Case Study

Marica is a 50 year-old woman with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Marica lives with her elderly mother. She does not work but spends most of her time drawing and painting in her bedroom and has always dreamed of having a showing of her art in a gallery. Marica is supported financially by her mother. She doesn't have a social network but sometimes goes to the markets on her own to look around.

1. What communication techniques would you use with Marica?

1. What steps would you take to provide and/or adapt your services to meet Marica's needs?

1. Outline the steps you would take to support Marica to progress towards her goals.

Marica wants to apply for a disability support pension (DSP) to become more financially independent but her mother is not keen to support her to do this as she is concerned the application process will cause Marica more harm than good and she may not be approved.

1. Working from a strengths-based perspective, how would you uphold Marica's rights to access a pension?

One day when you are meeting with Marica in the park, she starts showing signs of severe distress and doesn't respond to your attempts to find out what she is experiencing. She yells loudly enough to attract the attention of people in the park and several look as if they are calling for emergency assistance on their mobile phones.

1. Considering your own skills and knowledge, identify the limits of your knowledge and skills in working with Marica in this situation.

1. Write a report describing the incident for your organisation's records, paying attention to respectful and non-judgemental language, and describing your actions.

1. Research an appropriate referral organisation and explain how they could meet Marica's needs.