Evaluating Childhood Experiences and Resiliency

Read the Discussion Participation Scoring Guide to learn how the instructor will evaluate your discussion participation throughout this course.

As you study children and adolescents, you will likely recollect your own formative experiences, whether supportive or stressful, and begin to see them through new eyes. Using your text and the assigned readings for this unit, evaluate:

1. The influence of your own acculturative experiences—including socioeconomic, religious, and cultural experiences—on your conceptions of mentally healthy children and adolescents.

2. The factors that promoted your own resilience and mental health (for example, prevention, intervention, education, and advocacy efforts; programs and networks of services) as you were growing up.

Use specific examples to illustrate your conclusions.

Resources

· Discussion Participation Scoring Guide.

Unit 1 Discussion 2

Create a Background Sketch and Ecomap

Preparation for this Discussion involves two parts: 1. Background Sketch, and 2. Prepare an Ecomap.

Background Sketch: Create a background sketch for a hypothetical child or adolescent for whom you might provide clinical mental health counseling services. As you create your background sketch, consider and include some of the common contextual issues that children or teens face today that were reviewed in Chapter 1 of your text. Consider also the developmental stages and tasks discussed in Chapter 2 and the introduction to this unit that would be important for your child; consider cultural factors, as well.

The background sketch should be brief. There are many examples of brief background sketches in Counseling Children in the introductions to the case studies offered throughout (for example, see page 195). In your discussion post, use headings in the format below:

Case 1: [Your Child’s Pseudonym]

· Identification of the Problem—A brief summary of why adults are concerned about this child and why a referral for counseling has been made.

· Individual and Background Information—Briefly identify developmental stages, neurobiological, personality, and health information about your child, using these categories.

· Academic Background—Where is the child in school? Is there a history of academic problems?

· Family and Cultural Background—With whom does the child live? What cultural influences are important?

· Physical Health—Is the child well? Are they any physical problems or disabilities?

· Social Adjustment—How does the child get along with peers and others outside of the family? Are normal social milestones being reached?

Prepare an Ecomap: Refer to the graphic, Designing an Ecomap, linked in Resources, from this unit’s first study. Draw an Ecomap for the hypothetical child or teen for whom you created the background sketch, depicting:

1. The systems and factors where there are stressors.

2. The programs, networks, and relationships that provide support, such as those discussed in Chapters 1 and 2 of your text.

3. Compose a one-paragraph narrative that summarizes what you are depicting in the Ecomap for your hypothetical child or teen.

In this Discussion, prepare a post that includes your background sketch and the narrative description of your Ecomap for your hypothetical client. Upload your Ecomap as an attachment to your post.