SESSIONS CASE HISTORIES
Juan Hernandez
- 27 years old
- Married to wife Elena for 7 years
- Of Puerto Rican descent, and raised and lives in New York City
- Father of two sons, Juan Jr., age 8, and Alberto, age 6
- Works at an airport in the baggage department
- Referred to the Administration for Children Services (ACS) for abuse allegations (for the manner in which he and Elena punish their children)
Elena Hernandez
- 25 years old
- Married to husband Juan for 7 years
- Of Puerto Rican descent, raised and lives in New York City
- Mother of two sons, Juan Jr., age 8, and Alberto, age 6
- Works as a babysitter
- Referred to the Administration for Children Services (ACS) for abuse allegations (for the manner in which she and Juan punish their children)
Juan Hernandez, Jr.
- 8 years old
- Oldest son of Juan (age 27) and Elena (age 25) Hernandez
- Lives with parents and a younger brother in a two bedroom apartment in Queens, NY
- Latino heritage (both parents were born in Puerto Rico)
- Told a school staff member that his parents punish him by making him kneel for hours while holding an encyclopedia in each hand.
Alberto Hernandez
- 6 years old
- Youngest son of Juan (age 27) and Elena (age 25) Hernandez
- Lives with parents and a older brother in a two bedroom apartment in Queens, NY
- Latino heritage (both parents were born in Puerto Rico)
- Parents were referred to the Administration for Children Services (ACS) for abuse allegations (for manner in which she and Juan punish their children)
Sara Parker
- 72-year-old widowed Caucasian female
- Lives in a two bedroom apartment with her single, 48-year-old daughter Stephanie
- Receives treatment for depression and takes the medications, Lexapro and Zyprexa
- Has high blood pressure and hypothyroidism, is slightly underweight, and has begun to show signs of dementia
- Has been compulsively shopping and hoarding items in her home since her daughters were teenagers
- Attends a senior day treatment center several days a week
- Referred to the Adult Protective Services (APS) by a social worker at the senior day treatment center because Sara has displayed increased confusion, has poor attention to daily skills, and complains about arguing with her daughter Stephanie
Stephanie Parker
- 48-year-old single female
- Moved in with her mother, Sara, ten years ago after a failed relationship
- Has bipolar disorder; initially diagnosed at age 16
- Has been hospitalized three times in the past four years for stopping medications and experiencing suicidal ideation
- Works part-time bagging groceries at a supermarket and is training to become a cashier
- Has active Medicare and receives Social Security Disability (SSD)
- Her mother, Sara, was recently referred to the Adult Protective Services (APS) by a social worker at the senior day treatment center because Sara has displayed increased confusion, has poor attention to daily skills, and complains about arguing with Stephanie
Jane Rodgers
- 45-year-old female; married with three children
- Lives 3 hours away from her mother and sister's (Sara and Stephanie Parker's) apartment
- Frustrated with her mother's compulsive shopping and hoarding and unclean, cluttered living conditions
- Assigns her sister's deteriorating mental health to her living with her mother, Sara
- Her mother, Sara, was recently referred to the Adult Protective Services (APS) by a social worker at the senior day treatment center because Sara has displayed increased confusion, has poor attention to daily skills, and complains about arguing with Jane's sister, Stephanie
Eboni Logan
- 16-year-old biracial African American/Caucasian female in the 11th grade
- Is an honors student, runs track, and works part-time at a fast food restaurant
- Lives in an apartment with her mother, Darlene, age 34, and maternal grandmother May, age 55
- Visits her father and stepmother every other weekend
- Four months ago, began dating Darian, a 17-year old African American male and high school student
- Recently discovered she is two months pregnant
- Started meeting with a school social worker to talk about her relatives' conflicting responses to her pregnancy and to discuss her options regarding her pregnancy
May Logan
- 55-year-old African American female
- Lives in an apartment with her daughter Darlene, age 34, and granddaughter Eboni, age 16
