A Human Service Worker must be able to recognize, understand, and work through most situations that may come his or her way. The scenario analysis in this paper will concentrate on the Human service workers personal communication style, effective working relationship with the client and his or her family, any personal disclosure or boundary issues, attending behaviors, helping techniques, non-verbal communication, special communication needs, cultural specifics sensitivities, boundary issues, helping and learning techniques, types of groups related to the clients’ scenario, and any recommendations for client to be part of a group or receive individual help. Clara Hernandez is a 5-year old Hispanic female living in Boston, Massachusetts. She has missed many days of school because she is sick often. Her parents start to think Clara has more than a common cold so they take her to see her doctor. After multiple tests, Clara was told she has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). ALL is a type of leukemia that starts from white blood cells in the bone marrow. It invades the blood and can spread throughout the body to other organs, such as the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes ("Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia", 2005-2012). This type of leukemia can spread fast if it is not caught early and treated aggressively. This is a deadly disease, but scientists have made strides to cure this and many other forms of cancer. With improvements in diagnosis and treatment, overall cure rates for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia have reached 90% ("Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia", 1994-2012). A Human Service Workers Personal communication style is an important factor in understanding his or her client’s home life, medical history, and financial situation. The style used in this case scenario is an assertive communication style. Some elements of this type of communication style are • Believes self and others are valuable • Effective and active listener • Non-judgmental • Action-Oriented • Direct eye contact • Even tempered • Feels motivated and understood (Sherman, 1999). Relating to a client on a personal level is the best, but not always possible. Each worker must be careful when relating to his or her clients because he or she may cross professional. Crossing those boundaries can break the worker’s ethical code of conduct. To break this rule takes a bad offense, such as developing a social relationship with a client. In some communities social or nonprofessional contact with clients are necessary so each worker must use his or her best judgment (Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, n.d.). The worker must keep each interaction professional without making the client feel uncomfortable. If one’s ethical rules are followed, gaining the information about Clara will help her doctors give her the best treatment possible. The Hernandez family moved from Mexico to the United States when Clara’s mother was eight months pregnant with her. The family does have medical insurance, but it is not the greatest and will not cover all the costs for the cancer treatment. The best way for a worker to establish an effective working relationship in this scenario is to use attending and help techniques. The type of attending best used in this scenario would be Psychological Attending, which involves putting aside personal distraction, worries, and self-concerns to give the center stage to the client’s story (Murphy & Dillon, 2003). Using the correct attending behaviors can lead to a better working relationship. A good working relationship is needed to help provide resources the family can use to obtain the correct insurance for the treatments. The treatments for cancer are very expensive and hard on one’s body, but it is Clara’s only chance. The type of treatment Clara will have is based on many facts, which include: • The child’s age and medical history • The characteristics of the strain of leukemia Clara has, such as the white blood cell count • The child’s pain tolerance, medicine allergies (if applicable), and level of patience Help techniques are needed to work through the pain of the treatments. The help techniquse used in this scenario are pain management techniques. According to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (2012), a comprehensive assessment includes information about the following dimensions of your pain: • Location • Intensity • Factors influencing it occurrence (i.e., what makes it better or worse) • Observed behaviors during pain • Psychosocial variables (e.g., attitudes, situational factors) • Effects of therapy and patterns of coping (Pain Assessment). A pain management plan must be created, and the client and family must be educated about the pain medication (e.g., side effects, long and short-term effect). This will help keep everyone more informed and comfortable with what Clara will experience throughout her treatment. Non-verbal communication skills are very important during cancer treatment. It can show if the patient has more pain than he or she is saying. This form of communication would include facial expressions, repetitive body movements, hand gestures, eye contact, and an individual’s tone of voice. This form of communication cannot be faked; therefore it is the best way to see how one’s client is dealing with any given situation. Each worker must discover if there are any special communication needs for each client before he or she proceeds. This family moved to the United States from Mexico so their first language is Spanish. If the worker does not speak Spanish, an interpreter is needed for each communication. Many workers have decided to learn at least one extra language because experiences have shown that many interpreters do not translate the information correctly, which can cause more issues. Plus speaking the language of one’s client helps each agency and worker become more knowledgeable about the community values, beliefs, and communication styles (Murphy & Dillon, 2003). There are many groups designed to help families cope with the stress of cancer treatments, but Hispanics are known to keep to a small network of family and friends. They believe personal matters should be handled within the family. This thought process can make it very hard to help a family in need. If the culture of the family is to keep private issues private, there is nothing a worker can do but be there when he or she is needed. My recommendation for this family is to seek out a help group within their community that they feel comfortable in. In conclusion, a Human service worker has many rules and guidelines to follow. An effective personal communication style is needed to build an effective working relationship. Attending behaviors and help techniques are essential in helping each client understand what he or she is about to go through and what help is available to help him or her. Non-verbal communication is also important because certain non-verbal communication cannot be faked. Knowing each client’s special communication needs in advance will help each worker obtain the most accurate information possible. The client in this scenario has different cultural beliefs so gaining information can be hard and time consuming. Hurdles are an everyday occurrence for a Human Service worker, but each worker can overcome those hurdles with hard work and dedication.
References
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. (2005-2012). Retrieved from http://webmd.com/cancer/acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. (n.d). Ethical Standards of Human Service
Professionals. Retrieved from http://www1.abtech.edu/content/allied-health-and-public-
Cancer Treatment Centers of America. (2012). Pain Management. Retrieved from http://www.cancercenter.com/complementary-alternative-medicine/pain-management.cfm
Murphy, B. C., & Dillon, C. (2003). Interviewing in action: Relationship, process, and change.
(2nd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. (1994-2012). Retrieved from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/990113-overview Sherman, R. (1999). Understanding Your Communication Style. Retrieved from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/sba/comm_style.htm
