Working With Children And Adolescents Example

Working With Children And Adolescents Example Working With Children And Adolescents â€" Essay Example > AbstractIndividuals encounter various issues during childhood and adolescence, primarily because of situational variability of their behaviors and cognitive inabilities. As explained by various theorists, these issues may develop to haunt or to affect normal functioning of the youths in adulthood if not addressed in time. The current essay relies on issues I faced during adolescence to explore how they will possibly affect my future work as a family and adolescent counselor. The essay explores my adolescence experiences, potential challenges I will encounter as adolescent and family counselor, counseling strategies to use and possible ethical issues under such challenges. Based on life experiences, various counseling strategies I will use include narrative therapy, directed questioning, TF-CBT, and family therapy. Working with Children and AdolescentsIndividuals encounter various issues during childhood and adolescence, primarily because of situational variability of their behavio rs and cognitive inabilities. To a larger extent, behavior in adolescence is a product of the environment, that is, behavior of adolescents is influenced by the context. Various psychological theories have associated this variability with immature cognitive abilities, which limit the ability of adolescents to make right decisions under various social encounters (Hinshaw, 1992). For instance, death of a parent or caregiver may predispose an adolescent to tantrums of anger, sadness, depression, bed-wetting behaviors, and other anti-social behaviors. Moreover, dysfunctional child-parent interactions may give rise to issues of loneliness, isolation, and fear, which may influence the children to engage in delinquent activities as a way to seek comfort and care absent in the family. As explained by various theorists, these issues may develop to haunt or to affect normal functioning of the youths in adulthood if not addressed in time. According to Kazantzis, Reinecke, and Freeman (2009), the major theories that explain development of psychological and behavioral problems over life include the behavioral, cognitive, and psychodynamic theories. Cognitive approaches suggest cognitively distorted views of experiences give rise to faulty patterns of behavior and thinking that eventually predispose people to psychological problems. Based on typology of mind (conscious, preconscious, and unconscious structures), psychodynamic theorists believe that feelings, behaviors, and thoughts that shapes experiences and interactions are the consequences of unconscious conflicts and drives. Behaviorists on the other hand, suggest that behavioral problems are the products of faulty learning during childhood and puberty. Believing that counseling should aim to address specific issues within the child’s environment, every theory put forwards different psychotherapeutic interventions and methods. The current essay relies on issues I faced during adolescence to explore how they will po ssibly affect my future work as a family and adolescent counselor. The essay explores my adolescence experiences, potential challenges I will encounter as adolescent and family counselor, counseling strategies to use and possible ethical issues under such challenges. Identification and Analysis of Relevant ExperiencesIdentification As an Australian female born in 1960, my childhood and adolescence life was full of bad memories, experiences, and events. My mother passed away when I was still a child aged 6 years. I fell pregnant at the age of 15 years, giving birth to a son at 16 years, and a daughter, 2 years later. The father of my children used to drink alcohol, which made him to become abusive at many instances. Following his physical assault, I took my children and left at the age of 19 years. This prompted him to put me through child welfare, claiming that I could not care for the children effectively. This led to endless court proceedings, which have become my worst nightmar es. Various theories, notably psychodynamic, behavioral, and cognitive, can explain the issues that dominated my adolescence period.