Help needed

Post 2 substantive responses to other students.

Respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:

Valerie Long

Something I have always told myself was that I never really wanted to work with children. I have a tendency of becoming emotionally attached to children and find it hard to separate myself from the situation. With that said, many children have trust issues and/or anxiety issues where building a healthy rapport may be difficult. Younger children may have undiagnosed mental health issues such as low-spectrum autism which can also lead to difficulty working with them (Core, 2016). I think the most important issue is that children have a hard time understanding what is happening. They do not understand their symptoms or even know they have symptoms. Taking time to explain everything in child terms will help. And I mean everything, step by step, that way the child understands what is happening. As you are talking with the child, if they begin to doodle or color, using art can ease any tension. Music can be used should the child enjoy/relate to music. Talking in a calm manner can also help, and letting the child know that they have done nothing wrong, that the situation can be openly discussed and worked out together.

Core. P., (2016). http://percensyscore.com/children-adolescent-mental-health/

Laura Miller

There are unique differences in working with children and adolescents as compared to working with adults. There are different skills and experiences needed to work with children than their are for working with adults. The basic skills / understanding that a counselor should have when working with children includes the following: having an understanding of child development, training in assessment and diagnosis childhood disorders, understanding the theories of neuroscience and how trauma at a young age can affect development, having an appreciation of ethical issues and boundaries required when working with children, managing confidentiality, incorporation of teachers or social workers if needed, managing disclosure and knowing what is acceptable to share with a parent or legal guardian and what is not acceptable (Bartlett, 2015).

Potential challenges that may occur when working with children and adults is knowing when to disclose information to a parent or legal guardian and when not to. There are ethical considerations to take for this approach, such as in a case where the counselor believes the children has or is intending to harm their self or someone else, for example. Personally, I worry about having to work with social services or a case where the mother and father do not get along. Working in a counseling facility, I have heard parents fighting in a room over what is being brought to counseling. To overcome this barrier, I would practice with these situations and make a plan for what to do should this happen to me.

Reference

Bartlett, M. (2015). What you need to know about counseling for children. https://welldoing.org/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-counselling-for-children

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