Evaluation and assessment of individuals’ behavior are critical to help them to evolve in an appropriate way and acquire the social skills needed to remain integrated with society and cooperate with peers. To determine the existing problems and find appropriate ways to solve them, a counselor, as a specialist responsible for the in-depth assessment of persons’ cognitive, developmental, and communicational skills, should devote special attention to unusual behaviors, inappropriate or undesired patterns, or other threatening signs.
For this reason, counseling sessions become a potent tool that can be used to communicate with a client and determine his/her current problems using strategic approaches and specific skills demanded for the critical analysis.
The given paper presents a transcription of a counseling session with Kenry Lambert, a 7th-grade student. He is Cuban American, Catholic. He grows up in a nice family that does not have signs of violent behaviors or other inappropriate patterns. He has a younger sister and a caring mom. The addressed problem is the boy does not want to share the ball at the gym and plays by himself. Last Friday he had a fight with his best friend Mike because of the ball. Kenry punched the friend on his face. It shows the existence of anger issues.
The given transcription outlines communication between the counselor (C) and the student (S). The dialogue between the specialist and the boy is presented in detail because of the necessity to understand utilized techniques and make a conclusion about the existing problems and the further need for actions.
Transcription and Analysis
Theoretical Framework
The investigation of the given cases presupposes the creation of the specific theoretical framework that can be applied to the case to help the student to eliminate undesired behaviors and achieve success in socialization. During the session, the boy and the counselor engaged in trustful and friendly relations, which are critical for the final success (Geldard, Geldard, & Yin Foo, 2017).
Regarding the existing problem, the main idea was not to blame the client for his action, but to attain the increased understanding of its negative impact on his socialization, the impossibility of violent behaviors, and teach him appropriate patterns that can be used in society (Slaten & Baskin, 2014). In such a way, the humanistic behavioral and psychodynamic approaches were combined to achieve the goal during the session and ensure that the boy will not act similarly again.
The central idea of the humanistic approach is that the present is more important than the past. In other words, instead of blaming the student for this fight, the counselor emphasizes the fact that he is a good learner and player with multiple opportunities for achieving success, self-development, and self-actualization (Gilfillan, 2017).
The counselor believes in the goodness of the boy and does not spend time on past negative behaviors; instead, there is the focus on the cultivation of the desired responses and appropriate skills that will help to achieve the highest potential (Gilfillan, 2017). Utilization of the given framework helps to engage in trustful relations with the boy as he also sees a specialist’s interest and is ready to act in accordance with the new instructions to achieve success and remain in good relations with the class.
Furthermore, the behavioral approach states that every person can be taught to act in certain ways to achieve success. The major concern is to demonstrate the appropriate behavior and ensure that an individual understands the need for it correctly (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2016). For this reason, during the session, the counselor tried to emphasize the necessity to use other methods while communicating with peers and playing basketball. With the help of questions and encouragements, the specialist ensures that the impossibility of violent acts becomes obvious to the boy. Moreover, he should realize the importance of compromise and how it can be achieved.
Finally, with the help of the psychodynamic framework, the counselor can determine external factors impacting the boy’s behavior and his decision to fight with his friend. The core factor that motivated the student to behave in this manner was the usual patterns he utilized while playing at home (Kelly, 2017). There were no partners, and the game was important for him. In such a way, understanding the central motifs, the counselor can create additional motivation to act appropriately and socialize with peers. It will help to solve the existing problem and achieve good results. Altogether, the utilization of the given framework contributes to the improved understanding of the session and decisions made by the counselor during the communication with the student.
Self-Reflection Summary
The given case provided an excellent opportunity to work with a client and evaluate my own skills which are critical for the successful work of a counselor. From the given experience, it should be said that I am ready to work with children to assess their states and suggest various solutions to improve their socialization and cooperation with peers. I have enough knowledge to determine the needed theoretical framework that can be utilized to create the best possible intervention and assist students in elaborating appropriate behaviors.
At the same time, there is a need for new experience as it will help to improve competence and acquire new skills that can be used in more complex situations. I think my work during the session was successful as the improved understanding of the case and possible solutions were outlined through the investigation of existing literature.
The case also shows critical importance of socialization skills for individuals who belong to a collective and have to cooperate with its members. For this reason, this area should be given special attention and investigated more attentively to increase the ability to cope with complex cases and provide appropriate care. Additionally, analytic skills should also be developed, since, in multiple cases, the correct analysis of the situation and the central causes for the emergence of some incident help to create the needed course of actions and assist participants in engaging in appropriate behaviors (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2016).
Furthermore, role-play skills can also demand additional attention as one of the potent tools to work with students who have problematic behaviors and assist them by utilizing a certain model. These competences are critical as they will contribute to the improved outcomes of the next session and a better understanding of the essentials of counseling.
The case also contributed to developing of such skills as empathy, sympathy, emotional intelligence, and cognition. Their use is critical in almost all situations that presuppose counseling intervention as they help to determine the need for certain measures. In such a way, utilizing these skills while communicating with patients, it is critical to achieve positive outcomes. In general, it can be described as a positive experience that contributed to the improvement of counseling skills. The boy recognized the impossibility of violence in solving problems and engaged in appropriate social behaviors. The correct intervention and the effective session helped to discover the main reasons for the emergence of these negative patterns and achieve progress.
References
Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. (2016). Counseling and psychotherapy: Theories and interventions (6th ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Geldard, K., Geldard, D., & Yin Foo, R. (2017). Counselling children: A practical introduction (5th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Gilfillan, B. H. (2017). School counselors and college readiness counseling. Professional School Counseling. Web.
Kelly, K. (2017). Basic counselling skills: A student guide. New York, NY: Counsellor Tutor.
Slaten, C. D., & Baskin, T. W. (2014). Contextual school counseling: A framework for training with implications for curriculum, supervision, practice, and future research. The Counseling Psychologist, 42(1), 97–123. Web.