined various organizations to deal with depression. The Theories might have some challenges when it comes to addressing the condition or situation the Alex is in as she is seen to be falling in both categories.

Part 3: Ethical Dilemma

As social workers, we are often faced with ethical dilemmas in their line of duty.  An ethical dilemma is an issue in the decision-making process between two potential alternatives, neither of which is adequate from a moral point of view. Three conditions must be available for a circumstance to be viewed as an ethical dilemma. First, the case must require an individual to settle on an intense decision. Furthermore, there must be various alternatives to choose from, and lastly, regardless of what option is picked, some ethical principle is undermined. The moral dilemma that may arise from Alex’s case is the right to self-determination.

Self-determination ethical dilemma is an idea that people can settle on their own choices about their lives, and is a focal point in social work practice. To resolve this dilemma, I will have to speak to Alex about her feelings and get to understand her reasons for wanting to take the surgery to change her gender completely. I would convince Alex to stop considering suicide as it is not the right way to go. I would also invite Alex’s parents and try to convince them that Alex, at 29 years, is an adult capable of making her decisions. I would urge her parents to respect and accept Alex’s decision to change her Gender and give her support during this challenging period. I would also talk to Alex’s close friends to provide both social and emotional support to her. Lastly, I would offer counseling sessions to Alex for her to refrain from suicidal thoughts as well as boost her self-esteem.

Professional ethics are at the center of social work. The calling commits to express its essential qualities, moral standards, and ethical measures. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics presents these qualities, rules, and benchmarks to manage social workers’ conduct (NASW, 2017). In the decision-making process, first, I will have to determine the ethical dilemma at hand, which I discovered to be the right of self-determination to Alex. But being an adult, she is under no one’s obligation to do as they will. I will also have to acknowledge the main principles involved. In Alex’s case, I will have to notify a mental counselor as Alex was considering suicide, as well as inform her parents. Here I would have gone against the value of confidentiality, but the law allows it if it’s for the well-being of the client or patient.

Another critical consideration would be to understand which values are the priorities in my line of duty. I would assess if Alex’s decision to continue with the surgery would cause more harm to herself and her family, or would it bring self-fulfillment to them. I would also come up with a reliable course of action, and consult with all the necessary and close people to Alex before urging her to push through with her transgender surgery. I would involve the relevant people, such as a counselor, to help me implement my plan. Upon completion of the above steps, I would evaluate the impact of my decisions and if they bore positive results.

Part: Discussion Forum Questions

1. What are some of the reasons that may drive one to want to change their Gender?
2. What determines one’s Gender, and is there any methods or Assessment tool for making this possible?
3. What are some of the challenges that transgender people go through, and how can the problems be addressed?
4. Society can be involved in what ways to help to make the environment more hospitable and conducive for the LGBTQ people out there?

References

Carolyn, S., Karikari, I., Chen, H., & Barnett, C. (2014). Social Work Theory and Application to Practice: The Students’ Perspectives. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 13.

NASW. (2017). Essential Steps for Ethical Problem-Solving. Retrieved from National Association of Social Workers: https://www.naswma.org/page/100/Essential-Steps-for-Ethical-Problem-Solving.htm

1. (2017, January 07). 5 Social Work Theories That Inform Practice. Retrieved from Campbellsville University: https://online.campbellsville.edu/social-work/social-work-theories/

Tomar, D. (2020). 2 Common Social Work Theories and 5 Major Practice Models-Study Starters. Retrieved from The Quad: https://thebestschools.org/magazine/common-social-work-theories-and-practice-models/