Shameless show psychology

Running head: Case Summary 1

Case Summary 7

Case summary of Fiona

Joslynn McNeish-Edgerton

Liberty University

Client History

Fiona Gallagher is the eldest child to a low-class family residing within the Southside of Chicago. Fiona is currently 24 years old. Her parents, Monica and Frank Gallagher, are both alcoholics struggling with their own mental health illness. The mother of the family is mentally ill thus abandoning her children leaving the father who consequentially neglects his fatherly role. Monica has been clinically diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder; she spent most of Fiona’s childhood in mental hospitalized and refuses to take her medication. Frank, who has been involved in the legal system several times for fraud, continues to drink, even after obtaining a new liver. Monica and Frank had six children: Fiona, Lip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam. The relationships between the children and the parents are estranged due to the long history of substance abuse. The family is poor and believes it’s only through alcohol that their pressure can be relieved. All the member of the family has their individual flaws all presumably, as a result of large quantity alcohol consumption.

At the age of 6, Fiona was left in a car for several days with her siblings; Fiona is typically left with most of the responsibilities. This caused her to become a foster child. Throughout her childhood, Fiona and her siblings were removed from the home several times. She has to quit school and do manual jobs to ensure that her brothers and sister do not lack food on the table. Fiona’s family has survived with both parents and six siblings.

In a closer reference to Fiona, following her father’s drunkard nature, Fiona is left in position of child-rearing for her younger siblings. Frank Gallagher doesn’t have any responsible over the family, rendering Fiona the guardian role. Fiona struggling to make ends meet for herself and the family through her jobs. This is due to Fiona’s lack of education. By assuming the parental role, she makes sure everyone has eaten; the siblings attend schools and are out of the troubles in their upbringing. She shifted from job to job in an attempt to raise adequate money for herself and the family.

Later on, Fiona is depicted as making out with her high school friend, Craig, who married to Lucy. She slept with Craig and hen Lucy learnt of it, she is angered and chases Fiona through the streets while carrying her baby in a basket. Fiona is however an unapologetic most so on an occasion when Lucy threw a chocolate at her when she was with Debbie shopping.

She is again depicted as a family lady who moves in to rescue her siblings who were at the social services office even though her boss was only willing to let her a day off in exchange for sex. She maneuvers out a way and later on listens to the tape at the offices just to realize it was her father ,Frank, who had made the call. She decided to take a legal action against her father for his deeds

Fiona later on met Mike, her boss, but again ruins their relationship despite cautious talks by Mike as being against likes that comes in relationships. Fiona jeopardizes this agreement when she repeatedly sleeps with Robbie, Mike’s brother. Robbie against all odds informed Mike of the secret affair between him and his wife, Fiona. Fiona is angered and doesn’t accept Robbie’s gift of cocaine when Fiona as celebrating her birthday. Fiona however left the coffee on the table leading to its consumption by Liam who is hospitalized. This led to Fiona’s arrest and a bail of cash set to let her free. It’s Mike who settled the fine to rescue Fiona.

After several months outside relationship, Fiona is getting her ups together and leading a happy life, she however messes up again. She decided to date Gus, ho as a friend to the real guy, the musician that Fiona had set out to meet after realizing the guy as actually having a girlfriend. The to, Fiona and Gus, decided to wed within one week of meeting a subject that makes Fiona keep the marriage a secret for the first few days.

When Jimmy returns, again Fiona sleeps with him though she confesses to Gus; their relationship is not okay further weakening it. At this point, her flirting nature with the boss is growing into love and she actually can’t make up her mind on the three guys.

Fiona’s youngest brother, Carl, who had started selling cocaine realized that most of his friends died from using it and another one is shot in the neighborhood. He decided to quit. He stopped peddling the cocaine from the leader of the cartel and started attending school. He needed to get away from the drugs and substance abuse.

Debbie, younger sister, who was now pregnant from his school boyfriend learns to be responsible. She realizes that life is not easy with an extra mouth to feed. She looks for a job and this is supposed to distract her from abusing drugs. The drug abuse subsides and she comfortably takes care of the child. Though young, she gets married to ensure she does not do any ill.

Fiona bought a Laundromat with a loan and later sold it making numerous profits. Her mother, Monica, died and Fiona is resistant to shed a tear for her mother abandoned them at an early age.

Ian, second oldest brother, realized that he is gay after having an encounter with one of the friends and starts sleeping with other men too. He becomes a stripper in order to earn money. Due to his erractic behavior, kidnapping a neighbor’s child, and being hospitalized, he was eventually diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, like his mother. Fiona is often in charge of making sure Ian takes his medication and stays out of trouble.

Presenting Problems

With reference to the TV series, Shameless, the society is faced with the challenge of addiction and alcoholism both the parents and children. Major causes of these ills are genetic inheritance, family history, the environment, sociocultural beliefs and behavior, among other factors. The family is faced with poverty and they all believe drug abuse is the only way out of the mess.

The society, particularly the family, has been implicated as being faced by several social vices. These vices, to some extent, have consequentially resulted into family break ups and largely disintegration of the society. Among the major social ills that pose threat to the family and the society at large are drug and substance abuse, prostitution, theft, and burglary.

Fiona is depicted as a lady who enjoys dancing and drinking with her friend, Veronica her neighbor. She was at one time busted by her younger sibling in possession of cocaine. This lifestyle of drinking was adopted by Fiona following the pressure mounted on her from the responsibilities and her personal relationship life. Being jarred into in possession of cocaine resulted into her house arrest.

Despite the struggles Fiona makes to provide for the family, she is also a drug addict. This is probably due to too much pressure she is undergoing after assuming the fatherly role of their siblings as well as battling with her personal relationship. Her younger brother bumped into her stash of cocaine leading to her house arrest.

Fiona in order to quit drinking and immoral sexual behavior she starts a washing machine business which she bought from an old woman. She is doing the job together with waiting in a hotel in the same street. This keeps her busy and the drinking and the sleeping around subside. She asks everyone in the family to be more responsible and get some money every morning which they have to use for their daily need and savings.

Lip goes to rehab where he is supposed to change his drinking and drug taking habits. He goes there with the help one of his professors who he helped in class work with students. He goes to rehab and comes back a changed man. He applies for a job at the University where he had earlier been dismissed. He does not get the position but does not give up. He goes and asks Fiona to employ him since she is now the manager of the hotel where was waiting.

The siblings begin to do the right things and the drinking and drug abuse subsides. Each of them gets a stable partner. Where Fiona starts dating one man and this stops her from sleeping around which is caused by the drugs that she takes. She quits smoking for some time, now that she has a responsible man who she planned to marry. Lip on the other hand quit alcohol too. He is occupied with helping the sister in the hotel. They start a normal life free of drugs all over again. But for how long?

Alcohol has kept the society in a situation that the elder could not mold the younger siblings into sensible behavior. Drug abuse has blindfolded the Gallaghers into believing that it’s the only way out of their poverty. They have reached a point that they can’t resort to other ways of rectifying their poverty states. They are presented as having no thoughts of other people who are poorer than they are. To them, alcoholism is the only way out.