6200wk6 discussion
Candyy31
6200wk6Discussion2.docx2
RESPONSE 1
Collapse Subdiscussion Dominique Witherspoon
TuesdayApr 4 at 9:35pm
Fourteen-year-old Dani appears to be displaying what would be considered to most as just a teenage phase. Her behaviors such as consumption of alcohol, argumentative behaviors, and sexual interactions with peers after having been a somewhat calm child, can cause a concern and need for intervention. To approach this case with Dani, I would use the psychosocial developmental theory by Erikson. With Dani’s age being 14, she would fall under stage 5: Identity vs. Role confusion, a stage where the bridge between childhood and adulthood begins (Zastrow et al., 2019). Erikson finds that during this stage the adolescent will begin to search for who they are through experimentation. Experimentation will involve seeking hobbies or the changing of interest, dating. The issue with experimenting thus becomes when the adolescent begins to participate with things that could potentially be harmful (Zastrow et al., 2019.)
Working with Dani would require the use of therapy aligned with the Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents model. This model address emotion dysregulations and skill deficits amongst families. Following this model Dani would be required to participate in both individual and family therapy focusing on managing how to deal with emotional distress, mindfulness, and interpersonal matters (Flaherty, 2018).
Dani’s relationship with her parents and siblings can also affect her behavior. Her behavioral actions shares that she is seeking to be seen as a separate individual from that of her siblings and seeking validation ultimately from her parents. According to Glasser Identity theory identity can be viewed as “[t]he need to feel that each of us is somehow separate and distinct from every other living being on the face of this each and that no other person thinks, looks, acts, and talks exactly as we do.” (Zastrow et al., 2019). Glasser stresses the importance of a person basing their identity on feeling loved and worthy, and if not experiencing feelings of such can lead to the person failing to develop an identity (Zastrow et al., 2019).
Zastrow, C. H., Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hessenauer, S. L. (2019). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Flaherty, H. B. (2018). Treating adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury: A review of psychosocial interventions to guide clinical practiceLinks to an external site.. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 35, 85–95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-017-0505-5
RESPONSE 2
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Collapse Subdiscussion Mariah Alexis Owens
YesterdayApr 5 at 1:40pm
Dani is engaging in several high risk behaviors such as alcohol use, disregard and aggression toward persons of authority, high risk sexual behavior toward male peers, impulsivity, truancy etc. (Walden, 2020). This can be due to the hormonal imbalances in the adolescent body as during this time of brain development hormones push adolescents to seek out “intense experiences” / risky behaviors as the regions in the brain that account for inhibiting risky impulsive behavior are still maturing this may account for increased aggression and irritability in adolescence (Zastrow et al., 2019, p. 289-290). Dani is also in the stage of identity vs role confusion in Eriksons Psychosocial theory. This is the stage that often leaves adolescents feeling role confusion or “uncertain about their identity” (Zastrow et al., 2019, p. 323). This is seen as teachers are comparing Dani to her sister without seeing Dani as an individual causing her to act out as well. This confusion is also causing Dani to seek her own identity through impulsive behaviors and being sexual toward male peers.
The theoretical approach I would use is person- in environment approach to address the several systems affecting Dani as a person. The first system that would be beneficial to address is the family system. Dani’s parents are receiving input about Dani’s school behavior therefore dani’s parents are then outputting feedback into parenting Dani as Dani sees as her mom trying to control her. We also have to address how Dani interacts with her school system and how she is aggressive toward authority at school. Because she is outputting aggression it is affecting how the school sees her and maybe she is getting negative feedback by the school system in the form of detention. Finally her peer group system is the system that during adolescence is the most important to Dani and she is getting positive feedback by being aggressive and impulsive and drinking from her friends therefore she is continuing down this path. A way to address that would be to address Dani’s behavior so that maybe she meets better friends by changing her behavior.
Another approach that would be appropriate to treat Dani would be the Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) which increases behavioral skills and decrease’s maladaptive behavior through a series of multiple modalities such as family and individual therapy (Flaherty, 2018). This type of approach would be beneficial for Dani to take a part in for her to address her identity crisis and process her feelings without her expressing aggression, sexuality, or impulsivity in a maladaptive form. This would also allow her family to help guide her through her identity crisis and address her problems as well.
Dani’s familial relationships are effecting her behavior in many ways. The first is the lack of connection between her parents and Dani. Dani states that her father “lets her do whatever she wants” and her mom is trying to “control her” (Walden, 2020). It is also stated that Dani’s father sleeps during the day and works overnight and her mom works long hours. This is not conducive to parent-child time and allows Dani to hang out with friends and get into trouble. According to the text “parental factors contribute to alcohol use in adolescents as lack of involvement and failure to monitor children’s behavior” (Zastrow et al, 2019, p 290). Dani also expresses that she feels like the family changed after her sister left for college. As her parents are transitioning from the family life cycle stage of families with adolescence to stage 5 launching children they have forgotten that they still have an adolescent and have prematurely tried to move on to stage 5 of the family life cycle. This in turn has caused conflict as Dani feels her parents absence and blames it on her sister leaving. Which in turn can cause conflict in the sibling subsystem of the family.
References:
Flaherty, H. B. (2018). Treating adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury: A review of psychosocial interventions to guide clinical practiceLinks to an external site. . Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 35, 85–95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-017-0505-5
Zastrow, C. H., Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hessenauer, S. L. (2019). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.
