Paper Example on Case Manager & Client: Achieving Mental Health Goals Together

Introduction

As the case manager in the community mental health service, my primary obligation would be to help the client who in this case, is Maryn to attain her recovery goals. I am a client of public mental health services, and I have to act on behalf of the public to make sure that the victim gets the best service that she deserves. It is also crucial to will work with the client to help her gain access to the best community mental health service that she deserves (Heseltine & McMahon, 2006). This will include offering an array of treatments such as rehabilitation and recreational activities. As the case manager, there are several phases that the assignment would outline how the case would be handled. Each stage would have theories in them to support them, and the communication skills and roles of the case manager in each phase.

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In the intake stage, I have a variety of professional understanding of Maryn, who is the client in this case. Maryn is going through a lot of domestic, social, and financial challenges, all which may attribute to the mental illness disorder. Being a parent of three and with no stable source of income could be a nightmare, especially if it happens to a mother like in the case of Maryn. Maryn is depressed due to the challenges she is facing in trying to raise her children. The depression is attributed to by various factors. One factor is the large bills she is unable to pay due to lack of a job. We are told that she previously worked in an administrative position, but currently, she has no job and Maryn is looking for any part-time job. The tenants renting her backroom room have not paid the rent for four months now, and neither are they willing to contribute to the electricity bill, which is currently at $1000. The children are also withdrawing academically. Their fathers are not entirely in to support her in bringing up the children, and so she has the full load for herself.

My professional opinion in this case as the case manager is that Maryn needs to be taken through a person-centered therapy. Person-centered therapy is one example of case management models that would fit Maryn's situation according to my professional analysis. One of the major approaches that have a significant influence on person-centered therapy is the humanistic approach. Person-centered therapists believe that clients are trustworthy and able, and they focus on the ability of the clients to make changes for themselves (Gursansky, Kennedy & Camilleri, 2012). For Maryn's case, there is a need to work towards achieving self-actualization. She needs to develop in a contemporary way, and even though this occurs throughout lifespan, she is currently facing factors that suppress her, and she needs psychological support to get on track. This would help her work towards fundamental goals, self-fulfillment, and realization, involving self-regulation and anatomy.

Maryn is facing issues with her condition of worth. The influence of this condition is on the self-concept of a person, and influential people in her life shape this. Terms of worth are the critical and judgmental messages from essential people influencing how individuals react and act to certain situations. The father to Maryn's two younger children has been jailed for the next four years, making her cut her communication with him. Self-image usually gets low when a person has conditions of worth imposed on them. Besides, an individual exposed to dominating or overprotective environments hurts self-image. This is explicitly the condition in which Maryn is currently, and as a professional, I would have several ways to help her get out of this situation.

My Role as the Case Manager

To help Maryn get out of her mental illness situation caused by the many stressing factors mentioned in the case and my analysis as well, the case manager ought to take into consideration the following. People with mental illness history have a collection of complex needs that need to be considered (Turner, 2010). One of the critical community aftercare for such conditions is case management due to its significance in ongoing management of chronic conditions. As the case manager assisting Maryn, I have a lot of obligations to meet, and the following are some of the roles that I have to play. For a person like Maryn, she is most likely to experience a revolving door with such conditions since these are conditions that are bound to stay if not well-taken care. Such situations usually have a recurring patter if not taken good care of and adequately supported by the community. The mores disabling and chronic the mental illness experience, the more Maryn's case would need case management approach to continue her care, her family, and carers (Moore & Randall, 2016).

Case management has different models, with the most common ones being caseworkers with individual caseloads, and assertive community treatment teams (Turner, 2010). Like in the case of Maryn, most case management programs in mental health involve a single case manager working with a client. As the case manager, my role would be to undertake an assessment, planning, monitoring, advocacy, and linking of Maryn with support services. By doing so, the primary goal would be to manage depression and prevent relapse (The Department of Health, 2006). In assisting Maryn, I would exercise my role in ensuring the following; Delivering as much of the service or help as possible, instead of making referrals to other formal functions. I would also make the natural community resources to be the primary partners; things like art clubs, employers, and landlords, among many others. To ensure the effectiveness of the case management, I would ensure that my services are not limited to time, if necessary, and I would also foster choice for the client (Moore & Randall, 2016).

