Ace Finn

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Written Interview

Resident Full Name: Ace Finn
Resident Date of Birth: 9 September 1996
Resident Age: 15
Resident Gender: Male
Current Address: 654 Grove Hill Rd.
City/Town: Moira
County/State: Down
Country: Northern Ireland

Resident Hair Colour: Black
Resident Eye Colour: Dark brown
Resident Height: 5'2”
Resident Weight: 97 lbs.
Distinguishing Marks: Birth mark on chin. Many scars, self-inflicted, mostly on forearms and legs.

This Application Is Currently Pending

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• Ace is back! However, he's not quite ready to jump into the fray. Ace is a severe case but I'm concerned that he's not on the right path. Highgrove is a home for children who struggle in foster care or other homes because of their illness. They do take other kids who need help but that isn't their focus. I feel that if Ace's grandparents were willing to send him half way around the world they'd be focusing their attentions on properly staffed institutions and not group homes that employ psychiatrists. Ace wouldn't be receiving the help they seem to be seeking. I feel that if Ace were from England and, when his father lost custody, was put into the English system and sent to live in foster care or a state home he'd be perfect for Highgrove.
  
  

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Resident Information & Assignments

Resident Full Name: Ace Finn
Resident Age: 15
Resident Gender: Male
Known Diagnoses: Major Depressive Disorder

Dormitory Number: 2
Bunk Number: 02 Top
Assigned Chores Group: Stables Chores
Assigned Therapist: Dr. Sybil Penhurst

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Therapy Report

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Resident Name: Ace Finn
Therapist Name: Dr. Gunner Bjorgen
Patient Observations: Fairly quiet and unobtrusive body language right up until questioning. Transitioning to hostile and angry.
Therapy Report: Implicated by Ms. Williams in the matter of a joking conversation about suicide reputedly held amongst a number of the residents. When questioned as to why he was at Highgrove he answered that he was not wanted, and that he had tried to get away. He was further prompted by being asked if any of his own doings had brought him here, to which he exploded angrily and retorted that the question was implying guilt and that he was not guilty. Subconscious guilt issues are apparent.
Notes: Medication recommended.

Prescription Ammendment

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Resident Name: Ace Finn
Reporting Staff Name: Dr. Gunner Bjorgen

Prescription & Directions: 25mg Paroxetine to be given by mouth with evening meal.

Therapist Change

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Resident Name: Ace Finn
Reporting Staff Name: Dr. Maxwell Rose
Notes: Patient's therapist has been changed from Dr. Sybil Penhurst to me, Dr. Maxwell Rose.

Therapist Change

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Resident Name: Ace Finn
Reporting Staff Name: Dr. Maxwell Rose
Notes: Patient's therapist has been changed from me, Dr. Maxwell Rose, to Dr. Mathias Savage.

Therapy Report

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Resident Name: Ace Finn
Therapist Name: Dr. Maxwell Rose
Patient Observations: Ace entered the group room without a word and took a seat beside me, his hands in his lap. For most of the session he was quiet and kept to himself. However, after he'd been called on and gave his answers a sort of back and forth started with him and another resident, Keziah Biard. They were mouthing words to each other but stopped when I threatened to place them at the wall.
Therapy Report: The topic was feelings and the children were instructed to tell me how they felt. No topic was given because I wanted them to be honest. Ace said he was tired at sad. When asked why he was sad he asked why it mattered and went on to say that he didn't want to talk about it. He added 'especially not in front of people.' Ace was asked to stay after the session and I asked him again why he was sad. He said "had a horrendous last few years" and that was why he was sad. I pressed a little more, asking him to describe his feelings in way aside from just sad. He told me how he felt like part of him was ripped off but was struggling to find anymore words. When I asked him to try talking about it more and putting his feelings into words he began to get very upset, saying that thinking about it only made it hurt more. I told him that if he smashed down the feelings he was having that they would hurt worse every time. I told him that it would have to hurt before it got better. He seemed to agree with this but I'm not convinced.

