Joseph Jefferson’s family
Family members
- Joseph Jefferson- Father 36 years
- Christine Jefferson –mother 33 years
- Leroy Jefferson –son 18 years
- Jackson Jefferson- son 13 years
- Natalie Jefferson – Daughter 9 years
Identifiable problems, concerns, and difficulties
The father states that the family has been undergoing substantial financial struggles since he (the father) lost his job in the government. After inquiring about the circumstances which led to the loss of his job, it was revealed that Joseph had been an alcoholic, and he was released from the rehabilitation center five months before the assessment.
Mortgage payment has also been a huge problem in the family since they are relying fully on the mother’s monthly earnings from her grocery store. The mother says the situation is getting out of hand since she is under huge pressure to provide for the family and, at the same time, pay the mortgage. The farther cannot find a new job until he is fully recovered from his alcoholic behaviors, a situation that has put the family into serious financial problems. It was also revealed to the assessment team that the father is diabetic; hence he cannot perform manual labor to enforce the family earning; he specifically has to work in an office setting as he is a qualified accountant.
The family states that they think they are good at persevering through hard times since there has not been a situation where they were forced to fall apart. It was, however, noted that the father has been showing signs of depression due to his anger management issues, the wife states that he is agitated easily and shouts when he feels he is being misunderstood. The mother reveals that there is a problem which they feel the assessment should be addressed which is the health of their young daughter Natalie, she(mother) states that Natalie was diagnosed with high blood pressure and the family has no comprehensive insurance cover hence they are forced to rely on the little earned income to cater for the medical bills it was also noted that Natalie’s appointments with the doctor were the previous month before the assessment however they were forced to postpone it due to financial issues. Natalie has also established violent behavior from the records drawn from the school. The letter which was provided by the family indicates that Natalie was exhibiting a change in behavior, which included isolation and violence, which included fighting with her mates. The mother admits that Natalie has changed, especially after learning about her health condition. A letter read by the assessment team revealed that the teacher is concerned about Natalie’s mental state since she has shown immense character change for the past one year, an issue the mother says is important for the assessment to address.
Leroy, the eldest son, has also been identified as a concern by the assessment team due to his track record. Leroy has been in a juvenile detention facility after being found guilty in a home invention case. The mother says he has been out of their control since he is affiliated with the local gangs and has one day plotted to rob the family. Leroy also has been identified as a bad influence on his younger brother and sister since he is indulging in drug abuse, even exposing the young ones to the substances, an issue which the family says is of great concern. According to the father, Leroy is uncooperative and doesn’t contribute to the family affairs; he only shows up when he needs a favor from the mother or when he has made some mischief, and he needs the family to cover him up.
Jefferson’s family states that they find their strength from a good relationship with the extended family and the neighbors who intervene in case of a serious crisis. The local church has been mention to be a great boast in the family since it has done series of guidance and canceling meetings with the family and even conducted fundraising that helped pay Natalie’s diagnosis fees and part of Jackson’s tuition fees. The grandparents also are the source of strength in the family since they are identified as the people who boost the family when the issues have turned worse.
The mother stated that the mentioned problems had been a source of stress in the family in that they have caused conflicts among family members. Most of the conflicts in the family she says are related to the behaviors of the members of the family. The drug abuse by Leroy, for example, has led to a lot of conflicts in the households both between the father and the mother and between Leroy and other family members. The problem of the father’s joblessness has also caused discomfort in the house since conflicts arise as the mother blames the father’s alcoholic mistakes as the cause of all the hard times in the family the kids also blame the father and the mother for not having the lifestyle they need a factor causing huge stress among the family members.
The family will like the assessment to offer a clear strategy that will help them tackle financial issues without conflicts. Also, the father stated that he needed guidance since he feels he has not fully recovered from the alcoholic behavior, and he still needs has hope that he can put the family together again if offered the support needed. The mother claims that the assessment team should offer guidance on how she will deal with the issues of Leroy; she wants him to stop using drugs and also to leave his gang friends and embark on higher learning. The mother also needs the assessment team to offer a conflict resolution strategy within the family that will ensure that when conflicts erupt, they won’t stop harmonious coexistence between the family members.