opportunity to illustrate your competency and ability to apply accurate counseling skills and strategies

Attached Files:

  • Assignment 1 Directions  (22.113 KB)
  • Assignment 1 Rubric  (31.933 KB)

Directions:

This is your opportunity to illustrate your competency and ability to apply accurate counseling skills and strategies that you have learned in module 1 and 2 of the Cook-Cottone, et al., textbook.

For each prompt, develop a concise reaction that is informed from your understanding of the textbook content.

Prompts:1. (2 points). What are the most essential aspects that need to be covered during the first session with a child-client?

2. (5 points). Provide a concise dialogue of how you would explain your confidentiality practices to a parent. Within your dialogue, ensure you use prudent practices that you have learned from chapter 1, the module 1 presentation, and your own research regarding policies in your state.

3. (10 points).  Using the insight gleaned from chapter 1, what are some of the developmental factors to keep in mind when working with children at each developmental level? What can you adjust for each developmental level, in the counseling setting? Which developing level would you be most effective in working with, and why? What developmental level might be challenging or less desirable for you to work with and why?

4. (5 points). Diversity comes in many forms. Counselors should strive to maintain awareness and develop cultural sensitivity and competencies. In the article from module 1 reading, AMCD Multicultural Counseling Competencies, what competency do you need to further develop?  What tangible action steps can you take to nurture that competency?  What people group might be challenging for you to serve and why? What counseling practices would you employ to handle this challenge?

5. (4 points). In chapter 1 of our textbook, topic, See The Big Picture, the experts point out that counselors should discern the differences between problems that are displayed during childhood and adolescence, versus “adult” problems that have earlier onset and are persistent across the life span.  Summarize four learning points from the section of the book, that are relevant to understanding the differences between adolescent behavior, and adult-onset disorders.

6. (12 points). Relevant to chapter 2, good metaphors should be simple, concrete, relevant to the focus of the therapeutic work, and, relate to objects or events that the child is familiar with.

For each of the two metaphoric frameworks below, develop a counselor-generated metaphor to be used with a child client (age 12 or younger) to promote problem solving, explore relationships, to practice self-control or to increasing awareness.

Provide the age of the client, gender, and briefly explain the issue you are addressing with the metaphor; also describe the goal you want to accomplish using the metaphor.  Then develop a narrative that described the way you would use the metaphor with your client.

A The traffic light:  can be used in different ways and can, for example, provide a simple sequence to help children develop problem solving skills. Red means stop and define the problem. Amber means get ready and explore alternative solutions with green being the time to choose a solution and to go and try it out and see what happens.

B Animal(s): Children connect to animals for a variety of reasons. Children and animals have the ability to form a special connection, as animals are the perfect companions for kids, serving a lovable, yet protective role. Children enjoy caring for animals in addition to having the ability to control them at times, depicting clear themes of power. Using animal metaphors also makes it possible to discuss human situations in a symbolic way, as they can easily serve as abstract replacements for people. Children have a natural attachment to animals, as they fulfill many deep psychological needs, such as companionship, loyalty, trust, obedience, and submission.

7. (6 points). The child-client is a chronic worrier who has difficulty making decisions for herself because she worries about making the wrong decision or disappointing someone. She envisions the worst-case scenarios, becomes tearful and withdraws. She is worrying about the new school year that starts next week, and she can not decide on clubs to join, extracurricular activities she might want to participate in, or even the outfit she wants to wear on the first day of school. She is concerned about making friends, as it is a new school for her, and she is overwhelmed with anxiety.  She asks you to help her process through these cognitive dilemmas.

Consider the best practices and developmental considerations in the textbook, chapter 2, topic Using Developmentally Appropriate Language, to develop two statements to the prompt.  The first narrative you develop should be appropriate for a 7-11 year old who is in the concreate operational stage of cognitive develop.  The second narrative should be appropriate for an adolescent who is in the formal operational stage of cognitive development. Your narrative should illustrate guidance and understanding of the role of worry and problem solving strategies.  Label each narrative; one should be labeled Concreate Operational Narrative, and the second one should be labeled Formal Operational Narrative. Each narrative should be 4-8 sentences in length, clearly using appropriate developmental insight and language.

8. (3 points). Caleb is an 8-year-old client who has difficulty with outbursts of aggression and anger. During the first session you are trying to build rapport and trust with him. He states “When I get mad I feel like my head is hot and I can’t sit still, I just want to hit someone so that I feel better.”  Develop an effective reflective response to Caleb’s statement that utilizes the microskills that are detailed in chapter 2, topic of Reflect First.

9.  (6 points.) A 12 year old client, Kalya, states that she hates her classmates because no one likes her and she can not seem to make friends.  You know that she invades peer’s personal space, interrupts and makes rude comments as she has some developmental delays and is immature.  She is not taking responsibility for her actions, and instead, is blaming her peers.  Provide an example of an effective confrontation narrative, and an example of an ineffective confrontation narrative, according to the guidelines in the textbook, chapter 2, topic Confront Effectively and with Care. Be sure to label each narrative using the titles Effective Confrontation, and Ineffective Confrontation.

10. (9 points). You are working with a 10-year boy named Anthony. He is an extremely bright and capable child and has a perfectionist approach to his academics. He becomes anxious during tests if he feels like he is running out of time or knows he has answered something incorrectly. He comes from a high-achieving family with two academically gifted older brothers. He stresses excessively and his parents say he spends most of his time at home reading and studying, even when he does not need to; his anxiety often prevents him from finishing assignments and tests because he erases and reconsiders his responses multiple times.  In working with Anthony, he demonstrates awareness about the impact his anxiety and obsession with perfection has on his health and how it creates undue stress and prevents him from spending time with friends or engaging in extra curricular activities or leisure, but he is not sure how to change it.

Using the recommendations from the textbook, chapter 2, topic Use Open-Ended Questions, develop three effective open-ended questions with the goal of moving him to take action and envision solutions.

11.  (4 points). Referring to chapter 2, topics Summarize and Reflect on the Process, develop a comparison between the techniques of summarize and reflecting.  Develop two points of comparison illustrating similarities and two points of comparison illustrating differences. Label your approaches using the titles Similarities, and Differences.

12. (4 points).  Referring to chapter 2, topic When Words Fail, Draw or Play, develop a comparison between Client-Center Play therapy and Jungian Play Therapy.  Develop two points of comparison illustrating similarities and two points of comparison illustrating differences. Label your comparisons using the titles Similarities, and Differences.

13. (5 points). Referring to chapter 2, topic Speak Briefly.  What is your perspective on how much you should speak versus how much your client should speak?  What would this depend on?

14. (5 points). Referring to chapter 2, topic Allow and Use Silence, answer the questions: How do you respond to silence? What feelings does silence in conversation elicit from you? What learning point from the reading will best help you manage the use of silence?