At the end of the session I spoke about honesty, trying to make the children understand that by being honest with their therapists and the staff that they stood a chance to leave Highgrove and live their life. Ace did not respond to the option to add anything to what he'd said but muttered something when he was asked to stay behind.
Notes: Ace needs to be forced to confront the feelings on the death of his mother and how he carries his guilt. Further sessions with his therapist should focus on this and he should not be allowed to not talk about it. I've asked Ace to speak with his therapist or myself about his feelings on his mother's death every so often, hoping that the more he confronts it the easier it'll be to talk about. He's not dealing with it at all and so when the feelings come up he spirals. I recommend Ace begin taking an antidepressant as well.

I also believe that Ace and Keziah's interactions be monitored closely and that they should be split up when possible. In a controlled environment I'd like to have both sit down and get to the root of the obvious issues the two have with each other.

Therapy Report

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Resident Name: Ace Finn
Therapist Name:Dr. N. Zvarich
Patient Observations: Quiet, composed, faced the floor when not addressed generally quiet and respectful throughout.
Therapy Report: The topic was "why don't you belong here?" As many of the residents believe they have been wrongfully committed and desire to be released or to go home. The purpose of this topic was to gauge the level of self-awareness each student possess on their current mental state and to see if, during their stay at Highgrove, they have gathered any insight on their condition(s). Mr. Finn did not engage the disruptive conduct of Miss. St. John or Mr. Schram, he tried to comfort Mr. Brideston, who arrived at first brooding, and then beacame highly agitated near the session's end. He was both well behaved and compassionate during the session.

Notes: Nothing new to report. To reiterate the sentiments of Dr's Bjorgen and Rose, Ace needs to confront his feelings of loneliness, subconscious guilt and depression concerning the loss of his mother.

Therapy Report

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Resident Name: Ace Finn
Therapist Name: Dr. N. Zvarich
Patient Observations: Stifling a laugh upon arrival, joined in minor disruption, left with hands shoved in pockets, clearly frustrated.
Therapy Report: This was another open ended session, the topic wasWhat are your plans once you are no longer residents of Highgrove House, and Why. The purpose of this exercise was to get the residents thinking about about their futures and perhaps begin to take stock of their lives, to see the connects between where they are now, the cause and effect relationship of their actions and those outcomes, and where they wish to be once released from Highgrove house. The reactions were varying degrees of hostility, deflection, transference, and pessimism. None of them seemed willing or able to make the necessary connection between there actions, however small, and the resulting referral to Highgrove. They seemed extremely comfortable in the belief they are utterly powerless, completely disenfranchised victims of circumstance

Mr. Finn's initial response was that he would likely not do anything, when asked to elaborate he claimed he did not need plans because "I'm only fifteen". when asked further he apologised and said he had never though about it. When Mr. MacKenna began his short speech, Ace agreed that they(Residents of Highgrove and youths in general) did not need to have plans. He asked a few questions of miss Lark during her answer about future plans.

Notes: Mr. Finn is becoming minimally participatory in sessions, and his file notes are proving this, he needs to be challenged to function within a group session instead of hiding behind silence.

Therapy Report

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Resident Name: Ace Finn
Therapist Name: Solomon Halsley and Madeline Adele
Patient Observations: Ace seemed to be very shy, and showed pain and sympathy for Keziah’s story. He shared a quote from To Kill A Mockingbird, one which reminded him of his mother.
Therapy Report: This was a group session aimed to discuss the children’s favorite books, and to discuss what made these books special to each child.
Notes: Ace seemed to be very quiet and well mannered, and was pleasant in the session.

