The Case of Jalisa

Trigger Warning: Dating Violence, Possible Child Abuse.

Jalisa is a 16 year old junior at a local high school. She comes into your office after school and asks to talk to someone. She is wearing a head scarf in such a way that it covers what appears to be a badly bruised eye. She is very upset and after a few minutes discloses that she may be pregnant. She tells you that her boyfriend “freaked” when she told him and that he hit her. She says that he didn’t mean anything by it and that he only acts this way “when she upsets him.” She tells you that her parents are deeply religious and that she hasn’t even told them that she had a boyfriend. Furthermore, she is afraid to tell her parents about the pregnancy because her father may become angry and “discipline” her. She asks you to help her get an abortion.

1. Using the NASW Code of Ethics, what are the ethical considerations you have to make in this scenario?

2. Referring to Exhibit 1.1-3 of SAMSHA (2016b, p. 16) How might Jalisa’s response to these PTEs (Potentially Traumatic Events) be influenced by:

Individual Factors
Interpersonal Factors
Community/Organizational (School) Factors
Societal Factors
Cultural and Developmental Factors
Period of Time in History
3. Construct a list of Jalisa’s strengths and supports. How did you determined them (a.k.a. evidence). How might you utilize these strengths/supports to address the factors identified above?

4. Utilizing these strengths/supports, the 4 R’s and the 6 Key Principles of a Trauma-Informed Approach (SAMSHA, 2016a pp 9-11) How would you proceed in a trauma-informed manner?