Human Service Assignment 3

Sarah Harris, your supervisor at the pretrial diversion program where you are interning, obtains a case that she asks you to work on independently. The case involves Cindy Bichman, a mentally ill, homeless 38-year-old woman who has not showered in many weeks. She is hungry because she has not eaten in several days. Her mental illness is not under control because she is not taking any medication nor is she under the treatment of a psychiatrist because she does not know where to go, and she has no means of financial support. Therefore, her behavior is considered bizarre by those who do not know or understand her plight. She spends her days roaming downtown panhandling. She has a history of obtaining food at homeless shelters as well as sleeping in these shelters when the weather necessitates it. On one particular day, she steals some bread from a local convenient store. The clerk contacts the police, and Ms. Bichman is arrested and taken to county jail. She is eventually released to the pretrial diversion program and assigned to Ms. Harris, who in turn, gives the case to you.

Ms. Harris tells you that she believes the helping professions of psychiatry and social work need to be involved with Ms. Bichman. She asks you to do the following:

• Identify the core values of the psychiatry profession that would be important in this case, and explain why.
• Identify the core values of the social work profession that would be important in this case, and explain why.
• Use 2 core values from each discipline stated.