Resiliency Theory and Crisis Theory: The Case of Ella Schultz

Posted: November 1st, 2022

Map the client’s crisis using the five stages of the crisis.

Stage 1: Ella had a seemingly stable life up until age 13, at which time her father lost his IT job. The case information indicates that this stressful event was the catalyst that began a three-year progression of abuse for Ella. Ella has now entered the hazardous stage, being verbally and eventually physically abused at the hands of her father. This abuse was unanticipated and unexpected, leaving Ella the victim of a situational crisis. From a developmental standpoint, Ella experienced this abuse throughout her adolescence, which is more common in developmental crises, according to Turner (2017).

Stage 2: Ella’s reaction(s) and inner turmoil in the vulnerable state gradually manifest because of its sudden onset in the home. As Ella’s father progressively tries to “cope” with his employment situation/life by drinking more, there is a progression/increase in the frequency and severity of abuse towards Ella. Ella’s reactions are also becoming progressive in that she is showing signs of anger, fear, and cognitive or perceptual confusion (p. 120). An illustration of this could be Ella’s grades dropping from a “B” to a “D” average. Also, Ella, after receiving stitches from a glass thrown at her by her father, lies to the doctor about how it happened.

Stage 3: “Finally, after the stitches, Ella confronted her mom with her father present (p. 2). Ella’s father then proceeds to physically attack Ella and her mother, a traumatic event that Ella’s mother, the next day, denies ever happened, thus leaving Ella without any parental safety, support, and completely vulnerable. This is the event, in my opinion, is Ella’s “tipping point” or precipitating factor.

Stage 4: “The state of active crisis describes the disequilibrium that occurs once an individual’s previous coping mechanisms have broken down” (Turner, 2017, p. 120). Feeling unprotected by both parents, Ella is “moved” into this primal “fight or flight” response, running away from home soon thereafter and becoming homeless.

Stage 5: Ella’s reintegration begins when she is court-ordered to live in a group home after 13 months of being homeless and multiple arrests (primarily to survive). Ella begins the crisis resolution process, showing its first signs as Ella speaks of wanting to reconnect with her mother. This group home is a safe place that will now allow Ella to connect with the resources she will need to begin processing all the trauma she has endured since the “before times.”

Client’s Assets and Resources

Ella has proven herself to be a resilient, resourceful, survivor. Being forced from her home, as I see it, Ella had no plan of what was to come next. Yet, she finds this encampment group and quickly surrounds herself with other women for friendship, survival, and protection. Ella does not succumb to the temptation of substance abuse and breaks the law only as a means of survival. She also has a keen self-awareness of wanting to reconnect with her mother while remaining friends with her “extended family” she lived with on the streets.

Intervention

As a social worker, “timing” is of the utmost importance for someone in Ella’s situation. The social worker “engages quickly and explores sensitive and potentially difficult areas, such as abuse and neglect” (Turner, 2017, p. 123.) The goal of the intervention is to alleviate Ella’s symptoms (fear, anxiety, trauma, etc.) and help her return to a state of equilibrium; however, her immediate needs such as a sense of safety, food, shelter, and connection to the appropriate therapeutic resources. Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and cognitive processing therapy (CPT) will help Ella “untangle” the thoughts and feelings she may be having about herself, as well as CPT that will help Ella’s resiliency grow stronger as she “challenges” any hurtful beliefs related to the myriad of the traumas she has survived. I would have Ella describe what life was like in the “before times,” affirming her in all she has made it thru. I would also like to know more about what reconnecting with her mother would look like and the expectations she has for her/their future relationship.

Crisis Theory and Resiliency Theory

Resiliency and crisis theories work well together because they share the common denominators of adversity and risk exposure. In addition, both therapies work by helping to bring to light the strengths and resources of the client. According to Smith-Osborne (2007), these strengths/resources are comprised of “hardiness, coherence, social competence and self-efficacy” (p.157), among others. Finally, both theories are designed to inform the social worker that “they are not their past,” affirming the client to take stock of all the “hidden” gifts, strengths, grit, and talents.

References:

Smith-Osborne, A. (2007). Life span and resiliency theory: A critical review. Advances in Social Work, 8(1), 152-168.

Turner, F. (Ed.).(2017). Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches (6^th ed., pp. 3-13). Oxford University Press.

- Chapter 7, “Social Work Theory and Practice for Crisis, Disaster, and Trauma” (pp. 117-130)

Analysis of Theory Worksheet

Use this worksheet to help you apply a theory as a lens to the case study for your assignments. Fill in the column on the right with all applicable information, and then consider it a reference for how to apply the theory. You must submit this worksheet, where indicated, in applicable assignments. Then you will compile the worksheet for your Theories Study Guide (that you can use for the licensure exam) at the end of the course.

