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Sam from South Africa to see whether a different school placement would be appropriate . The grandmother remained concerned for both Sam and the little girl and felt under enormous pressure because she had to look after and feed everyone in her household . Sam subsequently attended two sessions at a community clinic in a town nearby .
Summary of two sessions in 2021
In 2021 , Sam attended two sessions with a counsellor at the community clinic . He spoke Xhosa and very little English : the sessions largely focused on his play because the counsellor understood some Xhosa but could not communicate well with him .
Sam ’ s play was very active and sometimes aggressive ; it often included fights with animals and soldiers that nobody won and that left everyone dead . He liked to draw . He also played with the doll ’ s house , where he rearranged the furniture , walked the dolls up and down stairs , and had them cooking and eating . Marbles was his favourite game : he showed the counsellor how he played with his friends . He arrived in his school uniform ; he did not wear socks with his shoes , and had painted some of his nails with what looked like paint ( rather than nail polish ). He liked to play in silence . He needed to leave the room for the toilet once during the second session after he overheard his grandmother say that she had tried without success to contact Sam ’ s mother . Sam could draw and write his name , and the counsellor did not find him to be ‘ slow ’. He missed one session between the two he attended , and then never re-appeared ; both his grandmother and mother were hard to reach . The counsellor tried for three weeks without success . Sam ’ s case was classified as “ cold ” before the generic assessment process could be completed or further assistance or referrals sought .
Current status
When we decided to include this case , it proved difficult to reach the social workers . We needed to do so to understand the process at the community clinic , which might throw light on Sam ’ s needs . For clients who cannot afford to pay for psycho-educational assessment , there is a long waiting list . Until it shortens , Sam ’ s case will continue to be managed through referrals and professional liaison .