Week 10 Discussion 1 Response

    Week 10 Discussion 1 Response

    Please no plagiarism and make sure you are able to access all resource on your own before you bid. One of the references must come from Broderick and Blewitt (2015). I need this completed by 02/01/18 at 5pm. Respond to at least two of my colleagues using one or more of the following approaches:

    · Select a colleague who was assigned a different client than you. Suggest another challenge that might be associated with the client’s development and explain why this challenge may present itself. Then, share one goal or intervention your colleague might use to address this challenge.

    · Select a colleague who was assigned the same client as you. Expand on his or her posting by predicting the effectiveness of his or her identified goals and interventions. Taking the entire family case into perspective, explain how this counseling approach would progress, identifying additional goals that might be needed.

     

    1. (H. Men)

    THE MARTINEZ FAMILY

               The client I am working with is Miguel Martinez. Miguel is now 57 years old. Today he comes into counseling because his wife “forced him to.” Miguel and his family are recovering form a divesting tornado that tore though the region, wiping out dozens of homes and businesses. Many lives were lost during the tornado and the community still remains in stock. The Martinez family is one of the homes was severely damaged during the disaster. Miguel’s immediate family is safe and was not killed, but his best friend who only lived a couple blocks away died as a result of the disaster. Miguel also lost his supervisor and long-time friend at the post office in the tragedy. Miguel discusses some initial distressed resulting from the tornado, he insists that he is no longer effected by the events. Despite some sleeping problems, and recent behaviors Miguel has had. Miguel has relinquished his responsibilities at the church, and even thinks he wants to retire early and do something more meaningful with his life. Miguel believes he may still be depressed or in shock of the event that just happened, Miguel insists that he “can finally see things clearly” (Laurette Education, 2013).

    There is evidence of developmental challenges associated with Miguel, from his presenting problem. As a counselor I would think Miguel is currently experiencing something called the burnout. This is includes detachment, boredom and cynicism, disorientation, and denial of feelings (Carter, B. S. 2011). For Miguel, his detachment is seen through relinquishing his position in the church, this is also evident in how he has no rush on replace things that were destroyed in the disaster (Carter, B. S. 2011). He’s trying to separate from the things that used to be so important in his life. Boredom and cynicism is evident in his value of activities, friendship and life itself. Miguel has stop doing the things he used to do, like going to church, he has lost two significant people in his life and now feels drain. This is also evidence in his life itself, he wants to retire early and find meaning again. Early retirement for Miguel will bring something for meaningful to his life. This is considered disorientation (Carter, B. S. 2011). He has a feeling of growing separation from his own environment. Lastly Miguel is going through denial of feelings. Saying that he was at one point sad but now he is okay. Although he is having difficulties sleeping.

               When dealing with clients from natural disasters, as a counselor it is important to create goals with Miguel that can work on throughout counseling. In Miguel’s case he doesn’t exhibit extreme distress and changes. His overall reaction for the disaster is normal compared to others. The first goal for Miguel in counseling is to work through his feelings about the disaster. This includes how he feels about losing his two friends, his home, and how his way of life is different now. By discussing this in counseling, he has an opportunity to work through any unresolved issues, and overcoming burnout. The next goal in counseling would be to help Miguel discover meaning in his life again. Miguel insists that he can finally see things clearly. Usually after a divesting life event people began to look at life with a new meaning and new goals. This is because their life has now shifted and they are rebuilding the person they used to be. What used to be Miguel’s life is no more and now he is feeling the things that used to give him meaning now don’t.

               There are many different interventions I would use with Miguel in order to assist him with the right tools to reach our goals. Miguel is looking to find meaning back into his life. I would not suggest, leaving his job, but I would ask him, what things are important in your life, what things used to be important, and what things have you always wanted to do. These three question will help Miguel figure out what he would like to explore more. Finding meaning in life is something that many individuals struggle with throughout their lives. By helping Miguel find meaning, he is able to satisfy his developmental needs that may be leading to his current distress (Broderick &Blewitt. 2015). Another intervention I would suggest are three basic ingredients offers to overcoming burnout. They include, self-awareness, kindness, and changing. Self-awareness is important for Miguel by just asking, “are you in charge of your life, or has it taken charge of you?” This gives Miguel the time to get in touch with himself again. For kindness, I will recommend getting out an old family photo album. This gives clients the ability to see the person in the pictures hasn’t vanished from the earth, and we must be kind to ourselves. It takes us back to the moment in time, on the person we used to be. The last one is changing, this incudes making a conscious effort to try new activities, exploring new meaning in life (Carter, B. S. 2011).