Name of theory	Resilience Theory
Author or founder	Norman Garmezy
Historical origin of theory	Garmezy was a clinical psychologist and researcher of schizophrenia/mental illness, shifting his focus/research to how adversity in life affects mental illness. Garmezy published his first study on resilience in 1973.
Basic assumptions	Having the ability to heal/recover and “repair” oneself when facing adversity and the ability to withstand hardship.
Underlying assumptions	“The process of coping with adversity, change, or opportunity in a manner that results in the identification, fortification, and enrichment of resilient qualities and protective factors” (Smith-Osborne, 2007).
Key concepts	Risk factors/mechanisms, vulnerability factors, and protective factors
Foci/unit of analysis	Individuals (micro-level), family units (mezzo-level), and communities/neighborhoods (macro-level)
Philosophical or conceptual framework	The focus is on child/adolescent stages of life and how one adapts/copes with adversity in healthy or unhealthy ways.
Strengths of theory	“Offering predictive and explanatory constructs relative to healthy development in the face of adversity” (Turner, 2017, p. 160).
Limitations of theory	Practitioners have a tendency “overstep” its application/use, which can potentially have unintentional negative consequences for the client.
Common criticisms	The tendency for some to see resilience as something we can control/have power over. An example of this could be an abused spouse being asked “Why don’t you just leave,” turning the victim into the culprit.
When and with whom it would be appropriate to use the theory/model	People suffering from substance abuse issues (SUD) would be one example of an appropriate population. Many people with SUD often define themselves by their past failures and have low self-esteem because of this mindset. Overcoming this disease (obstacle) and coming to understand that recovery is possible, in my opinion, is why this theory would be effective.
Consistency of theory/model with social work principles	“Resiliency theory shares with life span theory the excellent fit with social work values (person-in-environment), while avoiding the cultural, class and gender biases that have been noted in life span theory” (Smith-Osborne, 2007, p. 162).
Identification of goodness of fit with ethical principles	Relationship with the person (NASW, 2020) is one of the core principles the resilience theory is grounded in.
Ways in which theory/model informs research methods	Assessments focus on how adversity is dealt with, more importantly than the adversity itself.
Implications for social work practice	“The social worker seeks to ‘cheer on’ positive processes that they observe in a scenario” (Turner, 2017, p. 450). Resilience theory refocuses the individual, group, or community to positive possibilities/outcomes rather than staying “stuck” in a negative outlook.

Analysis of Theory Worksheet

Name of theory	Crisis Theory
Author or founder	Erich Lindemann & Gerald Caplan – psychiatrists
Historical origin of theory	Developed from 1950 through 1980’s. Incorporated multiple disciplines including psychiatry, psychology, community, and public health. Major contributing factor to its development was the observance of soldiers returning from combat in WWII and Korea. (Turner, 2017, p. 118)
Basic assumptions	Revolves around an event leading to a temporary psychological state in which the person experiences disorganization and/or the inability to function.
Underlying assumptions	During a crisis, timely interventions can alleviate/manage them. No interventions can lead to further mental health issues/psychopathologies.
Key concepts	The hazardous event, the vulnerable state, the precipitating factor, the active crisis, and the stage of reintegration.
Foci/unit of analysis	Individual interventions (micro), family/group support (mezzo), and community/complex systems interventions (macro).
Philosophical or conceptual framework	The theory includes using multiple disciplines: psychology, psychiatry, community, and public heslth.
Strengths of theory	Enables social workers to identify environmental stressors in a client’s life and the appropriate interventions that address the five components of a crisis. It helps social workers develop an “enlarged vision of practice that focuses on the strengths and resilience of individuals, communities, and organizations” (Turner, 2017, p. 118)
Limitations of theory	The theory tends to focus on specific moments/events, such as a city devastated by a hurricane. Clients may not have the capacity to reintegrate in healthy/timely ways.
Common criticisms	Can be “myopic” in its focus on building coping styles/skills of the individual to alleviate issues such as emotional distress. Systematic issues that can be the catalyst for psychological distress are rarely taken into account.
When and with whom it would be appropriate to use the theory/model	Can be applied to communities and individuals during any crisis. For example, on a macro level, Hurricane Katrina left thousands homeless and in need of food, water et., along with the emotional devastation of losing their homes/communities. The need for national support (Red Cross, military, etc.,) was essential due to the scale of the crisis and bring New Orleans back to a state of rebuilding and reintegration.
Consistency of theory/model with social work principles	Crisis theory is consistent with social work principles, helping clients/communities focus/draw upon their strengths and resiliency on micro, mezzo, and macro levels.
Identification of goodness of fit with ethical principles	It fits well with the core/ethical principles found in the NASW Code of Ethics. Social workers are called upon to help meet the needs of their clients and remedy/alleviate the client(s) issues.
Ways in which theory/model informs research methods	Research methods focus on capturing human behavior (micro level focus).
Implications for social work practice	A social worker’s education, clinical and organizational training with a “generalist” mindset, helps better prepare them to provide crisis interventions than other disciplines/professionals. Social workers also have the ability to work on micro, mezzo, and macro levels, giving them an added expertise.

fentanyl crisis FACTS...LEARN MORE

Resiliency Theory and Crisis Theory: The Case of Ella Schultz

Map the client’s crisis using the five stages of the crisis.

Client’s Assets and Resources

Analysis of Theory Worksheet

Analysis of Theory Worksheet