working with families

Working with Families Paper

Description:  When working which children and adolescents, counselors need to be able to know when it is best to provide individual counseling and when the family system is in need of treatment. 

Directions:

In this assignment, you will review a case scenario and determine how you would approach treatment (e.g., whether you would choose to provide individual counseling or family counseling).  Discuss why you would choose your proposed approach addressing the developmental issues, legal and ethical issues, and describe the interventions that you might choose to address the client’s presenting problems.

Case Scenario:

James is an 8 year-old African American male who was referred for counseling after he disclosed to his teacher that he “wished he was dead.”  His teacher knew that his parents had just gone through a very difficult divorce and that James has often described feeling “like he is in the middle.”  His mother brings him to the intake session and states that her son is likely feeling overwhelmed due to the strained relationship that he has with his father.  James spends three days a week with one parent and four days a week with the other parent as a part of their shared custody agreement.  She described James’ father as being very “results” oriented and as becoming angry with James when he does poorly on school assignments or on the football field.  He has recently disclosed to his mother that his father has spanked him and said “mean things” when his team has lost a game.  His mother described being worried that his father may be physically abusing James due to her own history of domestic violence. 

Submission Format:

Your final product will be in a word document and be approximately 3-4 pages in length (not counting a title page or citations) and utilize 4-5 scholarly sources in your research.  Your paper should be written in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources; and display accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Grading Criteria: