Teresa is scheduled to meet with you this morning. You reflect on the progress she and her children have made as a result of the interventions that you have recommended. With each struggle, Teresa practiced using the problem solving skills that you taught her and, while she was still not able to leave public housing, she would be exited from other public assistance programs today. She reminds you of yourself and your own struggles, and you wonder if you should tell her about your own path. It seems that it would be a good idea to tell her about your story so that she can remain hopeful of continued success. When she knocks on your office door, you excitedly ask her to step in.

She begins to cry and tells you that she is not sure what to do; her family is going to be evicted from public housing and she lost her job. You sit very still, “What happened?” She tells you that she even though the police told her uncle that he had to leave the house, he did not. He has two felony drug convictions and no one with a drug felony is allowed to live in that public housing community. She starts to cry harder and hyperventilate. To help her calm down, you consider telling her your story…

Discussion question:

Utilizing the assigned readings and the web resources answer the following questions:

1.Should you tell Teresa about how you also had to live on public assistance while recovering from a substance abuse problem? After all, you had a worse situation and managed to recover; if she hears your story, she might feel hopeful.

2.What are your next steps to help manage this crisis?

3.What referrals would most likely be added to her new intervention plan?

Part 2:

Review the following TED Talks video on a paradigm shifting perspective on gender violence and then utilizing your critical thinking skills provide your response to the following questions:

Katz, J. (2012, November). Violence against women- it’s a men’s issue [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/jackson_katz_violence_against_women_it_s_a_men_s_issue

1. What is victim blaming?

2. What questions does Jackson Katz suggest are important to ask about gender violence?

3. What is the Bystander Approach Jackson Katz talked about? Identify an example of when you could utilize this approach?

                                                          SAMPLE SOLUTION

During the time of predicaments people often think that they are the only individuals who have gone under difficult times in life; hence convincing one that his/her situation had been managed by another person is unbelievable. It, therefore, requires a practical example. In this situation, I should tell Teresa about my case and assure her that there are people who have undergone similar situation and still find their way out. After understanding my story which was indeed worse than hers, she is able to calm down. The next step is to instill hope in her by give other example of people who have managed a similar situation (Boss, Bryant, & Mancini, 2016). In the next, I would refer her to a therapist who will then advise her on possible ways of managing the short term stress through relaxation while working on the long term solution such as getting a job and managing her life in a stress-free situation.

Part Two

Victim blaming is blaming the person to whom something was done rather than the person who did it (Katz, 2017).

Jackson Katz believe that gender violence is not women’s issues but men’s issue; therefore, there are certain questions of importance that should be asked. The questions include why domestic violence is still a big problem in the US and all over the world. Why do so many men abuse physically, emotionally, verbally, and other ways (Katz, 2017). But most importantly, what is the role of institutions in the society to prevent this menace which has stayed with people for this long.