    References

    Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

    Carter, B. S. (2011). When life loses its meaning: The heavy price of high achievement.

    Laureate Education (Producer). (2013e). Middle adulthood [Video file]. Retrieved from CDN Files Database. (COUN 6215/COUN 8215/HUMN 8215)

     

    2. (A. Wit)

    My client is 57-year-old Miguel Martinez.  The Martinez’s community has recently suffered a tragic tornado in which three people in Miguel’s life including his supervisor, a long-term friend and postal worker, and his best friend and neighbor were killed (Laureate Education, 2013).  Miguel’s wife, Jeanette, has “forced” his to come to therapy to discuss his feelings (Laureate Education, 2013).  Although Miguel does not feel that counseling is necessary, he is having trouble sleeping and is considering resigning from a position at the church his family is deeply involved with (Laureate Education, 2013).  Miguel is facing midlife stress related to the natural disaster event and the role strain of his position in the church (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).

    Counseling goals

    Stress is a primary reason individuals seek counseling.  The wellness model of counseling supports clients by developing strategies for coping with normative and non-normative events to achieve healthy functioning and increased well-being (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).  For Miguel, the goals of counseling may include identifying sources of support to protect against posttraumatic stress and the role of religion in Miguel’s identity.  Social support is an important protective factor against posttraumatic stress for people who face a natural disaster (Platte, Lowe, Galea, Norris, & Koenen, 2016).  One goal in counseling Miguel would be to appraise his sources of social support pre- and post-tornado.  The three types of social support found to influence posttraumatic stress are: emotional, informational, and tangible (Platte, Lowe, Galea, Norris, & Koenen, 2016).  The second goal of counseling is to assess how the stress of the tornado is affecting Miguel’s personality and potentially his spirituality.  The counseling process can provide a framework for understanding how the tornado is influencing maturity, development, and wellbeing (Sutin, Costa, Wethington, & Eaton 2010). 

    Counseling interventions

    With the goals of identifying social support and understanding the importance of religion in Miguel’s development, a treatment plan can be developed.  The first intervention I suggest is detecting Miguel’s sources of social support pre- and post-disaster.  For example, pre-disaster Miguel had the emotional support of his wife, best friend, and extended family.  He also had the tangible social support of his supervisor, postal worker friend, and church community.  Post-tornado, he has lost the social support of his best friend, postal worker friend, and supervisor; but he has retained the support of his wife, extended family, and church community.  According to Broderick and Blewitt (2015), resource loss following traumatic events is a predictor of distress.  By increasing resources during non-stressful times, individuals can improve their resiliency (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015). 

               After identifying the resources of Miguel’s wife, family, and church community, I would present the next intervention of weighing the pros and cons of Miguel’s role and involvement in the church.  Religious communities provide members with social support and many religious beliefs foster hope and optimism (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).  Religious and spiritual development moves through stages over the lifespan (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).  During the individuative-reflective stage of spiritual development, people may develop inconsistencies between the beliefs of a doctrine and their individual beliefs (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).  In the conjunctive stage, people are more likely to resolve such conflicts by appreciating the uncertainty of life (Broderick & Blewitt, 2015).  Miguel may be transitioning from the individuative-reflective stage to the conjunctive stage, but he needs guidance.  Counseling may help Miguel to seek support within the church community even if he is not in a leadership role.

    Summary

    Life event stress and spiritual questioning are common challenges of middle adulthood development.  Miguel’s therapy should address the impact of the tornado on his social support networks and the role religion plays in his life.  Death of friends or family members can trigger stress and bring up questions of one’s mortality and life meaning.  The wellness approach of counseling recognizes the challenges of specific life stages and focuses on improved wellbeing rather than illness.

    References

    Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2015). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education

    Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Middle adulthood [Video file]. Retrieved from CDN Files Database

    Platte, J.M., Lowe, S.R., Galea, S., Norris, F.H., & Koenen, K.C. (2016). A longitudinal study of the bidirectional relationship between social support and posttraumatic stress following a natural disaster.  Journal of Traumatic Stress, 29(3), 205-213.

    Sutin, A. R., Costa, P. T., Jr., Wethington, E., & Eaton, W. (2010). Turning points and lessons learned: Stressful life events and personality trait development across middle adulthood. Psychology and Aging, 25(3), 524–533.

     

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