Challenges The Client May Experience

It is not uncommon to hear stories about a teenager experiencing mood swings and rebelling against those in authority. Nor is it uncommon to experience general sadness or anxiety in high school and college. However, it is often difficult to tell the difference between normal teenage angst and clinical depression. It is not commonly known that there has recently been a staggering rise of depression in adolescents. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in twelve adolescents in the United States suffer from depression, which is 8.3 % of the teenage population. In order to combat the problem of adolescent depression, it is essential that parents take an active role in their adolescent’s life by both acknowledging and

"Furthermore, Selekman believed there are assumptions that benefit those who deal with resistant adolescents and their families. The assumptions are extremely practical and provide therapists a new lens for viewing the tough adolescent case. Each of the guiding assumptions provides a wellness perspective on adolescent problems, families, and brief therapy. Matching our treatment to the state of change will foster a cooperative relationship. Therapists must specify the level of the change. That is the key to adolescent resistance. Next positive relabeling can describe a withdrawn adolescent as a thoughtful teenager" (2005, p. 32).

Family is something that plays a tremendous role in our life. Even though the structure of families has changed over the years, it is important to acknowledge that there many families out there whether they are traditional families, nuclear family, stepfamilies or others which tend to have different types of problems in their families. Therefore, many families attempt to go to family therapy in order for them to obtain help in solving the different types of issues they might have at home. As stated in the book Family Therapy by Michael P. Nichols (2013), “The power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interaction… What keeps people stuck in their inability to see their own participation in the problems that plague them. With eyes fixed firmly on what recalcitrant others are doing, it’s hard for most people to see the patterns that bind them together. The family therapist’s job is to give them a wake-up call” (2013).

Family is also another common strength that can also be a separate individual’s weakness. There is convincing evidence that suggests adolescent depression is largely linked with family environment. This is due to factors such as abuse, neglect, abandonment, mental illness within the household, family conflict, stress and breakdown. As the initial stages of an adolescent’s development is continuously spent with the family, family are therefore the largest factor in defining the individual’s mental health. Although family may be the greatest risk factor, family may also be the most influential strength and protecting factor of adolescent mental health. Families with close relationships provide; increased trustworthiness and openness, feelings of worth and belonging, support, and acceptance. These contrasting statements reaffirm that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, and therefore needs different and individualised care from the nurse (Power, Allan & Robinson,

-Shifting the family’s view of treatment from focusing on the adolescent as “the problem” to enhancement of family relationships as an important part of the solution.

The client has had a strong support system in the past and is open to creating another one. This is strength because it demonstrates that the client is open reaching out to others in times of need and is a resiliency factor.

Lacking in such skills as a student, or adult for that matter, can cause serious issues, “the number of students in crisis coming in for help has increased sharply—from 647 in the 2014–2015 academic year to 906 [in the 2015-2016 school year]. And the number of students needing medical transports for psychiatric evaluation has also risen, from 120 in the 2014–2015 academic year to 134 last year” (Brown). These incidents are most likely caused by none other than over-parenting. With a student’s parent unable to assist the now incapable problem solver, the child, unfit for such stress and analytical processing, simply cannot handle what is expected of them and essentially breaks down. Similarly, “teens [with hovering parents] might be more likely to participate in sexual activities, drinking or drug abuse. Teens often test the boundaries of their overprotective parents because these children have likely not developed a sense of responsibility for their actions” (Hewitt). Almost on the other end of the spectrum, these are people who have never done anything individual and feel the need to test the waters. However, these teens, unlike the college students, do not break down when not in the presence of their parents, they go wild. With their newly found freedom they are expected to do irresponsible things, and due to their parents taking the liability for everything previously, be bewildered at the overwhelming penalties they have to uphold. These teens may not have crumpled without their parents, but without any knowledge of punishment, they would crumble under the justice system. In both of these cases over-parenting has proved to be the factor that causes the downfall of the child. The parents’ overactivity, the thing they saw as protecting their child, is now destroying

Living with family can make life rather complex, especially when dealing with problems, because this group of people are so close to each other emotionally. It’s hard to keep secrets or keep things behind doors because there’s not really a door that can’t be opened by everyone. This is especially true with children and teens going through the ropes of high school. Finding the balance of when a child needs to be disciplined by the parents and when to let the child be more independent with their problem solving or even finding a way to have everyone connect to each other while also providing a comfortable space or bit of a distance from each other can be a hard task for everyone, especially if there are multiple individuals within the family.

