Case Study:
Background Information: Sheena is a 12 year old female student in the sixth grade at a Collegiate school. She has resided with various family members because her mother wasn’t able to take of her due to mom’s struggles with addiction. Sheena currently resides with her maternal grandmother, grandfather and two cousins and has some contact with her mother via phone calls and weekend visits. Mom has been in recovery for four years and has difficulty being reliable as she repairs her own life. Additionally, mom spends most of her time with “the current boyfriend” and frequently Sheena will become attached to beau du jour right before there’s a break-up. Grandmother also has a history of addiction, but has been in recovery for 12 years. Sheena’s father has been in prison for more than 10 years. Sheena is a part of large extended family network, all of whom struggle with various issues.
This child presents as: Sheena is very capable student, who occasionally produces academic work of impressive quality. She typically, however, does not complete any homework and does not claim to care about her grades or in-school performance. She will frequently disengage from class learning, slumping at her desk and refusing to answer questions or follow teacher directions. Sheena frequently is sent out of class, for refusing to follow teacher directions. Her defiance is accompanied by loud and public statements: “I don’t care, I’m not coming back anyhow.” “I’m going to get suspended. Watch me.” Sheena will also laugh as she sees her teachers become frustrated, and will take herself out of class at her own impetus. Though well liked by her peers Sheena does not respond well to attempts from adults at positive interactions. She does not receive compliments from adults well – rolling her eyes and physically turning away. In non-escalated conversations with adults, Sheena is highly reluctant to engage, even around “safe” topics of high interest (ie. television shows, fashion, etc). Sheena is most successful in class when left to work independently and not asked to interact with the teacher directly.
Discussion Questions:
What steps would you take to immediately engage Sheena?
What specific activities or assessment tools would you use to diagnose the issues at hand?
What treatment modalities might be helpful in approaching a student like Sheena?
Would you work with her individually or in a group setting? What would each or either look like?
