Counseling is an effective method for helping people overcome self-destructive habits and realize their potentials. The process can be pursued differently based on resolving the case using an individual or group approach. The basic structure involves the identification of the client, client profiling, identification of the theoretical framework within which to operate, the design, activities, result evaluation and ethical concerns. This paper highlights sample approaches that can be offered in an adolescent and a child. The first scenario is a client characterized by low self-esteem that destroys her quality of social life while the second is of a child who has become unruly. The cases are presented following the structure provided above as an initiative to help them overcome inferiority and superiority complexes respectively.
Group Counseling Proposal for Child Clients: [Hypothetical Name of Group]
Prototypical Group Member
The adolescent is a female student aged 16 years. She is an introvert with low self-esteem. The adolescent manifest signs of depression and general poor development. Her family’s economic strengths are low and so she lacks many materials. The extended family and the community are generally unsupportive of her and the family. Her academic performances are average. She claims that her performance is lowered by her low self-esteem, lack of close relationship with the teachers and the intimidating classmates. She has had to use other schoolmates as her example thus making them her generalized other ( Henderson & Thompson, 2010 ). Otherwise, she has the desire to overcome her current state and do better in social life and academics.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The group is established to support adolescents with low self-esteem and poor economic background, which impacts negatively on their performance; the group will help her rise above its limitations.
Self-Concept
Low self-esteem is characterized by a lack of self-concept, which refers to an understanding of oneself, needs, and goals. Thus, by focusing on self-concept lessons, the client will rise above low self-esteem, accept herself and her condition, and consider finding solutions to the challenges. Research has also established a link between self-concept and performance and performance (Hattie, 2014). Therefore, the program will be beneficial to the client based on improving the quality of social life and performance by instilling positive attitudes and perception of resourcefulness and individuality in her situation.
Theories
Rational emotive behavior therapy
The rationale emotive behavior theory focuses on the emotional disturbances and possible ways of overcoming the thought channel that result in self-defeating attitude or self-perception ( Henderson & Thompson, 2010 ). The theory postulates that low self-esteem is a factor we create in our minds and overcoming it. The defeating self-perceptions must be replaced with newer directions of thought to instill self-confidence and eventually improve the quality of social life and general achievements.
Cognitive behavioral
Cognitive behavioral theory enables the group member to overcome cognitive distortions, pessimistic thoughts, and adopt a functional way of thinking and approach to life. This theoretical framework lays bare the impact of thoughts on actions and actions on achievement and thoughts. By achieving, one is motivated to work harder or continues in the trajectory, but this must begin with correct thinking.
Group Practicalities
The group durations will be scheduled to take two hours. The group meeting will be held thrice every week for eight weeks. The two-hour meeting will be subdivided into two sections. In the first section, the teacher will offer lectures and practical examples using participant-modeling technique whereby the clients will be expected to repeat the practical after the teacher to help them overcome those factors that inhibit their positive cognitive reasoning ( Nelson-Jones, 2010 ). The class will assessment of the client’s development will be rated on a daily basis and suggestions for improvements taken.
Group Objectives
The objectives of the group are
Increase self-esteem in the group members
Help group members with performance challenges to improve in their class work as well as general life
Sample Group Exercise and Rationale
Toot Your Horn Exercise
A simple exercise that can be exercised with the group is to undertake the toot yourself exercise. The exercise enables the clients to establish a foundation for self-esteem, which was lacking in them. They begin to see their true potential by identifying those things that make them feel better. Figure 1 contains a list of possible questions that the group would engage in to toot themselves.
Group Evaluation
The goal of the group as noted is to help the client develop self-esteem and improve performance closely linked to self-esteem. The evaluation for the development of self-esteem will be a follow-up of the client's involvement with social groups and the number and range of friends established. The academics performance will be rated based on the client's performance in classroom exams. The results for such a group can best be monitored progressively as the client makes progress gradually to full development and self-actualization.
Legal and Ethical Issues Plan
The group activities will be conducted under the following ethical practices
The clients will be treated as equals notwithstanding their differences ( Jenkins, 2017 ). No client will be subject to discrimination of any sort. Any element of discrimination will worsen the condition of the client, but the program's goal is to help the clients overcome their lack of self-esteem.
Safeguarding the clients’ personal information and membership to the group ( Jenkins, 2017 ). The details of the clients will be held confidential, and no mention will be made of her participation in the group.
The ethical practices are intended to safeguard the clients and the group and build confidence in the group members that their wellness is the group's goal. An unrestricted release of information would result in a legal suit for discrimination or even deformation of the clients.
Group Counseling Proposal for Child Clients: Tom
Prototypical Group Member
Tom is a 10-year-old boy. He comes from a stable family. He has good self-esteem. The client performs poorly in school and has problems with the class teacher and pupils because of his bullying behavior. Tom faces a superiority complex, which affects h is performance. His parents are supportive in ensuring that his unruly behavior is rectified. They desire to have their child corrected, which has motivated them to register the boy for the counseling classes.
Group Topic and Rationale
Breaking a bad habit
The client’s habit of bullying others is a bad habit that will affect his productivity in the future and possibly work relationship in an environment where harassment is taken seriously. Correcting the habit as early as now is the best plan that can be adopted.
Responsible school behavior
The school setup has established regulations that should be followed by the learners ( Henderson & Thompson, 2010 ). Following these rules is partly a preparation to obeying work laws in the future. The child should be encouraged and educated on the significance of following school rules on the relationship with other learners .
Theoretical Orientation and Rationale
Behavioral theory
The behavioral theory focuses on the client's behavior and enables him to overcome bad behaviors and replace them with good ones ( Henderson & Thompson, 2010) . This theory applies to the client’s scenario reported of having bad behavior at school and home.
Group Practicalities
The group meetings will be held twice every week for three weeks. The meetings will last one hour in which the session will be conducted in two phases of 30 minutes each.
Group Objectives
The group’s objective is to help the clients overcome bad behaviors and develop good ones by educating them on the disadvantages of bad behaviors as well as presenting to them the benefits to be obtained from good behaviors.
Sample Group Exercise and Rationale
Group members will be engaged in pictorial education where they will view videos of children playing appropriately and receiving rewards. The child will learn to associate good behavior with rewards. The parents and the teacher will be encouraged to give motivational rewards on an occasional basis to motivate the child and help them model their life after the lessons observed and to bring the lessons learned into actual life.
Group Evaluation
The clients will be assessed on a weekly basis through reports gathered by the class monitor, parents and the class teacher on the child's behavior following the counseling classes. The follow-up result will be used to determine the effectiveness of the program and the need for revisions.
Legal and Ethical Issues Plan
The main ethical concern involved in the experimental setup is the ethical impact the videos will have in the children. The relevant authority must approve the videos if they can be used for educational purposes and especially for children education despite their vulnerability.
References
Hattie, J. (2014). Self-concept. Psychology Press.
Henderson, D. A., & Thompson, C. L. (2010). Counseling children . Cengage Learning.
Jenkins, P. (2017). Professional practice in counseling and psychotherapy: ethics and the law . SAGE.
Nelson-Jones, R. (2010). Theory and practice of counseling and therapy . Sage.
Positive Psychology Program. (2017). 18 Self-Esteem Worksheets and Activities for Teens and Adults . R etrieved from https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/self-esteem-worksheets/
