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| How Do I Advise Them? / Что им посоветовать? |
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| Read
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You are one of a group of social workers at a neighborhood counseling center in a run-down section of Newark, New Jersey. Every day several people of different backgrounds stop in to tell you their problems and seek your advice on personal matters. You are paid by the state government to do everything within your power to solve their problems; however, you rarely have to leave your office. Today, five people with pressing problems have dropped in for advice.
Consider
1. You must be extremely careful with your advice; statistics have shown that most people follow the counselor's advice.
2. Be as clear and reasonable as possible.
3. The problems will be told in the speakers' own words.
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| Decide and Write
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Advice Seeker 1: Lisa Sanchez (age 26)
"Cockroaches, rats, a broken toilet, bad wiring, a leaky ceiling: You can't believe what junky condition my apartment is in. This morning, my three-year-old daughter had rat bites all over her legs — I just can't take it anymore! I've complained to the manager and landlord a thousand times. They always promise to fix the place - but they never do anything. Other tenants in the building have the same problems, but no lawyer wants to work for a bunch of poor people. I've looked everywhere for another place for my family to live — there isn't anywhere as cheap. What should I do?"
Advice: ______________________________
Advice Seeker 2: Herbert Jackson (age 49)
"I just don't know what to do anymore. My son Jimmy has just been arrested for the third time and is in jail. The first time it wasn't too bad, only shoplifting, but this time he broke into a man’s store and stole a TV. He’s only 17 years old, and I’ve tried everything. We’ve taken him to a psychologist, we’ve talked to him hundreds of times, but nothing seems to work. He’s our only child, and it’s just about to drive us crazy. Please help me. What can I do?"
Advice: ______________________________
Advice Seeker 3: Charlotte Tucker (age 36)
"I really need some help. I know my husband is seeing other women, but I can’t do anything about it. I would divorce him tomorrow if I could, but I have four young children to take care of. I never finished high school, so I don’t feel I have enough education to get a decent job. That’s why I have to stay with my husband — for financial support. The more I see him, the more I hate him, but what can I do?"
Advice: ______________________________
Advice Seeker 4: Jill Smith (age 14)
"My boyfriend and I have been going together for six months. Yesterday, I found out that I’m pregnant. I told him and thought he’d be happy, but he said he didn’t want to see me anymore and that I should get an abortion. I don’t really want to get an abortion, but I’m not sure I could support myself and a baby if I quit high school. I haven’t told my foster parents yet because I’m so scared; they might send me back to the foster child agency or something. What should I do?"
Advice: ______________________________
Advice Seeker 5: Mary Nathan (age 81)
"Ever since my husband died three years ago, I’ve been living with my son and his wife and their two children. They live in a three-bedroom apartment three blocks from here. We’ve always gotten along well before now; they’ve given me a room and meals, and I’ve given them some of my Social Security check each month. But last night we had a big argument. My daughter-in-law said it was getting too hard to take care of me and they were going to put me in a nursing home. My son agreed with her and said he was going to make arrangements for me to leave at the end of the month. What am I going to do? I don’t have enough money to get an apartment alone, I don’t have any friends, and I’ll kill myself before I’ll let them take me to a nursing home."
Advice: ______________________________
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| Extend
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1. Surprisingly, only 3% of Americans over 65 years of age are in nursing homes, and that percentage is decreasing. Why do you think there is such a misconception about the number of Americans in nursing homes?
2. On the other hand, the number of teenage pregnancies in the U.S. is dramatically increasing. Give three possible reasons for this trend.
3. One U.S. state (Minnesota) has passed a law making the parents of a teenager financially responsible for any children the teenager has. Do you think that this is a wise law? Explain.
4. Another alarming social trend in the U.S. is an increasing divorce rate — a trend that the U.S. shares with most other countries. What do you think is behind the worldwide divorce epidemic?
5. Are psychological and social counselors necessary to twentieth century society? What did people who had problems do before the occupations of psychologist and social worker existed?
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