Therapy Report

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Resident Name: Ace Finn
Therapist Name: Dr. Maxwell Rose
Patient Observations: Ace entered the room with his arms folded tightly over himself and quickly took the open seat beside me. When one of the other residents greeted the group Ace was the only to respond, waving back and saying 'hey'. Ace was uncomfortable through most of the session, I suspect due to the nature of the topic, but he did speak at length when questioned. In fact he was the only one to give an in depth answer and one of the few who did not need to be asked to expand on their answer. He was soft spoken for the rest of the session and as the group began to speak over each other I only caught bits of what Ace said. He was dismissed with the rest of the group.
Therapy Report: The topic today was family and while I had not concrete plan, I was interested in the reactions of the residents to the subject. It was a sensitive subject for them all. When Ace was asked to define family he was the only one to entertain the concept that family is more than a blood relation. He said that you can choose who you call family, be they actual relatives or close friends. I was pleasantly surprised by Ace's response to the question. Given his issues with his mother and his suicidal tendencies I had expected a more grim answer. Ace has made some progress with me so I hope that his outlook on family and friends will aid him in his recovery. When asked if he had anyone in his life he'd consider to be family he said no. This also surprised me given to optimism of his answer. It sounded like he was speaking from experience. I asked if he had anyone he was close to and he said that Nate (I assume Nathaniel Schram) were best friends.

As I came around to the end of questioning the topic turned to why the kids were there. I asked by show of hands who would prefer to go back to their old life or stay at Highgrove. Ace raised his had to go back to his old life but if he gave a reason, I did not hear it over the others talking.
Notes: Future therapies should still focus on his mother but I believe that Ace is making progress. His answers to the questions tell me that he is capable of moving on from the tragedies and finding a new group to call family.

Therapy Report

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Resident Name: Ace Finn
Therapist Name: Dr. Matthias Savage
Patient Observations: Ace seemed nervous entering the session. He seemed a bit distracted in the beginning. After initial questioning he became emotional, and defensive, but ultimately cooperative.
Therapy Report: As this was the first session with Mr. Finn and myself, I began by asking him how he was settling into Highgrove. I also asked him how he was getting along with his peers. He replied that he was having trouble sleeping and that he’d made a friend. He explained that he hadn’t slept properly since his mother’s death. I asked Ace to tell me about his mother. His response was both emotional and defensive: "What? I... why? Are you fucking kidding me?"... "I don't... I don't even know you! Why--?"

After explaining to Ace that talking about his mother would be a positive step in dealing with his depression, as opposed to his failed suicide attempts, he agreed to give it a try. I suggested that he keep a journal and he agreed to write things in his journal that he would allow me to see, while maintaining some privacy.
Notes: Ace needs to deal with his feelings of guilt and grief in regards to his mother, that much is obvious. I believe that I am on the road to developing a trust with him that may make the therapy process a bit easier.

Therapy Report

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Resident Name: Ace Finn
Therapist Name: Dr. Matthias Savage
Patient Observations:Ace entered the session seemingly in deep thought. He also seemed disappointed that I was running the group session.
Therapy Report: The topic of the session was regret. My intent was to ask each resident to disclose something they have done that they regret. The majority of the residents in attendance were dismayed by the topic of discussion. When I asked him what he’d done that he regretted his response was: “I…regret…Not making her stay home…because…I…” This, of course, was in regards to his mother.
Notes:Ace’s attempt to verbalize his regret about his mother is a positive step towards him dealing with issues. I will continue to work with him in subsequent individual sessions.

Nathanial Schram wrote:

Therapy Report

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Resident Name: Ace Finn
Therapist Name:Dr. N. Zvarich
Patient Observations: Arrived on time, smiled at facilitator(insincere response)smirked when Mr. Masterson entered, was quiet and compliant during the session, seemed unable and unwilling to discuss the topic further.
Therapy Report: The topics were Power and Control and how the perceptions of having or lacking either has effected the lives and behaviors of the group. Many of the residents here have issues with maintaining the illusion of or struggling under the lack of either power, control, or both. The topic moved into the subset of Power and control in Relationships through a discussion started by Mr. Masterson and Miss Bryne.
Ace was not willing or able to articulate much in session, his replies reflected this, when Bryne and Masterson began to disagree he turned his attention to Mr. Westwood sharing a smile and obviously flirting. He stated once the session touched on relationship, "I think in a good relationship, there isn't... well, a power struggle. Like, I think people, friends or otherwise, should coexist more than fight, I guess." He had nothing further to offer to the session.

Notes: Mr. Finn is becoming more participatory in sessions, and his file notes are proving this. Though he needs to be challenged to function within a group session instead of hiding behind confusion, and considering the note found, his relationships with other male residents should be monitored for sexual activity which is strictly prohibited for residents.