Maryn has also been of late engaged in the use of alcohol which has become more of her habit in the last few months. This brings in an element of the need for withdrawal from alcohol. As the case manager, it would be critical for me to engage her in the continuity of care. Studies have shown the effectiveness of case management in the improvement of shorter-term outcomes of substance use disorder treatment (Gursansky, Kennedy & Camilleri, 2012). The following would be some of my functions as the case manager: to assess Maryn's needs and her ability to remain free of substance (Heseltine & McMahon, 2006). Monitoring her progress and reporting to the other members of the transition team. Providing my support and helping her with all the involved systems, protecting her confidentiality and treatment records as per the States and federal regulations regarding the right to privacy. All the above obligations as the case manager would work well in helping the client get help from her situation.

Application of the Overarching and Phased Functions of Trans-Theoretical Model

The case management model that I have chosen to discuss how I would apply within the organization and community case of Maryn is the Trans-theoretical model (TTM. The model is also known as stages of change and was developed in the late 1970s by Prochaska and DiClemente (The Department of Health, 2006). According to the model, individuals move through six stages of change, namely pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination. The following is how I would apply the six steps of TTM in the case of Maryn.

Precontemplation - people often do not understand that the problem they are going through could lead to negative consequences in the future (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 1998). At this stage, I would advise Maryn on the possible consequences of her problem and the importance of undergoing counseling.

Contemplation - in the phase of reflection, it is the intention of a person to begin a healthy behavior in the foreseeable future (Council of Australian Governments, 2016). They start to recognize that the situation or action could be toxic to their health and begin to place more emphasis on practical consideration on the advantages and disadvantages of changing their behaviors. I would apply this phase in the case of Maryn by introducing her to the new ways of how she can begin a new series of behaviors that would see her have a positive transition from her current mental state.

Preparation - preparation is the phase where an individual is ready to take action approximately within the next thirty days (Heseltine & McMahon, 2006). At this phase, the individual tends to begin taking small steps towards the behavior change. At this phase, as a case manager or therapist, it is a critical stage to note the noticeable changes and prepare the most appropriate course of action to take for the client.

Action - people in this stage have recently changed their behavior and have the intention to keep moving forward with the change (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 1998). This phase is applicable in the community context of Maryn, whereby she would be taken through progressive counseling to ensure that she keeps track.

Maintenance - the phase of maintenance is vital in the community context to ensure that those who have undergone the change process maintain them to avoid recidivism or re-entry into the stressing factors or criminal activities (Osburn, 2016).

Termination - people in this phase have no desire to return into their unhealthy behaviors, and they have the surety that they would not fall back.

Other alternative approaches to this model are the strengths-based theory, task-centered model, and ecosystems. The use of the Trans-theoretical model is motivated by the fact that it is quite comprehensive and captures an array of phases which makes the transition of the client from their current state to the desired state effective.

Person-Centered Case Management Approach

Person-centered therapy has an equally effective outcome when compared to other models such as the Trans-theoretical model and strengths-based theory (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 1998). The techniques used in person-centered therapy differ from the ones used in other models. The following are the techniques used in the person-centered approach.

Congruence

Congruence is the authenticity and genuineness of the therapist in what they say and do. In most cases, a therapist could be saying one thing, but their body shows the contrary, and this may impact on the trust of the clients and their openness in therapeutic relationships since they are aware of this (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 1998). For example, a therapist could say that they understand where the client is coming from, but have a confused look on his face. This will make the client see the confusion on his face and become uncomfortable expressing her feelings freely to the therapist (Bowles, Sheahan, & Turner, 2016). The therapist handling the case of Maryn should be aware of his body language and what they say. In case of any confusion, he should be able to address such confusions with the client who is Maryn.

Unconditional Positive Regard

In unconditional positive regard, the therapist ought to respect, accept, and care about the client (Osburn, 2016). This does not necessarily imply that the therapist needs to accept everything the client tells him, but rather to appreciate that the client is doing the best he/she can by showing concern and not disagreeing with the client. In the case of Maryn, the case manager should emulate this by appreciating that Maryn has become open enough to express her issues and how she feels about the same. When there is unconditional positive regard showcased by the therapist, then Maryn would be open to express how she feels and think without feeling judged...