CMCT01_Case_Studies 2015

CASE STUDY 6 – JOHN

John is a 15 year old Aboriginal boy who lives in a remote Aboriginal community.

The community has a population of approximately 2000 people, with high unemployment, fly in/fly out service provision and during the wet season is ‘cut off’ and only accessible by air. The community has a total ban on alcohol consumption.

John’s home life is chaotic and overcrowded with extended family, regular domestic violence and gunja (cannabis) abuse.

John has not attended school since the age of 12 and spends most of his time hanging out with his mates and getting into trouble with the local police. John’s older brother was recently arrested for murder and is now incarcerated thousands of miles away. You are contacted by the local police sergeant who tells you that John has spent the night in lock up after being found in the early hours of the morning in a ‘clearly psychotic state’ wandering around the bush yelling out his father’s name. He tells you John needs to be seen by a psychiatrist, detained and flown out to the regional psychiatric hospital as “he’s clearly off the planet”. On John’s arrival you gain his permission to speak with him. He is quiet, slightly withdrawn, dishevelled and smells of stale alcohol. In the course of the interview he advises you that his father committed suicide by hanging himself 2 months ago. He says that he misses his dad badly and that last night after consuming copious amounts of alcohol he went into the bush “to call out to his father’s spirit”. He tells you he wanted his father’s spirit to enter his body he would be a mighty elder like his father. With no eye contact you observe John as he sits beside you. He is tearful and restless however there is no evidence of psychosis. Questions: 1. What guidelines from each of the CMSA National Standards of Practice for Case Management would you utilise in this case? 2. How does your proposed case management provide evidence of: A. Facilitating the personal development of John? (i.e. his individual, diverse and special needs, including his aspirations, choices, expectations, motivations, preferences and values) B. Advocating for John’s rights? (including developing John’s strengths to advocate for himself) C. Addressing John’s needs? (i.e. purposeful case management) D. Promoting sustainable solutions for John? (i.e. balances John’s needs with the available resources and any of your possible limitations as a case manager) E. Effective communication? (i.e. with John and all other Key Stakeholders) Instructions: 1. Please answer each of the questions below. 2. Please complete this activity with reference to the resource materials provided. 3. Please document and report your findings back to the group.

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