Developmental, Sociocultural, and Ethical, and Diagnostic
Considerations in Counseling Children and Adolescents
This is your paper’s introduction. Note, however, that it does not have a heading; its position at the beginning of the body of the paper implies that it is the introduction. Instead, include the title of your paper centered at the top of the page, not bolded; it is not considered a heading. In the body of your paper, indent the first line of each paragraph. As always, use double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font. For the purposes of this assignment, simply replace this text with a brief paragraph in your own words stating that this paper presents a background sketch of a hypothetical child client, the results of an ecomap assessment to analyze how their family, community, cultural, and societal contexts contribute to their supports and stressors, the ethical and legal issues that could impact the case, and the steps you will take to ensure ethical treatment of your case.
Background Sketch for Case: [Hypothetical Name]
Identification of the Problem
Briefly review why this child or adolescent is being referred to you.
Individual and Background Information.
Academic: Include one paragraph about academic information relevant to your case.
Family and Culture: Include one or two paragraphs about the family of your case and their culture.
Physical: Include one paragraph about the maturational, physical, and pubertal information about your case, as applicable.
Social: Include one paragraph about the social area of your case, including friendship groups and social adjustment or challenges.
Developmental Analysis
Briefly apply concepts from Piaget’s theory, Selman, Erikson, and what is known about development of the brain and neurological system and physical maturation to your case.
Cultural Analysis
Briefly highlight the cultural considerations that might be important for understanding and counseling your case.
Ecomap Assessment of Stressors and Supports
Summarize your assessment of the stressors and supports that are impacting your child or adolescent, from nearby influences such as family and neighborhood factors to more distant influences such as prevention or education programs or societal factors.
Legal and Ethical Issues Plan
Articulate a brief legal and ethical issues plan that presents the steps you will take to establish an ethical counseling relationship with your child or adolescent client. Identify potential ethical and legal issues that could arise with this client, and describe how you would handle each of these, referencing specific laws and ethical codes.
Treatment Plan for Case
Write a brief paragraph here that provides a transition from the background information about the client to your treatment plan for the case. Use guidelines in Counseling Children, pages 112–113.
Problem Identification
Write a brief description here, identifying the problem.
Problem Definition
Write a brief description here, defining the problem; use the DSM-5 for symptom and problem terminology.
Goal Development
Write a brief description here, outlining the goal of counseling.
Measurable Outcomes
Write a brief description here of outcomes that can be measured.
Proposed Interventions
Write a brief counseling plan here.
Preliminary DSM-5 Diagnosis
State your preliminary diagnosis here, stating how your client meets the criteria for a particular diagnosis, and including specifiers for the disorder, if applicable. You may diagnose more than one disorder.