- Works as a paraprofessional in an elementary school
- Granddaughter Eboni recently discovered that she is two months pregnant
- Has told Eboni that she will support her whether or not she decides to keep her baby
Darlene Logan
- 34-year-old biracial African American/Caucasian female
- Lives in an apartment with her 16-year-old daughter Eboni and her 55-year-old mother May
- Works as a secretary for a local manufacturing company
- Wants her daughter Eboni, who is two months pregnant, to get an abortion so Eboni can have “a different life than she has had”
Anthony Jennings
- 34-year-old Caucasian male
- Father of four children, including16-year-old Eboni Logan for whom he provides child support
- Married twice, divorced once
- Works as a mechanic
- Daughter Eboni visits him and his wife every other week
- Has told Eboni that she will “go to hell” if she gets an abortion
Darian
- 17-year-old African American male and high school student
- Is a B student, runs on his school's track team, and works a part-time job
- Recently discovered that his girlfriend, 16-year-old Eboni, is pregnant with his child
- Has mixed feelings about Eboni keeping their child but told Eboni that he will support her no matter what she decides
Talia Johnson
- 19-year-old heterosexual Caucasian female
- A college junior with a GPA of 3.89
- Works part-time and exercises regularly
- Lives with two sorority friends in an off-campus apartment about two hours from her family's home
- Has two parents, Dave and Erin, and two younger siblings, Lila and Nathan
- Drinks a few times a week and usually has four to six drinks when she is out with friends
- Was recently sexually assaulted by another student at a fraternity party
- Upon visiting the hospital after her assault, she began meeting with a Rape Counseling Center counselor
- Has a family history of anxiety, and has been experience sleeplessness and anxiety attacks since the assault
Dave Johnson
- 43-year-old married father with three children
- Retired military and currently working for a home security company
- Married to Erin, 40 years old, and the father of Talia, a 19 year old college student, and two younger children, Lila, age 16, and Nathan, age 14
- Has been very angry about his daughter Talia's recent sexual assault and, along with his wife, is pressuring Talia to drop out of school and return home
Erin Johnson
- 40-year-old married mother with three children
- Works at a salon as a hairdresser
- Married to Dave, age 43, and the mother of Talia, a 19-yea- old college student, and two younger children, Lila, age 16, and Nathan, age 14
- Has been very angry about her daughter Talia's recent sexual assault and, along with her husband, is pressuring Talia to drop out of school and return home
Jake Levy
- 31-year-old married Caucasian male with two sons, Myles, age 10, and Levy, age 8
- Lives in a two-bedroom condominium in a middle class neighborhood
- Is a Iraq War Veteran who returned to civilian life 10 months earlier
- Employed as a human resources assistance for the military
- His wife Sheri recently discovered that she is pregnant
- Drinks heavily and has isolated himself from people including his wife and children
- Has begun visiting the Veterans Affairs Health Care Center (VA) because his wife threatened to leave him if he didn't get help. The VA staff diagnosed Jake with PTSD.
Sheri Levy
- 28-year-old Caucasian female married to Jake, an Iraq War Veteran who returned to civilian life 10 months earlier
- Is the mother of two sons, Myles, age 10, and Levy, age 8, and has recently discovered she is pregnant
- Works as a special education teacher in a local elementary school
- Is extremely frustrated with her husband Jake's heavy drinking and detachment from her, their children, and their friends
- Sheri's husband Jake has begun receiving treatment at the Veterans Affairs Health Care Center (VA) because Sheri threatened to leave him if he didn't get help
Tiffani Bradley
- 16-year-old heterosexual Caucasian female
- Recently arrested for prostitution, her third arrest in two years
- Left home at age 14 after repeated incidents of sexual molestation perpetrated by her Uncle Nate, age 36, and his friend Jimmy
- For the past two years has lived with a man named Donald whom she refers to as her husband; Donald recently sold Tiffani to another pimp named John T.
