Counseling Approaches To Several Cases - Essay Example

? Counseling Approaches to Case Studies Counseling approaches to case studies Part Question Marie is in Erik Erikson’s stage known as identity vs. role confusion; at the age of seventeen years, she is searching for an identity that will lead her to adulthood. Depending on how she conquered her adolescence and resolves earlier conflicts, she will be successful in search of identity. The main reason why she fears that the boyfriend may become intimidated and leave her is because she may not have fully developed sense of trust (Slee, 2002). Marie lacks a strong sense of industry and thus cannot believe in herself. She does not believe that she will be successful in her relationship if she becomes dedicated and committed with her boyfriend. She fears the unknown and does not know what may emanate from the relationship if she expresses her feelings to her boyfriend. At the age of seventeen years, Marie is an adolescent experiencing the transition from childhood to adulthood. She looks at her future in terms of the relationship with her boyfriend and is confused who whether to be committed in the relationship. On the other hand, she would like to build her own identity and show the world that she is capable of handling a relationship. Role confusion has become a threat since Marie cannot make a decision on whether she should be committed in her relationship. The stage of Marie is carrying with it identity crisis. The anxiety and confusion she has results from the desire to choose between being committed in the relationship, and make a commitment in other goals (Rathus, 2010). As outlined by James Marcia (1966, 1976 & 1980), the best way that a person can strike a balance between role confusion and identity is through being committed to an identity (Austrian, 2008). Therefore, Marie should find self-awareness or stability to solve her identity, failure to which she may not be successful in making choices about herself. She should concentrate on what is vital at her age so that peer behavior will not carry her away and ruin her life. Question 2 At the age of 42 years, Peter can be regarded to be in what psychologists refer to midlife crisis. This entails a period of transition and signifies the beginning of a new stage in life. At his age, the life of Peter can either be smooth or rocky. Peter is at the age in which he should be taking care of his family, inclusive of his wife and children (Austrian, 2008). However, he is faced with the task of facing the fact that his retired parents do not have good health as his wife’s parents. The theory of David Levinson explains the development of humans across the lifespan; it also discusses the pattern of a person’s life in various stages of life. Based on Levinson’s theory, Peter is becoming aware of old age. The fact that his parents do not maintain good health develops an urge in him to try and leave some legacy in life. According to Erik Erikson’s stages of human development, Peter can be considered to be in the stage known as generativity vs. stagnation. Seeing his parents unable to maintain good health creates awareness in him that he should save for the future, as he nears retiring (Austrian, 2008). In his case, Peter should know that he will evolve in life as he gets older and he should learn to embrace the changes that come in his life. He should also overcome the turmoil of midlife crisis through learning methods that can accurately help him to transform. He should not let crisis be the decisive factor on how he changes; rather, the awareness that crisis is inevitable in midlife should enable him overcome the situation. As his parents cannot be able to maintain good health, he should cater for their health needs since they do not have a source of income. Peter should also be active in his life and be generative as stagnation may see him despair in the future (McLeod, 2009). Question 3 At 25, Sophie is in the stage of psychosocial development that Erik Erikson referred as intimacy vs. isolation as she is in early adulthood. The task of development that she faces entails establishing intimate bonds of both friendship and love. She faces a psychological conflict on how she will establish ties (intimate) with other people, especially her friends (Aiken, 1998). Since she lives at home with her parents, this might isolate her from her age mates, colleagues at work, and close friends. If she does not move away from her parents, she might live in isolation. Living at home limits the extent to which she interacts with her friends. The new job she has secured at the University gives her economic independence; thus, she will no longer be depending on her parents for upkeep. She has reached a level of maturity that allows her to make changes in her identity and independence so that she can be compatible with her friends. She also needs to be in an intimate relationship (with a partner of the opposite sex), which may lead to marriage. The feelings of intimacy make her wonder if she will continue living with her parents. For Sophie to develop intimate connections, she has to develop an identity about who she is so that she can affirm her stand (Beckett & Taylor, 2010). In my view, Sophie should leave home and stop living with her parents since she is financially independent. With her new job at the University, she can be able to cater for her needs and rent a house elsewhere rather than continue living at home. Going away from home will give her the freedom to do her won things without being strictly observed by her parents. As an adult, she has already developed an identity and can make independent decisions. Thus, she should not be living at home since her interactions with her parents will be affected by the parents. By living away from home, she will be able to have limitless relationships with her peers, friends, and colleagues at work. Question 4 Rudy is in the stage of development that Erik Erikson referred as ego integrity vs. despair. Ego integrity entails the accumulated assurance of the ego that there is capacity that enhances meaning and order. Despair is portrayed through the fear of death, loss of friends and close partners, and the loss of self sufficiency (Beckett & Taylor, 2010). At the age of 63 years, Rudy experiences a sense of mortality as he nears retirement and feels that there is work overload. He feels that the amount of work allocated to him is tiresome and wishes to retire. At the stage of integrity vs. despair, pride over the accomplishments that one has made in life reduces anxiety and depression. If Rudy feels that he has not made adequate accomplishments in life, he