Developmental Psychology - Report Example

Expert in Counseling Field Of Study Expert in Counseling Field Of Study Developmental Psychology Developmental psychology is a scientific take on that aims to elaborate how children and adults change in a given period. A relative proportion of theories within this field focus upon development during childhood, because this is the period when individuals lifespan undergoes drastic changes. Factors influencing developmental psychology Heredity The heredity of a father as well as that of the woman will determine that of their children. Embryonic life starts with the cytoplasm and nucleus of the fertilized ovum, genetically determine by the two parents. According to Bar-Or and Bouchard (2004) there are independent set of genes that regulate the rate at which children grow. The link between parent-child, siblings and also twin studies has been used to record familial and consequently genetic effects on growth and development of children and infants. Judys case is no different. Her personality could be related that of her mother. Her mother is probably a single-parent since the father is out of picture. Her mother might be living a lonely life excluding herself from other people. This means that Judy may even have a problem opening up during the interview. Supportive family environment The development of a child is highly influence by the kind and extent of support she gets from her family. According to Lerner (2015) the family forms the basis of a child foundation. The support the child gets from the family enables her gain confidence and has a sense of belonging. Judy seems to have problems both in school and at home. She is probably the only child in the family and this can be supported by the fact that she is lonely and has problem sleeping at night. Age The age of child will affect the growth rate in that at certain age in their lifespan, they start being exposed to other issues in the society and realization of who they realy are. According to Howe (2010) when a childs mind begins to learn more and being exposed to new ways of life, they may have problems in adapting to new realities and this may affect their growth. Judy is an 8 year old girl and chances are high that she has noticed the difference between her intellectual capabilities and that of the rest of the children. She thinks she is smarter than the rest of the children and to her this makes her different. Differences between counseling children and adult An expert in counseling will deal with both adults and children and these calls for keenness and sensitivity on how to handle the two types of patients. According to Pandey (2004) dealing with children and adults call for a counselor to put in practice special skills that will enable them to be effective in their work. Influence of a third part Unlike dealing with adults, counseling children may involve at least on third party who has authority over the child. Although the adults may at times have a significant third party for children is very crucial to involve either a parent or guardian. According to Hutchby (2007) counseling is more of a personal and private matter but when the counselor is dealing with a minor, the counselor is allowed to involve people who the child is dependent on and can give opinion about their general well being. Judy was brought by her mother and she is going to play a key role in treating her since she is the one in charge of her. This is allowed because the child may not be able to make decisions that may have a greater impact on them. It is also crucial because the third party may be able to give a deep insight about the background information regarding the childs up bring. Autonomy Counseling children comes with minimal autonomy. This is because generally children have less control and power to make their own decisions. Children are answerable to several authorities including the practitioners and this particularly affects the therapeutic relationship. Most of the children do not even have the decision to have the counseling service. This affects the much needed collaborative relationship between a practitioner and a patient. Evans (2006) says that most parents and other forms are the ones who refer children for counseling treatment. When doing this, the child has little or no influence on the decision. Judy was brought for counseling by her mother because of her fears that her condition was worsening. However this creates a better room for the mother to be a third party influence in the process because she is directly connected to her. Safeguarding of rules of counseling Dealing with children calls for the counselor to balance the power between their professional ethics and the welfare of the child. The counselor has a responsibility over the child and there needs to have a bigger picture of the implications that may be fall the child when certain decisions are made. Issues of confidentiality and the recovery of the child have to be an approached with a different perceptive with keen consideration of all the stakeholders surrounding the child. The counselor is allowed to share some of the details of the session with the parent, the guardian or other authorities when there is a clear danger to the well being of the child. Jenkins (2007) in as much counseling is a private and personal matter, the situation with children is different as there are other people who make decisions for the child. Information can be shared with such authorities as far as it will all lead to the recovery and treatment of the child. Judy as a patient may have the right to confidentiality but this is limited because she is a minor. Information about her experiences at home and in school is crucial and the mother may have further details regarding this. Developmental stage Unlike adults, children are still undergoing development and growth. Their emotional, psychological and physical state is still in the process of advancing and this may mean that they have not been exposed to many issues. Their mental and psychological naivety