Case Studies & Scenarios

We have recently undertaken a study entitled:

Social Work Student Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Culturally Competent Practice with LGBTQ Clients: An Exploratory Study.  The purpose of this study is to evaluate social work student knowledge and attitudes regarding culturally competent practice with LGBTQ clients.

In our survey, we included three vignettes, all reflecting a real scenario encountered by a social worker.  We have included them here as our first discussion on addressing these issues.

We would invite you to provide your thoughts, concerns, special issues you would need to pay attention to in each of the cases presented.  Good luck

Interdisciplinary Care Team

Vignette #1:

You are a social worker at a healthcare agency and you overhear a new patient asking for an appointment for a testosterone injection.  The staff person making the appointment asks why they were having testosterone injections.  The new patient explains they identify as transgender and have begun “transitioning to their correct gender.”  You observe the staff person shaking their head and mumbling something and see the new patient’s facial expression change.  How do you respond to this situation?




Vignette #2:

You are a social worker in an agency that provides services to homeless youth.  Services are provided for young women and young men but in different locations so as to allow separation by sex.  An 18 year old, who identifies herself as a “MTF” transgender person has been kicked out of her home and comes to your agency for services as she has been sleeping on the street for the last two weeks.  Your agency, after initial assessment, decides to refer the client to an agency in California.  An agency supervisor mentions, “They know how to handle these kind of people; we don’t.”  The client is provided a bus ticket, called a cab, and sent on their way.  How would you respond to this situation? 

Vignette #3:

An older gentleman is referred for evaluation of depression following the death of his partner of 20 years. How do you proceed?

Vignette #4:

Two students have been referred to the University Crisis Counseling Center following rapes on campus.  The students are both male.  They state the University police officer who responded at the scene used homophobic slurs to address the victims.  You follow-up and discover the police department has no protocol to address same sex assault.  How do you proceed?