Assignment task:
John (he/him) comes in for his first counselling session. John is 38 years old and has been with his partner for 12 years. They adopted two boys: one is four years old and the other is seven years old. John identifies as a Canadian male and his partner identifies as a Chinese male.
John has three siblings, one older sister, and two younger brothers. His parents often compared him to his siblings and made sure he knew just how far short he had fallen in pleasing them. John remembers his father being distant and often not at home, usually working, and his mother drinking a lot until he was about twenty-two.
When John and his partner decided to live together, John's family somewhat accepted them as a couple. His partner's family accepted John and the children; however, they disapprove of their son's decision to be in this relationship with John.
In your second session, John discloses that he is bisexual and perhaps he chose "the wrong sex" to be with. He finds his partner to be overbearing and controlling. John shares that he is sad a lot of the time, feels fatigued and could stay in bed most days. He sleeps over ten hours per day and has recently been missing work. John's colleagues at work view him as lazy based upon his ethnicity. John is dissatisfied with his relationship and is stuck with how to handle it. He does not know what he wants or what to do.
What psychological issue stands out as potentially important in counselling when working with John? What would you address with John? Using Chapter 2 of Slay-Westbrook (2017), readings from Pinel and Barnes (2021), and readings from Shebib (2023), what possible issues of trauma, hurt, or grief may be uncovered and how would you be impacted personally?
WHAT biological factors, through the biological framework, and how would the therapist built the session?