Application of the Problem-Solving Model and Theoretical Orientation to Paula Cortez Case
Introduction
Paula Cortez is a 43-year-old Catholic Hispanic female residing in New York. She reports suffering physical and emotional abuse from her parents, eventually fleeing to New York to get away from the injury. As a teenager, she realized she felt “not good enough” in her family system, which led to her leaving for New York and looking for “someone to love me.” Paula was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and paranoia. She also has a history of not complying with her psychiatric medication treatment because she does not like the way it makes her feel. She often discontinues it without telling her psychiatrist. After completing a suicide assessment five years ago, it was noted that Paula was decompensating quickly and was at risk of harming herself and her baby.
Body
Crisis and crisis theory
According to Jeffrey Mitchell (2016), a crisis is a state of emotional turmoil. Crisis theory is used when someone is dealing with an acute crisis. In the case of Paula, it was noted that she was at the risk of harming herself or her baby. Cultural gram is a culture assessment tool critical in assessing problem orientation in Paula’s case; the device identifies the problem by integrating a strength-based assessment in line with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. One of the intervention methods used for Paula is IPSM because it directed on the cultural context of empowerment, evaluating the outcome, and setting specific goals.
Problem definition and formulation
The main problems facing Paula were the feelings of helplessness and vulnerability in light of her childhood trauma. She experienced adverse childhood events that led to her running from home in search of security and love. She also suffered from depression and paranoia following the treatment she received from David and Jesus with contraction of AIDS and hepatitis.
The main challenges in her psychotherapy are denial of psychiatric treatments and counseling and management of her foot ulcers.
Identification of solutions to the challenges
The best solutions to meet the challenges that Paula presents with are the medical treatment of her leg ulcers and follow-up and management of her HIV/AIDS. The psychological interventions are regular psychiatric and group therapy together with antipsychotic medicines. They would also provide assurance and comfort for her welfare and of her child Maria (de la Fuente et al., 2019).
Implementation of the solutions
The implementation of the above solutions would be done based on urgency. Prescription of antipsychotics and psychotherapeutic in the management and follow-up for depression and suicidal ideation (Jackson, 2016). The patient would need to be admitted for comprehensive medical management under a consortium of healthcare practitioners.
The extent of mobilization of solutions by the client
The client is the primary person in the management, and she should be empowered. She should be taught to feel in control of her situation and circumstances. The support should be from the family and healthcare providers.
Evaluation of the achievements
The review should be done regularly and frequently in the first weeks and months. This is to alleviate all the symptoms and signs of severe depression and suicide ideation. The clinical evaluation would be undertaken by medical psychiatrists and psychologists (Séguin & Chawky, 2017). The treatment of HIV and hepatitis is based on the serology and viral particles in the blood; the foot ulcers would also need medical intervention.
Problem-solving model in short term treatment of the client
The use of the problem-solving model will help to Paula overcome the emotionally draining encounters in her life.
Merit and limitation for using the problem-solving model
The advantage of using the problem-solving model is that it regards the behavioral perspective, thus helping Paula deal with her dilemma. On the other hand, the problem-solving model fails to attest to the operationalization of instinctual thoughts described by Paula (de la Fuente et al., 2019).
Conclusion
The integrated problem-solving model of crisis intervention has proved to be very effective in treating clients. The ten-step model addresses safety, stability, and self-care. Moreover, it seeks to empower the client on how to deal with a crisis. The follow-up stage of this model is essential because it helps the client to check the progress made and make the necessary adjustments for improvement.
References
de la Fuente, A., Chang, E. C., Cardeñoso, O., & Chang, O. D. (2019). The psychological impact of social problem solving under stress in adults: Debased life satisfaction, heightened depressed mood, or both?. Personality and Individual Differences, 146, 46-52.
Jackson, D. (2016). Answering the Call: Crisis Intervention and Rape Survivor Advocacy as Witnessing Trauma.
Mitchell, J. T. (2016). A Brief History of Crisis Intervention Support Services in Aviation. Critical Incident Stress Management in Aviation (pp. 79-94). Routledge.
Séguin, M., & Chawky, N. (2017). Crisis Theory and Intervention Strategies as a Way to Mitigate Suicide Risk. In Handbook of Suicidal Behaviour (pp. 467-483). Springer, Singapore.