may despair, and this may cause diseases that may accelerate his death. Since Rudy is saving most of his money for retirement, it means that he can look back at his life with a feeling of satisfaction and few regrets. Therefore, he will be able to attain wisdom while facing death and other crises that may emanate from old age. Rudy saves the amount of money he earns for his retirement, meaning that he has successfully managed to educate his children and provide for their needs. Rudy is also a happily married man; therefore, he has made considerable success in terms of family life and overcome the challenges of a relationship (Alwin & Wray, 2005). The fact that Rudy feels burdened at work is a clear indication that he has grown old and probably unproductive. At his age, he may not be as productive as he used to be while he was young. Perhaps the best thing to do is to ask for an early retirement since he cannot cope with the burden of work. It could be appropriate to stop working and start enjoying his retirement (Alwin & Wray, 2005). Question 5 The problem that Adele faces lies under the family conflict theory, where there emerges conflicting issues regarding her work and family life. There is role conflict as she is torn between leaving behind her two teenage children and moving with them to the new place. In the lifecycle of a family, a parent takes certain roles, and certain expectations should be met with each role (Corey, 2008). However, taking up various roles at the same time and the demands from these roles may lead to challenges. Adele faces inter-role conflict in that she is expected to be with her children as a mother, yet she is a worker. The conflict between the expectations at work and her obligations and duties as a parent poses a significant threat. As an aged parent, she misses being with her children and offer them the love and warmth that they should receive from their mother at their teenage years. Adele probably feels that her children are too young to be left at home alone. Being a divorcee, Adele should dedicate much of her time with the children since she acts as both their mother and father. The absence of a parent may have far-reaching consequences on the life of the teenagers. Adele’s two teenage children may develop delinquent behavior given that their mother is not around to teach the desirable society morals. On the other side, Adele opts to pursue her career and accept the promotion, which means that she had to be transferred to a place far away from her children (Hutchison, 2010). Though her promotion benefits even her children, the children may feel lonely in the absence of their primary caretaker. For the two teenage children not to feel neglected, Adele should pay them regular visits and make them understand why she had to be transferred. She should also encourage them to uphold desirable behavior even in her absence. Part 2 One of the theoretical approaches that can be used to address Joy’s problems is cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). This therapeutic approach will play a crucial role in helping her understand the feelings and thoughts, which have an impact on her behavior (Nevid, 2008). CBT is vital in treating the wide range of disorders and problems that Joy’s family faces; the problems that can be addressed using this therapy include drug addiction such as Joy’s husband smoking habits, depression, boredom, anxiety, and the feelings that her husband dominates her. While using this approach to address the problems faced by Joy and her husband, the therapist will help the clients confront the behaviors that have a negative impact on their lives. While using CBT to offer therapy to clients, the underlying concept is that people’s feelings and thoughts play an essential role in determining behavior. In Joy case, the feeling that her husband has neglected her causes negative emotions and negative thoughts in her. The first problem to confront while using this therapy would be the feelings of joy that her life is boring and directionless. This mostly emanates from her husband’s behavior, which Joy feels that she can no longer tolerate (Simos, 2009). With the use of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Joy will learn that she cannot control all aspects of her life that seem to conflict. Therefore, she should learn how to deal with the habit of cigarette smoking and other desirable behaviors portrayed by her husband. Another problem that can be dealt with using Cognitive Behavior Therapy would be the fear with Joy that her husband will get sick due to the problem of smoking. This fear leads to anxiety in her, and she does not know what will transpire out of her husband’s smoking habit (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2012). She seems stressed and depressed by her husband’s behavior; more so, she feels neglected by her husband’s family who seem not to care about what she is going through. Cognitive behavior therapy can be essential in helping Joy understand that she can have control on how she interprets such issues. The fact that her husband’s family seem not to care may not necessarily mean that they have left her to suffer. Perhaps, they do not want to meddle into the affairs of Joy and her husband, which are personal and need intervention from a therapist. Cognitive behavior therapy can also act as a crucial therapeutic approach that can help deal with the smoking habit that Joy’s husband has. Therefore, Joy together with her husband will be required, at some point in the therapeutic process, to attend the counseling sessions. The therapist will then focus on the actual behavior of smoking and overweight that contributes to her husband’s ill health (Wright, 2004). As a therapist, it would be appropriate to help Joy’s husband learn as well as practice new skills, which he can use to deal with his habits in the real world situations. Emphasis would be on the need to attend the gym regularly in order to reduce weight and avoid junk food that may be the cause of overweight. Attending the gym will also play a crucial role in helping Joy’s husband abandon the behavior of excessive smoking. At the age of 56, Joy is in Erik Erikson’s stage of generativity vs. stagnation. As such, she needs to save enough money as old age comes her way. She is worried about her future and that of her husband now that they have already retired. Since her children are grownups, she feels that she should be having a good relationship with her husband. Her worry about the health of her husband stems from the fact that, at her stage of development, she wants to be certain about her future and the life they will live as