¶ … Adolescence, and How They Have the Potential to Impact Your Work as an Adolescent and Family Counsellor
Issue Usually Adolescents Face
Adolescence is a somewhat universal period of transition where females experience physical, emotional, psychological, and social changes. Cultures vary as to how they define and deal with the "growing up" period. Only the biological changes of puberty are consistent across cultures. Secondary sexual characteristics, such as breasts, may begin as early as 8 or 9 and continue to develop until about age 14. Menarche begins around this same time with the average age in the U.S. being 12.5 years. Behaviorally, these rapid changes often lead to comparison with peers, self-consciousness, and significant concern over one's physical appearance (Greene, 2005).
Orvaschel, Beeferman, and Kabacoff (1997) found that self-esteem tends to decrease with advancing age, at least through late adolescence. Most likely this is related to changing appearances, increased self-consciousness, and increased peer scrutiny in adolescent girls and boys. While it is unknown whether poor self-esteem is a precursor to depression and other mood disorders, or vice versa, a relationship between the two exists. This is important because self-esteem can act as a protective factor against depression and suicidality. Good self-esteem also has effects on intimacy in later adult relationships. In this I will describe the problem I faced during my adolescence and how these problems will impact my practice as a counsellor while dealing with the adolescents.
How I will manage the issue as a Counsellor
Communication with Adolescents
Communication is said to lie "at the heart of our relationships" because "we do not relate and then talk, but we relate in talk" (Rogers & Escudero, 2004, p 3.). By extension, communication "lies at the heart of" the therapeutic relationship, where therapist and client relate "in talk." This view implies that, while relationships contextualize and shape the way people communicate, relationships are also constructed and influenced by communication processes (Rogers & Escudero, 2004).Therefore, in studying the therapeutic alliance, it is important to consider how therapist and clients communicate with one another.
Engaging adolescents in beneficial communication is often difficult because of the circumstances under which they attend therapy sessions. Adolescents are considered "therapy hostages" (Friedlander et al., 2006) when they tend not to be part of the decision to seek therapy; often, adolescents tend to be referred or mandated by the parents or another authority figure (Shelef, 2005; Rubenstein, 2003). In Bergand Miller's (1992) words, adolescents tend to be "visitors" to the therapeutic process because of their low motivational level and because they tend to be criticized by other family members, who blame them for the family's problems (Friedlander., 2006;Sharry, 2004).
Therapists may engage in cajoling and haranguing therapy "visitors" to participate, which can only worsen the situation (Sharry, 2004). However, it seems more useful to assume that everyone who attends the session is motivated to achieve something in therapy, although a client's personal goals may differ from and conflict with the goals agreed upon at the onset of therapy (Sharry, 2004).
Indeed, adolescents often have goals that differ from those of their parents, which makes alliance formation with this population more challenging but, ironically, more critical to treatment outcome (Liddle, 1995). For this reason, some authors recommend that, for treatment to be successful, therapists should incorporate the adolescent's concerns and desires into the treatment process, providing them with a sense of control (Diamond, Hogue, Liddle, & Dakof, 1999; Sharry, 2004). According to Liddle (1995), it is only when adolescents trust the therapist and feel connected that treatment can be successful. Communication with adolescents must, therefore, be handled in a way that helps adolescents feel included, respected, and cared for.
In developing a positive relationship with adolescents, particularly in the context of family therapy, one must consider the barriers to productive communication that have to do with the typical characteristics of adolescence (Diamond., 2000;Sharry, 2004). That is, developmental differences can make it difficult for therapists to communicate simultaneously with adolescents and parents (Diamond et al., 2000).Along with less ability to think abstractly than parents and communicate verbally, adolescents struggle with issues like independence from parents, identity, sexuality, and so forth (Sharry, 2004). As they begin to seek more autonomy, adolescents become more apt to confront their parents and, by extension, any adult in an authoritative role, including therapists (Diamond et al., 2000). Adolescents also tend to be more private, self-conscious, and awkward, which challenges the therapist's desire to get close to them and elicit their worldviews (Sharry, 2004). In general, adolescents often strive for control in an environment where they tend to have little say, posing roadblocks for building positive therapeutic relationships.
When considering the developmental characteristics...
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