may mean that they will have problem with understanding some issues and concepts about life. This difference in developmental stage calls for the counselor to use special skills while attending to the child. Judy is an 8 year old girl who has just started discovering herself. She is having problems with seeing herself different and has problem with socialization. She is most probably still developing and exploring her social skills and self-confidence. Fears/Anxieties of interviewing children in counseling Permanent treatment Taking children through a counseling session is more than just a process of rehabilitation and treatment. Since children are growing, their mind does not allow restoration to original form. Their mind is open to new ideas and concepts. This can change the process of counseling into learning where there are acquiring new information. The ideas given by the counselor should be very sensitive to ensure that the child does not acquire negative thoughts. This limits the extent of information given to the child. Acceding to Babu (2009) a child has very strong leaning capability. They are easily influenced and transformed by new ideas. As a matter of fact, new ideas and discoveries tend to excite children and this makes the process of learning even more effective. Judy seems to be a bright girl with academic capabilities. She is likely going to be very keen to learn new ideas out of the counseling sessions and these ideas if not well controlled may affect the whole of her future. Behavioral issues Some of the problems related to children do not necessarily need counseling but behaviour change. The most effective way to change this would be close relationship with the mother and the family members who will impact the behaviors to the child. Counseling sessions may give the child theoretical point of view but the real problem will be solved by observation and imitation. The parents have a role to train their children by offering consistent structure to the child. The child may turn out to be hostile to the counselor or the whole process. Judy realizes that she needs friends. She is lonely but still feels she cannot join the rest of the children in school. This has affected her both at school and home. Her problem might need exposure to new friends and being involvement with social matters more other than counseling. According to Kapur (2011) treating the behavioral problems for children does not always need psychotherapy. At the stage of development, most of the issues can be fixed by placing them in the right environment. In the right environment, a child can easily be influenced to take up new behaviors. Assessment method Behavioral, emotional and social difficulties Judy seems to be doing well in school and these could translate to mean that her learning capabilities are very fine. However, Judy has a challenge with her behaviour, emotions and socialization. Her behaviour seem to be more focused on her own well being and does not seem to mind about the rest of the children. Judy sees herself as being smarter than the rest of the children. She feels special because of her capabilities and undermines the rest of the children. This shows that she believes she should be treated differently. The rest of the children do not see her any indifferent. The result is stress as she tries to fait this feeling of rejection. She also has emotional problems. She seems to be stress by the issues back at school and this has developed hatred towards the rest of the children. For no reason, she is staying away from her friends. The emotional stress is so strong that it affects her sleep and has slowly developed dislike for school. This dislike for school and tiredness in the morning could be associated with the long night of restlessness and lack of sleep. According to Neinstein; et al (2008) children tend to be very active and aggressive in the morning after a whole night of rest. Children who have been deprived of sleep due to stress and other emotional issues may have difficulties in the morning as they struggle with weariness. Judy is definitely having serious social problems. With no specific reference to an act of mockery, Judy thinks that her classmates are mocking her. For that reason she hates them. This point is supported further by the fact that she knows she is lonely and still does not want socialize and be associated with the rest of the children. The thought of coming to school to see the same children makes her hate school even more. According to Grusec and Hastings (2008) development of social skills is very crucial for children. However, there are many other forces that surround this. Children tend to learn from the people around them. If the people around them have poor social skills, the child is likely to do the same. References Top of Form Malina, R. M., Bar-Or, O., & Bouchard, C. (2004). Growth, maturation, and physical activity Champaign, Ill. [u.a.: Human Kinetics. Bottom of Form Top of Form Lerner, R. M. (2015). Handbook of child psychology and developmental science: Ecological settings and processes. Place of publication not identified: John Wiley. Bottom of Form Top of Form Pandey, V. C. (2004). Child counseling and education New Delhi: Isha Books. Top of Form Hutchby, I. (2007). The discourse of child counseling Amsterdam [u.a.: Benjamin’s. Top of Form Evans, C. (2006). Genetic counseling: A psychological approach. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Bottom of Form Top of Form Jenkins, P. (2007). Counseling, psychotherapy and the law Los Angeles: SAGE. Top of Form Babu, N. (2009) Development of theory of mind and mental state language in children New Delhi: Concept Pub. Co Top of Form Kapur, M. (2011) Counseling children with psychological problems. Delhi: Pearson. Top of Form Neinstein, L. S., & Neinstein, L. S. (2008) Adolescent health care: A practical guide. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Grusec, J. E., & Hastings, P. D. (2008) Handbook of socialization: Theory and research. New York: Guilford. Bottom of Form Read More