Maria Gonzales Case Study

Maria Gonzales Case Study

The case study of Maria Gonzales states that she is a 30 year-old mother of four. Maria is originally from Guatemala and is currently staying with relatives. Maria cannot stay with her relatives much longer she is in need of housing for her family. Maria's husband has been away for five months looking for work, and she has not heard from him in that amount of time. Maria has a chronic cough and a skin rash that needs medical attention. Maria barely speaks English and does part-time housecleaning, but does not make enough to support her family independently. While in her native country her husband and she grew food in the garden that practically fed the family. She has weaved basket and has sewn garments to sell while in Guatemala. Maria is seeking assistance to ensure her family is taken care of (University of Phoenix, 2009).

Maria's Background

To help Maria Gonzales receive the services, she needs it is essential to know about her family and culture. Maria is from Guatemala and has beliefs that entail her husband is the bread winner for her family, in his absence she must work to ensure her children have housing and food. During the introduction session would be the time to ask as many question as needed to build an accurate profile of the client (Paterson, 2007). Asking Maria to describe her beliefs and asking about her country will help establish her culture. Next step is to ask about her family life, starting in her childhood years and continue until current day. It will help to understand what Maria feels happened to her husband and how the children are coping with the move and the absence of the father. The ability to interview the family members Maria is staying with will also give insight into the family history.

Psychological, medical, and Social Issues

Maria may be suffering from depression this can be determined by administering the Clinical Depression Assessment (CAD) that is a self-assessment to help diagnosis depression. The results from the assessment will help determine the next step of treatment. Medically she is not healthy either; she needs to see a doctor for her rash, chronic cough, and she may have pneumonia or something much worse. Socially Maria may not feel as if she fits in without knowing the English language very well. First she must get seen by a physician to ensure she is healthy, while also treating her depression so she can lead a productive life. The next step would be to help her find groups that teaches her the English language and help her locate other individuals who speak her native tongue, this will help her feel more at home. Helping Maria find a compatible physician that is affordable will show her that I care about her as a person. Determining what Maria needs to do to hold full-time employment will help her take advantage of all the resources available, does she have transportation, if not what can be done to help supply it. What type of education or training has Maria had to help her find adequate employment? It will also be very important to help Maria find affordable housing for herself and her children. Another important step would be to ensure the children are enrolled in school, daycare, and enrolled in a state funded medical program, such as Medicaid to ensure proper medical attention is received when necessary. Maria is having a difficulty finding employment because she cannot speak English and she has little education. Maria has been a full-time housewife and mother in her native country; she has skills that may help her in a factory setting if she learns the language.

Cultural Beliefs

To approach Maria in a culturally sensitive way would be to use the universalistic approach, using the theory that counseling any ethnic background is the same (Atkinson, 2004). It is essential to avoid discussions of god, beliefs of other individuals, and race. When counseling Maria it is important to be ethical and sensitive to her feelings, she is in a new country and experiencing tough times. Acknowledge that personally I do not have knowledge of her culture but will educate myself if I do not. Ensuring Maria that I am willing to help her reach her goals, without changing her beliefs will be very helpful in the situation. Maria should be open about her beliefs and how those beliefs may affect the development process. The process can be changed to accommodate the client. Understanding that Maria's culture believes that the men are the main support of the family can help when trying to direct Maria into a job search that will supply her and her family more money to live off from. Letting Maria know there is no shame in accepting help from the state or government level, so she has not worries of what others will think of her and her family. Encouraging Maria to accept assistance available to her and her family will help set them on the path to a better future. The assistance is not permanent, just until she and her husband can support the family independently.

Women vs. Men

In Maria's culture is it the men who support the family and the women raise the children and work in the field on the land to supply food for the family. This helps us understand why Maria's husband went to look for work to support the family. Guatemala is a machismo and patriarchal society; women have no say and are main objects not human-beings. Guatemala women are not allowed to own property and are ignored by police and the legal system (Cheers, 2011). The women do not usually work, but the main focus of the women is to raise the children. The men believe it is essential for them to work outside the home to support the family