they get old. As opposed to stagnation, generativity requires that a person saves for the future so that they will be proud for their achievements. As such, the worry of Joy about her husband’s behavior is because she feels that his health may deteriorate and consume all the savings they have, leaving them with financial difficulties. The other theory that can be applied to Joy’s problems is Levinson’s theory of life stages and human development. According to Levinson, people must make smart and reliable choices at the age of 50 years; at this age, there is the formation of a new structure in life. Therefore, the fact that Joy and her husband retired when they were in their early fifties means that they might have made a mistake by selling their business (Newman & Newman, 2011). Upon retiring, they were supposed to be committed to new tasks, which would keep them busy. Maybe, Joy’s husband is reflecting on the choices he made by selling their business, which may be making him regret, thus engaging in excessive smoking and eating habits that cause overweight. At their age, both Joy and husband should be reflecting on the regrets and achievements they made in the past and have peace with themselves and others. The first problem that can be dealt with using this approach is the problem of smoking, which has had adverse effects on the relationship between Joy and her husband. Therefore, it would be appropriate that both Joy and her husband attend therapy session together. Despite their wealth and economic status, Joy feels that her life is directionless and boring. She also feels that her husband’s family does not care about how she feels and how her husband behaves. Her fear that her husband may get sick because of smoking is justified by the fact that, at her age, she should live a life of satisfaction based on the achievements she has made. While using this approach, the therapist should urge Joy’s husband to be responsible of his capabilities that may turn out to be destructive. Joy’s husband should be aware of the destructiveness that will be caused by the smoking problem. He should find other ways of resolving the issues of anger, lost opportunities, or anger that he may be having. In their late adulthood, both Joy and her husband should be living peacefully, now that they have successfully brought up their children. She should also find ways of overcoming her guilt and not make a resolution of leaving her husband, as this may not be the best solution to the problems that her marriage faces. Perhaps it would be appropriate to visit a doctor together with her husband. This way, the doctor will explain to her husband the dangers involved in excessive smoking and living a sedentary life as portrayed by his behavior of spending a lot of time watching television. While using this approach, the therapist should instill in Joy the importance of sharing problems with other people. This stems from the fact that social networks play a central role in helping a person overcome his or her problems. Therefore, she should share the problem with her friends who will encourage her and give her the best approach to go about addressing her problems. In addition, sharing with other people would give her the assurance that she is not alone in dealing with her problems as they would help her seek solutions (Sigelman & Rider, 2011). A comparison can be drawn between these two theoretical approaches based on how they address the client’s problems. Both approaches deal with the core issues that cause negative feelings in the client. In addition, the approaches provide comprehensive solutions to the problems that the client faces. Both theories also emphasize that negative thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviors should be subdued in order for a person to live a fulfilling life. Based on the two approaches, for stability to be achieved in life, a client must accept the problems in his or her life and come up with appropriate strategies to address these issues (Wright, 2004). Key choices must be made in life, failure to which a person will live to regret later on in life. The two approaches are also appropriate in dealing with Joy’s problems since they both address the main problems in her life. The two approaches can be regarded as different ways of understanding Joy’s problems. Levinson’s theory seems to provide a better approach to the problems faced by Joy. This is based on the fact that the theory addresses her problems with reference to her age and that of her husband. In addition, the approach provides a sure way of dealing with the achievements that the two should have made at their age. Levinson’s theory also deals with the transition from middle adulthood to late adulthood as espoused by the behavior and challenges that Joy faces in her marriage. At her age, Joy feels that since they are nearing late adulthood, which will render them inactive, her husband should stop the smoking habit as it will only decrease the family’s finances and bring financial challenges. Thus, Levinson’s theory provides a better understanding of the challenges that face Joy and her husband at their age and the expectations that the society have on them, especially at an age when they are supposed to be at peace with each other. References Austrian, S. G. (2008). Developmental Theories through the Life Cycle. Columbia: Columbia University Press. Aiken, L. R. (1998). Human Development in Adulthood. New York: Springer. Alwin, D. F. & Wray, L. A. (2005). A Life-Span Developmental Perspective on Social Status and Health. Journal of Gerontology 6(2), S7-S14. Beckett, C. & Taylor, H. (2010). Human Growth and Development. London: SAGE. Corey, G. (2008). Case Approach to Counseling and Psychotherapy. London: Cengage Learning. Hutchison, E. D. (2010). Dimensions of Human Behavior: The Changing Life Course. London: SAGE. Kail, R. V. & Cavanaugh, J. C. (2012). Human Development: A Life-Span View. New York: Cengage Learning. Nevid, J. S. (2008). Psychology: Concepts and Applications. London: Cengage Learning. Newman, B. M. & Newman, P. R. (2011). Development through Life: A Psychosocial Approach. London: Cengage Learning. Rathus, S. A. (2010). Childhood and Adolescence: Voyages in Development. London: Cengage Learning. Slee, P. T. (2002). Child, Adolescent and Family Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Simos, G. (2009). Cognitive Behavior Therapy: A Guide for the Practising Clinician. New York: Taylor & Francis. Sigelman, C. K. & Rider, E. A. (2011). Life-Span Human Development. New York: Cengage Learning. Wright, J, H. (2004). Cognitive-Behavior Therapy. New York: American Psychiatric Pub. Read More