- Estranged from her parents, Robert, age 38, and Sondra, age 33, both heavy substance abusers
- Has a younger sister Diana, age 13
- After Tiffani's recent arrest, she began treatment at a court-mandated teen counseling program for adolescent victims of sexual exploitation
Robert Bradley
- 38-year-old Caucasian male who, for the past year, has been separated from his wife Shondra, age 33
- The father of two daughters, Diana, age 13, and Tiffani, age 16, whom he has not seen for two years and who was recently arrested for prostitution
- Along with his estranged wife Shondra and his brother Nate, became involved in heavy substance abuse that started when his daughter Tiffani was about 8 years old
Shondra Bradley
- 33-year-old Caucasian female who, for the past year, has been separated from her husband Robert, age 38
- The mother of two daughters, Diana, age 13, and Tiffani, age 16, whom she has not seen for two years and who was recently arrested for prostitution
- Along with her estranged husband and his brother Nate, Shondra became involved in heavy substance abuse that started when her daughter Tiffani was about 8 years old
- Lives with a new boyfriend, Anthony, her daughter Diana, and her mother
Donald
- A male pimp who took in Tiffani when she left home at age 14
- Has lived with Tiffani for two years, forcing her into prostitution, and controlling every aspect of her life
- Recently sold Tiffani to another pimp named John T.
Helen Petrakis
- 52-year-old heterosexual female of Greek descent
- Lives in a four bedroom house with her husband John, age 60, and three adult children, son Alec, age 27, and daughters, Dmitra, age 23, and Athina, age 18
- Works full time in the billing department of a hospital
- Serves as the caregiver for her husband's mother, Magda Petrakis, a widow, age 81, who lives in an apartment about 30 minutes from Helen's home
- Began visiting a social worker because she is feeling “blue” and feeling overwhelmed by her family responsibilities
John Petrakis
- 60-year-old male married to Helen, age 52, both of Greek descent
- Lives in a four bedroom house with his wife, Helen, and three adult children, son Alec, age 27, and daughters, Dmitra, age 23, and Athina, age 18
- Works full time managing a grocery store
- Does not expect his children to contribute to the finances or upkeep of the home
- His wife Helen is the caregiver for his elderly mother, age 81, who lives about 30 minutes away and who has some physical limitations and early dementia symptoms
Magda Petrakis
- 81-year-old widow and mother of John, age 60
- Lives in an apartment 30 minutes from her son and daughter-in-law's home
- Daughter-in-law Helen, age 52, takes the responsibility for her care and visits Magda several times a week
- Recently, Helen has allowed her son, Alec, to move in with Magda, and Alec has begun stealing from his grandmother to support a drug habit
Alec Petrakis
- 27-year-old male of Greek descent
- Currently unemployed
- Lives with his parents, John, age 60, and Helen, 52, and sisters, Dmitra, age 23, and Athina, age 18
- Recently moved in with his elderly grandmother promising to help take care of her, but instead, has begun stealing from her to support a drug habit
Dmitra Petrakis
- 23-year-old female of Greek descent
- Works as a sales consultant for a local department store
- Lives with her parents, John, age 60, and Helen, 52, and with a brother, Alex, age 27, and a sister, Athina, age 18
- Has a grandmother, Magda Petrakis, age 81, who lives about 30 minutes from the family home
Athina Petrakis
- 18-year-old female of Greek descent
- Works part time as a hostess at a family friend's restaurant
- Is an honors student at a local college
- Lives with her parents, John, age 60, and Helen, 52, and with a brother, Alex, age 27, and a sister, Dmitra, age 23
- Has a grandmother, Magda Petrakis, age 81, who lives about 30 minutes from the family home
Paula Cortez
- 43-year-old HIV positive, bilingual Latina woman and native of Colombia
- Ran away from home at age 17 and eloped with American born David Cortez
- Lives alone in an apartment in Queens, New York
- Has an ex-husband, David, age 46, and a son, Miguel, age 20, for whom she had to relinquish custody when he was 8 years old
- Became partially paralyzed when she contracted AIDS and receives treatment for bipolar disorder
- Is currently unemployed and receives Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) and Medicaid
- Began visiting a social worker at an outpatient comprehensive care clinic in an acute care hospital in New York City
- Became pregnant six months after starting regular visits with the social worker
David Cortez
- 46-year-old male born in the United States and former husband of Paula Cortez, a 43-year-old Latina female with AIDS
- Eloped with Paula in Colombia and moved to New York City
- Father of Miguel, age 20
- Lives with his current wife and his children from this second marriage
Miguel Cortez
- 20-year-old son of Paula Cortez and her ex-husband, David Cortez
- Has a job and attends school full time
- His mother, Paula, relinquished custody of him when he was 8-years-old due to her poor medical condition