For each of the following scenarios, what might your goals be for the client and what possible action strategies might you use for achieving these goals?
1. A white graduate student comes to you because she is distressed at her family's rage about her romantic involvement with an African-American student. She also feels that other students in the dorm are talking about her behind her back and that she is being shunned by both white and African-American students.
2. A high-school teacher comes to you for advice about how to manage one of her classes. A male is being scapegoated by all the other kids, who taunt him about being a "queer." The teacher does not know the boy's sexual orientation, but she is anxious about his classroom antics (acting like a "class clown"), which elicit these responses and which she finds disruptive. She asks you what she should do.
12 comments:
1. My goal for this client would be first to make sure she feels that she is in a safe, healthy, and happy relationship. Once she felt that I would try to have her realize that since she feels that way that what other people thought whether it be family, friends or others students that those were their feelings and they would need to work on them. I would then have here bring her parents in to find out why they have a problem with her involvement with an African-American student. They should just know that she is happy and they should be happy for her and because society doesn't accept inter racial relationships that doesn't mean they can't be supportive to their daughter.
2.I would tell the teacher to try to talk to the student about what is going on for him. Why does he need to be the "class Clown" and get the negative attention he is getting from his peers. Explain to him that his behavior is very disruptive and that behavior needs to change during class time. If he has some kind of issues that he needs help in he could always talk to her about them. Hopefully he would go to her with any problems and then she could lead him in the right direction for what he needs and if he doesn't want to talk to her and prefers to talk to a male she could suggest someone to talk to.
#1 - First, I would try to find out what was really bothering her. A person on the graduate level most likely has enough knowledge of the world to know that her family might have a problem with this choice and that there will always be people that will have a problem with it. She needs to accept that these are external issues, beyond her control. I see this more as the problem of the family and of the students in the dorm than of our graduate student. But, she also needs to become stronger in her conviction regarding her choice and decide if she can deal with (or if she really cares about) societal pressures. I might recommend some family sessions when she’s ready. My goals for her would be to get to a place where she is comfortable with the choices she makes.
#2 - Again, I see this as a problem of the bullying students, not the young man. (Don’t blame the victim) My advice would be to deal with the kids who are being cruel since there is no justification for that. Ever. I would also advise her to make sure the young man is not in any danger. She might approach him to say that she noticed other kids were picking on him and was checking in to make sure he was okay. If he was disrupting the class, she should address that as a unique issue. But she should also consider that he would rather have people laughing at him than being mean or violent toward him. This teacher might also want to remind her students that men and women fight wars to preserve everyone’s right to express themselves. No one should be ashamed to be who they are. My goals are for the teacher. Teach respect, give support, and educate your students toward being good people.
1.I would like the client to think about what effect the relationship is having on her. Is the stress from her family feeling affecting her ability to function on a daily basis?
I would have to have the client to give a description of the action her family displays when her and partner is around her family.
I would explore and why the family is against the relationship to begin with.
I would like to explore if she continued to participate in this relationship how do she think is going to affect her relationship with her family and with her partner.
What is she willing to sacrifice in-order to maintain her relationship?
I would like to know her more about her social life what type of people does she hang out with.
Interventions
I would try to engage the client into family therapy after we explore the following issues above.
Try to engage the client in supports groups; she could receive support from people in similar situations.
I would try to get the client comfortable to the fact that her family and friends may not ever accept that she dating outside of her race. She needs to come up with healthy ways that she can communicate with her family.
Offer to refer her to a psychiatrist if she experiencing major depressive episodes.
2. The teacher needs to address student’s behavior first and foremost.
a. The teacher should refer the student to the student’s guidance counselor, and school psychologist.
b. I would suggest to the teacher that she tries to make the student feel safe, and comfortable.
c. The kids that is picking on the student needs to be address by the proper authorities. I would suggest that the teacher try to find out did they cause any harm to the student.
The goal I would use would be to first find out what her thouhts and feeling are. If she is happy and content with her decission to be involve with an African Amercian. If so I would have her look at the posibilities of how others may not agree. I would have her look at that not everyone will agree with choices that people make in life, but if the individual is happy that is all that matters. She will have to come to a place where is is okay with her decison before she can go forward. If her family is a really big concern I would ask if she was at a place to have a family session with them. I would go from there
2 I would ask the teacher first if she has a class rules for the class. If she does not I Would ask her how has she communicates her expections of classroom behavior to the class. If she was in agreement with implementing rules, she could have the class participate with what they thought. She could discuss with the class how every individual needs to be treated with respect regardlesss of the differences one may have. She does not need to point anyone out. The student who is being disruptive, I would pull him aside and adress his behavior and my expectations. I would also find out if there were any other issues that he wanted to talk about.
