SOCIAL WORKER INTERN COURTNEY HARDWICK & DAVID VIDEO SCRIPT
Social Worker: Hi, David.
Social Worker: How are you doing today?
David: Fine, I guess.
Social Worker: Do you have any plans this weekend that you’re
Looking forward to?
David: I don’t know. I got some new Legos
for my birthday, so I get to build those.
Social Worker: Okay. Do you build Legos a lot?
David: Yeah, I have a lot of Legos.
Social Worker: Okay. What’s your favorite
thing you’ve ever built?
David: I got a big robot fortress
set for Christmas, and it was cool, and then I made it into
like a big tank thing.
Social Worker: Okay, nice. Well, it sounds like you’re going to
have a pretty fun weekend. So, what can I help you with today?
David: Well, there’s these guys, right? And they are always
making fun of me and they’re saying
I have bad breath. Smell bad stuff like that.
Social Worker: I see. Can you tell
me more about that?
David: Yeah. They just always
say I smell bad, my breath is really bad, and when I open my mouth, they pretend like
They’re fainting because it smells so bad. And just laughing at me and
giving me weird looks.
Social Worker: How does that make you feel?
David: I don’t know. Just frustrated, I guess, it feels like
whatever I do, they make fun of it, so I
can’t do anything right.
Social Worker: Okay. I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds upsetting.
David: Yeah, it just feels
like everyone’s just laughing and I never
really get the joke.
Social Worker: What do you mean by it that you never really get the joke?
David: Well, they always reference a TV show or a song
that I don’t know. I just don’t understand
their jokes and I feel like they’re always making fun of me somehow because
I don’t get it.
Social Worker: It sounds maybe
like you’re saying it’s hard to connect
with your peers. Does that sound right?
David: I guess so.
Social Worker: Well, David, I have to tell you, I’m really glad that
you came to see me and talk to me about this.
You know what it tells me? It tells me that you have
some great strengths. I know it isn’t always easy to talk about
stuff like this. And your willingness
to do that shows me that you’re able to take action when you know something is wrong and
you’re able to ask for help. And you know what else, I bet
you’re pretty creative. I guess.
I have to ask. What are you hoping will come
out of this conversation?
David: I don’t know. I just wish they would stop
messing with me, I guess.
Social Worker: Okay. Well, here’s
what I can do. I can talk to the boys who
are giving you a hard time if you want to tell
me who they are. They don’t have to
know that you said anything. What do you
think about that?
David: I don’t know. I guess I
don’t want them to figure it out and then just.
have the mess with me more.
Social Worker: Okay. We can think.
about it some more. Another thing is.
you and I could get together maybe once a
week or every other week. And we could talk about
how things are going, work on skills to just deal with everything
that’s going on for you. I think it could.
help you in responding to your classmates.
How does that sound?
David: Maybe, I don’t know. Are you going to tell my
parents about all this?
Social Worker: Pretty much anything we talk about is confidential.
It stays between us. However, if you tell
me something that you’re doing that is illegal, like using drugs or
drinking alcohol, I’d have to report that. I’d also have to
report if you tell me that you are planning.
on hurting yourself or somebody else or being hurt at home. I’ll let you know. If I have to tell
someone about something that you’ve told me,
Does that all make sense?
David: Yeah, I guess.
Social Worker: Okay. So, what do you think? Would you like to come back and talk again in a week or two?
David: Sure, that’s fine.
Social Worker: Great! Okay. My job is to do my best to help you feel
comfortable and confident so you have a positive
experience here at school and with your peers. I want you to
succeed and thrive. Thanks for being willing to come back. I look forward to
speaking with you again.
