Problem:
When an 8-year-old is avoiding peer interactions and experiencing emotional outbursts, it typically reflects challenges in developing social competence and emotional regulation, which are important tasks of middle childhood. As a counselor, it can be helpful to begin by exploring the parents' current style of parenting, especially since there is research that shows authoritative parenting, marked by structure, warmth, and consistent expectations, supports overall healthier social and emotional development (Sorkhabi & Mandara, 2013). However, an authoritarian or overly permissive approach might contribute to withdrawal or dysregulation. Counselors can guide the parent toward authoritative practices like using emotion-coaching strategies, establishing predictable routines, communicating with warmth, and engaging the child in collaborative problem-solving. For the child, however, the counselor could focus on strengthening coping skills, emotional awareness, and confidence in peer settings through social skills practice, play-based interventions, and cognitive-behavioral strategies that help develop alternative responses and identify triggers. Using gradual exposure to peer interactions, paired with positive reinforcement. Need Assignment Help?