Assignment: First Session
In Module 4, you learned about the direct and indirect functions performed by clinical mental health counselors before, during, after, and outside the counseling relationship. You were taught that counseling is a process that occurs in stages. At each stage, clinical mental health counselors engage in a variety of activities that are purposeful and intentional. Some of the activities performed by counselors during those stages include building the relationship and establishing rapport, gathering information, conceptualizing the case, and performing assessment and diagnosis where appropriate, with the end goal and activity being the collaborative development of an appropriate treatment plan. As you think about the counseling process and the role of the clinical mental health counselor, consider the following scenario:
Scenario:
Aalia is a 17-year-old Muslim female from Pakistan. Her family has been in the United States for 7 years. Aalia was referred to a counselor by her family doctor because she has experienced several behavioral changes over the past 2 months. She takes less interest in school and community activities and has started to isolate herself in her room at home. Her siblings describe her as irritable and moody. Aalia has had occasional crying spells over the past month and she reported unexplained weight loss over the past 2 months. She does not have a formal diagnosis. As you plan for your first session with Aalia, think about what you will do.
Tasks:
In a minimum of 200 words, respond to the following:
. Describe three objectives you hope to accomplish in the first session with Aalia and explain why these objectives are important to accomplish in the early stages of the counseling relationship.
. Discuss any additional information you want to confirm or gather from the doctor, Aalia, and her parents and siblings and describe how you will go about gathering the additional information.
. Discuss what kind of assessment you will want or need to conduct.
. Explain how what you learned in Module 4 will contribute to your professional growth as a new counselor-in-training.
. Your discussion should clearly reflect your thoughtful and logical analysis of the information.
Support your rationale and analysis by using at least two resources from professional literature in your response. Professional literature may include peer-reviewed journal articles you can access through the Argosy University online library resources; relevant textbooks; and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (websites ending in .edu or .gov).