Dr. Samuel Hickson

I am sorry to hear that your son is being bullied. That is very hard to deal with. To answer your question, conversations between the school social worker and the student are confidential unless the social worker feels there is a danger to the student or someone else. This is mainly due to the need to maintain a relationship with the student, who might be reluctant to share if the student thinks the social worker will say everything. With that being said, the social worker should have a conversation with the student about sharing this information with you to build his support structure or speak with the student about bringing you into a session to discuss his experience. It can certainly be frustrating when you are kept in the dark, but social workers, among other professionals, are very stern regarding confidentiality.

I am sorry to hear about your daughter's experience. To answer your question, I say without a doubt and 100% certainty that you should speak with your daughter's school social worker. Social Workers are great advocates for the well-being of others, especially young people, and can often help with developing coping skills or, in this case, conflict resolution. With the rise of depression and suicidality in teens, I would say that speaking with the school social worker is absolutely necessary, and I would even encourage outside therapy as well. The caveat to this is that it is often essential to prepare your daughter that you are going to speak with the school social worker so that she can be a part of the process every step of the way. It will be her choice whether she opens up to the social worker, but at the very least, she does not feel blindsided by your decision.

Thank you for the question. Foster care can pose many challenging problems for children largely due to the instability that often comes with foster care and the traumatic precursors that lead to the placement in foster care. Because of this, children in foster care often experience adverse childhood events that impact their overall mental and behavioral health. Furthermore, there has been a great deal of research published on the negative consequences of foster care on a child's mental health. While I understand that I am "watering" down the answer as there are many factors that go into what impacts a person's psyche, the simpliest answer is yes, foster care can be bad for a child's mental health.

That is a very tough situation. Your question is difficult to answer because many factors are at play in family court. In Nevada, it is unlikely that one parent will receive full custody of their children. Even if there are allegations that one parent might be irresponsible, I have had cases where the allegations were founded, and still, joint custody was the deciding factor. I would say that it has been scarce where I have seen one parent receive full custody, and in those cases, there was a clear termination of parental rights on the part of the opposing parent. In Nevada, the courts prefer joint custody. If you feel that your wife is "irresponsible," you must prove that she is an unfit parent. If you have not already done so, the best recommendation is to speak with a family attorney specializing in divorce proceedings and child custody. You will most assuredly get a better sense of what your chances are.

I would recommend getting your son therapy. Sometimes, children communicate in other ways than just talking, and your son might be telling you how he feels in a way that doesn't involve words. Seeking help from a therapist who works with children can unlock your son's emotions and help him cope while also bringing together the parents to understand how to parent in this difficult time, should the therapist feel that is necessary. I would highly recommend seeking therapy for your son.

It is absolutely fine to bring forward your concerns about what you notice and believe to be the connection to school. School social workers and psychologists, if the school has them, play a pivotal role in detecting mental health challenges faced by students. They also operate as a resource within the school to help while your children are at school. If you feel like your son is having issues at school, such as bullying, it is 100% appropriate to voice those and get an understanding of resources that can be utilized within the school.

Absolutely. Many social workers have a clinical license that allows them to perform therapy. Some states call it an LCSW, and others call it LICSW. The social worker can help your son process his depressive feelings and work with him to build coping skills to manage his depression and find acceptance of his limitations. But also, they can help your son look at his life for the things he can still do while living with his condition. So, absolutely. A social worker can help him.

That question is not easy to answer with the information provided but I will give it a shot. A social worker might be able to assist in two ways. Many social workers have a clinical license, which allows them to offer therapy for your daughter to process her emotions related to the divorce. That assumes your daughter may have negative feelings about the divorce. The second way is more of a case management role. In having a divorce, that might have diminished the resources that the other party may have brought. Social workers in this capacity can help you and your daughter get connected to resources that you might need. Such resources might include a support group if needed. So there are many ways that a social worker could help her. It depends on what kind of help you are looking for.

That is an excellent question. It would depend on the type of social worker that your son's school has. The school social worker can identify problematic behavior and find its underlying cause. However, you would want a Licensed Clinical Social Worker or even the school psychologist (if there is one) to evaluate for behavior driven by mental health disorders. Once the origins of the behavior are identified, a mental health professional, whether a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, or Psychologist, can work with your son to modify the behavior. These professionals may involve other para-professionals for behavioral training, which I also recommend. But to your question, yes, social workers may be able to help your son's behavior.

Thank you for your question. Your question is more complex to answer. Technically, since mom is receiving care from the granddaughter, abuse is not really happening. Your friend's position is one of moral grounds, as one might argue that she should care for her mother. However, most state laws do not stipulate who should provide care; rather, they stipulate that vulnerable persons should receive care. Now, if the granddaughter is not providing adequate care, and no one is stepping in to help, then yes, it would be considered elder abuse under the neglect of a vulnerable person. I always recommend airing on the side of caution; if you think the individual is not getting the adequate care they need, you can always file a report with your state's adult protective services agency and let them investigate if the case meets the burden of investigation. However, based on what you have shared in your question, technically, abuse is not going on because the vulnerable person is getting care.

I hope this answers your question.