Rick Cage is a 56 year old white male admitted to the Veteran’s Domiciliary to participate in the Chronically Homeless Veteran (CHV) program to address homelessness. Mr. Cage was referred by Lake County Probation and was mandated to participate in the CHV program, which provided a partial hospitalization program. Mr. Cage was recently release from prison after serving 2 years at Mansfield Correctional Facility. Mr. Cage was charged and found guilty of drug possession and tampering with evidence in 2014. After being assessed, Mr. Cage presented with the following problems: frequent legal involvement, substance use, mental and physical health issues, homelessness, minimum income, and lack of social/coping skills. As the social worker, I explored …show more content…
Cage exhibits behavior patterns that have led to his engagement with the criminal justice system. According to Mr. Cage’s probation officer, the primary goal is to monitor his behavior while referring him to engage in services that will provide behavior modification. Behavioral intervention strategies do not require one to be able to think abstractly. It is said to be a popular practice approach with persons with cognitive and developmental disabilities. Due to Mr. Cage’s cognitive barriers such as memory loss and limited comprehension deficiency, it would be difficult to address his presenting issues using psychodynamic and cognitive theory-alone. “Behavioral theoretical approaches offers an approach to direct practice that focuses on observable, concrete client behaviors and outcomes, rather than internal mental processes” (Walsh, Corey, & Corey, …show more content…
Cage’s case. I have an allotted time to build rapport and provide therapy to Mr. Cage. With his history of domestic violence, his attitude and behavior toward me may be aggressive. This may be a barrier to developing a relationship with him. Mr. Cage reported his religious preference is Protestant. Mr. Cage reported that he is currently active in practice. Looking through the lens of a behaviorist, I can only utilize Mr. Cage’s religious practice, if it relevant to behavior goals. As the therapist, he may find that I am minimizing his religious beliefs in which he identifies as an influential piece of his life. Mr. Cage’s legal background can be a diversity issue. Mr. Cage can be perceived as a “criminal,” which may impact him establishing housing and engaging with others in society. This may impact my ability to address Mr. Cage’s presented problems within the timeframe of 4