1. I would first like to discuss with the student her situation with her realtionship. If they are serious and it is a choice of hers that she is wanting to make then I would advise her to try and communicate with her family as to why they feel the way they do. If she then feels like she cannot talk to them then I would advise to have family sessions to try and talk to the family. As far as the rest of the students and their opinions, I would try and explain to her that everyone has their own beliefs and their thought processes are more towards the societal acceptances and she is entitled to her own beliefs. I would encourage her to have her own opinions and to do what is best for her.
2. I would first tell her to pull that "class clown" on the side and see if he has any explaination as to why the other students are acting this way. Then I would encourage her to have lessons with the students on respect and try and get the group to settle down. I would definately advise her to make sure that that individual is safe and if in fact it has to do with his sexual orientation then maybe she should get some education on this subject and possibly educate the students.
One of the first things that I would do with the young lady is to ensure that she feels comfortable talking to me; build trust. Then after I allow her time to vent; I would confidently explain that people have a right to their own opinion about a thing and that her main concern should not be what people are saying. Her main concern should be her relationship with the yougnmain. Not that her feelings don't matter; but I would try to get her to focus her attention and energies more on the relationship and not the what people are saying about the relationship.
Scenario #2 - I think that I advise the teacher to first of all not take sides but foster equal treatment for all classmates. Some hard and fast rules should be instituted for all students in class that teasing and taunting is not allowed and will not be tolerated. Another I would suggest is to construct a role-playing short skit placing those students that are taunting and teasing as the actor or one being teased. I have done this with my teen participants in a program that I ran as a Youth Service Bureau Director. The point came across loud and clear when the shoe was placed on the other foot.
1. I would try to deal with the student at to where her feeling are. Is she comfortable in a realtionship with an African-American student and go from there then when I deal with here real issues I would start with the family issues. I would go right down the line because some people can take it I mean the family pressure and the stares etc. and some people can not. But the thing is to find out where your true feelings are.
topic 2
first lets deal with "queer" and how does she feel about the word. Because some people are more embarred at hearing the word than the person being called it. When you feel at ease with the situation you can take authority over the situation. Whatever his sexual preference is, it does not matter because as the teacher you are responsible to create a safe and equal learning enviornment. Since her classe is not that she in right to seen help. So now is the boy acting like a class clown because of the kids picking on him or is this his personality. this is what the teacher has to find out
in order to take control of her class.
1. In the first scenario I would address the self-judgment aspect and show the client that she is forming her thoughts based on society and her parents. I might encourage her to look at why she is struggling with other people's perceptions of who she should be.
2. I would first explain to the teacher the labeling theory that goes into calling a child a "queer'. He is most likely acting disruptive because of the stress he is getting both at school and at work. He may be acting this way as a defensive mechanism. The teacher should be addressing the behaviors of the children who are bullying this child and become more supportive to the child who needs it.
1. I would work with her to find out what her background is, her relationship with her family and her personal relationships with friends and past boyfriends. Then I would study her historical ghosts to evaluate why she has all of these feelings about people around her. Usually it is our own "stuff" that we project others are feeling about us. If this is the case with her, I would work to help her see that.
2. First of all I would tell her to be a leader in the classroom, which is her position as a teacher. She should not allow harassment in the classroom in any situation. She needs to take control of this class, this is her responsibility.
My goal would be to council the girl and see where her own racial-identity development is. I would also show her how society plays a role in how her parents feel. If she is comfortable and secure in the relationship, I would work on building a strong self-concept. If necessary, I would bring the family in.
The class clown also needs to work on his self-concept because he is acting this way because of how he feels other’s view him. By “entertaining” he gains acceptance. I would tell the teacher to laugh with him then signal it’s time to stop.
1. I would find out how she feels about her relationship (putting aside what everyone else thinks). Is it serious? Is she comfortable and where does she see this relationship in the future? If she sees this as a serious involvement then I would use several strategies to try and help her get through. I would use empowerment techniques. It is her relationship, and if she changes her ways every time someone else is unhappy with what she is doing, then she will always be unhappy herself. I would involve her in group sessions with others in her situation, and also involve her in family therapy.
2. I would tell the high school teacher that she should talk to the student who is being taunted. Address her concerns with him(tell him she has noticed what has been going on), ask if there is anything he would like to talk about and let him know she is there to talk to (without pressuring him). She should then talk to her class as a whole and let them know that she will not tolerate anymore negative behavior in her classroom. If after addressing everyone and the problem still continues, she needs to create consequences and stick to them. For example if a student is taunting the boy, they should get a warning and if it continues they should have to leave the classroom (and maybe take a zero for the day). If the boy continues to act like a clown, the teacher should not give him the attention by telling him to stop because this would be rewarding the behavior. Instead she should reward him by acknowledging him when he is doing the right thing.
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