SOWK 483: PROCESS RECORDING #1

Kimberly Charlton
Saturday, October 2nd, 2015
Session/Contact #: Contact #8 with client family
Goal and/or Purpose of Contact: The goal of this meeting was to conduct a biopsychosocial assessment on the
client with the help of the clients mother. This biopsychosocial assessments purpose is to gain a thorough
understanding of the client within different aspect of their lives, such as their medical history, diagnosis, family
history, and current interventions (to name a few). The assessment will allow the social worker to propose
treatment options or plans for the client as they move forward.
The clients mother was interviewed for this particular assessment because the client is only two years
old and the assessment required that the person being interviewed provide in-depth information on the clients
history as well as family history. Since this contact was not a therapy session, the majority of the time was spent
with the mother and not with the client. However, as an agency who serves children on the autism spectrum as
well as their families, the clients family is also considered clients of the agency.
The client contact occurred in the clients home and was scheduled according to the familys preferences
(early morning on a Saturday). The student also had another student lead the assessment with her. The other
student is also placed as an intern with Palmetto Autism Interventions and while the client is not one of her
regular clients, she is familiar with working with children on the autism spectrum and their families. The two
students co-interviewed the clients mother by switching off answering questions. The entire assessment last
about 1.5 hours, but only one section is recorded below.

*Client is referred to as S in the dialogue section of the process recording due to confidentiality. Clients brother
is referred to as E.

Dialogue

Student
Feelings/Reactions

Intern: Tell us
about Ss current
therapy programs

Identify
Skills/Theory
Used

Competencies
Used

Open ended
question to begin
conversation

Competency 1:
Identify as a
professional
social worker
and conduct
oneself
accordingly.
Social workers
serve as
representatives
of the
profession, its
mission, and its
core values.
They know the
professions
history.
Social workers
commit
themselves to the
professions
enhancement
and to their own
professional
conduct and
growth.

during a typical
week.
Client: Well, S has
ABA therapy twice
a week, where as
his brother has
therapy every day
of the week

Comfortable and
knowledgeable: I
felt like these are
facts I was already
aware of from
working with the
client.

because he is under
the waiver system
and not the
BabyNet system
like S is.
Intern: So hes
getting about 6-9
hours of therapy a
week. How has S
reacted to therapy
so far?
Client: Well, I
believe that the
early intervention is Relieved,
encouraged, and
really the key to
excited for the
success with ABA
client: I liked to
therapy. You know hear this success
story for their
in the beginning
family.
when E began
therapy there was

Paraphrasing

Competency 10:
Engage, Assess,
Intervene, and
Evaluate:
Engage, assess,
intervene, and
evaluate with
individuals,
families, groups,
organizations,
and
communities.
Professional
practice involves
the dynamic and
interactive
processes of
engagement,
assessment,
intervention, and
evaluation at

Seminar Instructor
Comments

almost non-verbal,
and now hes
speaking full
sentences.
Intern: Oh wow! I
would have had no
idea that he started
out as non-verbal.
Client: Right! So I
really believe in the
early diagnosis and
therapy. In the
beginning before
we got all of the
testing done to get
ABA therapy, we
were paying out of
pocket for speech
therapy for E but
we didnt really see
any progress. And
its also really
expensive.
Intern: Sure, its
an added expense
to be paying out of
pocket.
Client: So really
weve seen a lot of
improvement with
the ABA therapy so
we think its a great
thing.

multiple levels.
Social workers
have the
knowledge and
skills to practice
Self-disclosure,
with individuals,
families, groups,
reflection of
Inspired, hopeful: I
organizations,
feeling
felt like I
and
understood better
communities.
why the family
Practice
was so supportive
knowledge
includes
of therapy.
identifying,
analyzing, and
implementing
Understanding,
evidence-based
interested: I did not
interventions
know that they had
designed to
done private
achieve client
speech therapy
goals; using
before, so I wanted
research and
to learn more.
technological
advances;
evaluating
program
outcomes and
practice
effectiveness;
developing,
analyzing,
advocating, and
providing
leadership for
Paraphrasing,
policies and
putting the clients services; and
feelings into words promoting social
and economic
justice.
Timid: I wasnt
sure what to say
Competency 3:
when finances
Critical
were brought up
Thinking:
Validation: I was
happy to hear that
they were happy
with ABA therapy.

Validating the
clients feelings,

Apply critical
thinking to
inform and
communicate
professional
judgments.
Social workers
are
knowledgeable

Intern: Thats
great to hear. And
really encouraging
to see how far E
has come in a short
amount of time!
Has having both of

closed question
Relieved: I was
relieved that the
family didnt have
major complaints
about the actual
therapy side of
PAI.

the boys in therapy

affected your
familys schedule?
Client: Oh yes, it
has definitely
changed our
schedule. We are
totally dictated by
our therapy
schedules and they

Interested,
concerned: It
sounded like
therapy took a
large toll on the
mother/familys
daily schedule.

are always
changing because
of therapists
cancelling, getting
sick, or the boys
getting sick, or
anything else really
so we really have to
know whats
coming up in order
to plan for anything
as a family. And we
have therapy
everyday for at
least one of the
boys so its a lot of
therapy for the

Clarification

about the
principles of
logic, scientific
inquiry, and
reasoned
discernment.
They use critical
thinking
augmented by
creativity and
curiosity. Critical
thinking also
requires the
synthesis and
communication
of relevant
information.

house.
Intern: How do
you manage
keeping track all of
the therapy hours,
since they change a
lot?

Intrigued,
overwhelmed: I
was overwhelmed
thinking about how
busy their typical
day is.

Client: I keep it all

on a calendar on
the fridge, so I can
see it everyday.
Sometimes Im
like, wait, who is
coming today? And

Validating, open
ended question,
clarification

I can just look at

the calendar.
Intern: Thats a lot
of people to keep
track of! Overall,
how would you
describe your
current level of

Determined,
confident: I wanted
to keep the
interview going.

satisfaction with
the therapy thats
being provided to
S?
Client: Well, we
really believe that
the therapists are
part of our family
when theyre at our
house, and so Im
happy with how

Inspired,
reinforced,
optimistic: I felt
needed and wanted
in the family
home.

they have become

part of the family in
some ways since
they are here with
us so often. And we
really feel very
grateful and blessed
that we are getting
the therapy hours,
because Elijah
Open ended
question

started with almost

no speech and has
progressed so much
so we are just very,
very grateful.
Intern: Thats
great to hear. Is
there anything you
would change
about the therapy
being received if
you could?
Client: I would

Unsure: I didnt
want to move the
conversation
toward a negative
topic but I had to
ask this question.

love to change how

we have so many
changes in
scheduling and the
lines coming in and
out of the house.
Sometimes I cant
even remember
who is coming
when because there
are so many

Irritated: I was sad

to hear that there
were so many
schedule changes
and the agency
wasnt doing all
they could for the
family.

different people. I
dont like when we

Clarification,
reflection of
feeling

have to switch lines

right when we just
got comfortable
with them.
Intern: Thats
tough. I know PAI
has had trouble
with having enough
lines to fulfill all of
the need, so
scheduling is a big
concern with
them.

Uncertain, but
hopeful: I wanted
to provide some
explanation for the
family, but didnt
really know what
to say.