Answer the questions in the MOCK interview (based on the written case study) with a Solution Focused Intervention Framework technique.

Introduction:

Hi Angela, hi Tarelle, it's so nice to meet you. I was hoping I could get to know a little bit more about you both, and what brought you here today. I'd also like to learn what you hope to get from our sessions together?

Question:What does your desired living situation look like?

Question:What does your ideal relationship with each of your family members look like?

• The two of you as a couple?
• You and your Father/Father-in-law?
• You and your Mother/Mother-in-law?
• You and your younger brothers?

Question:Can either (or both of you) tell me about a time when there wasn't so much tension in your household? What do you think contributed to this calm environment?

Or

Question:Can either (or both of you) tell me about a time when you felt completely comfortable at home? How did this environment evolve, and what made it comfortable?

Question:I'd like to ask you both a different type of question. It will require you both to use your imagination a bit. If you woke up tomorrow morning and a miracle happened. All of your problems have been resolved. What does the rest of the day look like for you? Can you please describe it for me?

Question:Do you have any ideas about how you might take the next step towards getting back to work or moving out and getting a place of your own?

Closing Question:Do you feel like our session today has given you a better idea of where you are and next steps to take to get you where you'd like to be?

Case Study:

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, thousands of lives were disrupted as people lost their homes, their jobs, and sometimes loved ones, who were caught up in the subsequent floods. Tarelle and Angela Johnson, a newly married African American couple in their late 20s and near the beginning of their careers, had come to New Orleans three years earlier, he as the architect and she as a real estate broker. When forced to leave their newly purchased home, which has been devastated by the hurricane, they were unable to recover any possessions. With their one-year-old daughter Christine, they fled in their car to Texas. They moved in with Tarelle's parents and 2 younger brothers, Jason and Michael, for an indefinite period as they planned their suddenly disrupted future. Although their marriage had been relatively stable, it was now faced with several crises simultaneously, including questions of how to earn a living, where to live, how to arrange childcare, and how to resume a social life? Their living arrangements were complicated since the house was crowded, and Tarelle's mother was ill. His father, Tarelle, Sr., was happy to have his son, Tarelle Jr., home, yet he became upset when he felt that Angela was not keeping the baby, Christine, quiet during the day. Tarelle, Sr. needed to sleep during the day since he worked a night shift at the local hospital as a janitor. Tarelle and Angela felt that they were too old to be living with and be primarily supported by his parents. After a few months, arguments broke out between family members and the home was filled with the tension between the couple.