Social Policy Freshman

Social Policy by a Freshman

I loved the diverse group in this class this quarter.  Professor Palma, I want to thank you for all that you have done for me this quarter.   As I once said “a person’s actions are indicative of their character” yours is a great. 
I gained knowledge much in the way an agency works. I still have trouble calling a patient a, client, and a subject,   a consumer.  It seems a person shops for the kind of treatment that they can afford.  So I feel as if clients will   get only what they pay for when I hear the term “consumer” used like the controversial “Obama Care”.
  I learned not to be impulsive in the way I would react to a client.  I did also note that after reading some of my classmates postings there still prejudice I n an abstract sense.  I would love to think of all of us as American’s not Latin-Americans, Asia-American’s, African-American’s, “JUST” plain old American’s.  We must unify and become one country and one people. Looking and focusing on clients based on our ancestors race and culture is wrong in my mind but I also got some traditions and cultural baggage that can affect a person’s behavior. I believe the sooner everything is forgotten the sooner we will heal.  We need to move forward not dwell in the past.
.  
What can you do during the final few weeks and in the final meeting with your client to support them in the major transition they are experiencing as they terminate services?
I would point out all the positive improvements of the client and let the client understand they can begin to become more independent and graduate them from the treatment or program. This would give the client a feeling of achievement and successful accomplishment.   I would ask if I could follow up in so many months or even a year to see how they are doing and let them know the agency is always there to help in the future with any new issues and barriers they may come up against.
  What special cultural issues should you consider...