The family is made up of five people: Claudia, the IP; Carolyn, mother; Laura, the sister; Don, the brother; and David, the father. The family is coming into therapy because there have been mounting concerns about Claudia and her behavior—acting out, staying out late, some fairly typical teenage stuff. For the purpose of this paper, I will be starting at the beginning where the family is first coming into therapy. I will first school that I will apply is Structural Family Therapy and the second school is Bowen Family Therapy.

D- Client arrived on time with his appointment. When asked by the writer about his morning thus far, he reported his morning is going well. The client appeared to be pleased to meet with his new assigned clinician. During the course of the one hour session, the client was aware about completing his first initial TX plan, at which he was open to discuss and complete. This writer asked the client about his drug of choice and the length of time of his use. The client reported that his only drug of choice is heroin and his length of time is about a year. When asked by the writer about how he was introduced, the client mentioned his significant other, who is also a client at the clinic. His significant other name is Lucy Dannelley. The client mentioned his relationship will not hinder his recovery process because according to the client, he and his significant other want to recover from illicit drugs.

The novel “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” by Ned Vizzini says a lot about adolescent mental illness and how teenagers cope with stress. The main character, Craig Gilner, is a freshman in the Executive Pre-Professional High School, the most prestigious school in his area. He studied for weeks to pass the test to get in, but once he succeeded he felt overwhelmed by school work and anxiety until he stopped eating, started doing drugs, and eventually admitted himself into a mental health ward for suicidal thoughts. Of course, I’ve never experienced that kind of severe depression or been in a mental ward, but I could easily relate to Craig as a teenager with my fair share of school-related stress. Craig shared a lot of qualities with me, like his ambition, social life, and many aspects of his personality.

Nathaniel Bowditch is a school in the Salem Public school district. This school currently educates children from kindergarten through the eighth grade. Within the school, I volunteer my time with the adjustment counselor for students in kindergarten through fourth grade. Throughout this paper, I will be discussing the counseling services at Nathaniel Bowditch through a client’s perspective. I will be discussing this client under the pseudonym of J, to ensure the privacy of the client. All of the information I will be using throughout this essay is from the client herself or her counselor. The goal of this paper is to discuss a background of the client, why and how long

The “Client Scenario” video reflects the main character as a client that currently has several needs based on the fact that she has went through a divorce, has one child to provide for, and is in need of financial assistance to pay monthly bills and provide food for herself and her child. The client appears frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed, hostile, and entitled throughout the video. These are often common feelings that are displayed by clients when clients and social workers are meeting for the first time. The client is seeking services due to the needs of her family caused by unforeseen events that recently occurred, which can be a very stressful time for clients. The social worker revealed concern, empathy, and a willingness to assist the client as the social welfare policies

Working with minor clients can be extremely challenging because of the grey areas surrounding ethical and legal issues. Two major challenges when working with minor clients are confidentiality and reporting suspected child abuse or neglect. There are actions taken by counselors to provide the best possible care for the minor client, while maintaining a therapeutic relationship. As a future counselor, I am aware I will encounter challenges pertaining to confidentiality and abuse/ neglect, however I understand the need to make an ethical decision and use the ACA Code Of Ethics to guide me through the journey.

Mark, who has recently begun driving his own vehicle and has very little limitations set forth by his parents, has regained his status with his old friends now. Mark, who gave up on his love for scouts due to the teasing of these friends, is working to find his true sense of self during this confusing time of adolescence. Due to the individual and cultural impacts of Mark’s life, Mark would benefit from parents who are more authoritative by placing higher demands and setting limits with Mark. Mark and his parents would benefit from psychotherapy sessions in order to address Mark’s risky behaviors and help Mark make significant changes in his life. Mark becoming involved in his community and seeking positive outcomes could help keep him focused and helps him stay away from the risky