Your own feed back on this discussion( in your own words, with references)
How might an over-involved parent complicate the counseling process for children and teens? An over involved parent might make the
counsleing process more complicated due to the fact that they are not able to let go and let someone else have a bit of say over
their child. Over parenting can also impede the natural develpment of adolescents and in turn make it harder for a counselor to
accurately assess where the child is developmentally. The child may not be at an age-appropiate level because the parents have in
sense denied them the abilty to be any sort of self sufficient
What strategies would you use to help parents understand their overparenting behaviors and the effects they have on the child? I
have actually been in a situation where I have had to deal with over protective parents. I have given them ideas of how to start
letting their children make their own choices. I start small letting the child make a choice but the outcome wil be what is desired
by the parent. This helps with the anxiety from the parent as well on letting the child cut loose a little bit. I also let the
parent know that it is ok if the child makes a mistake. A mistake is a lesson learned I try to explain to them
How might you work with a parent who wanted to be very involved in their teenager’s counseling sessions, against the wishes of the
teen himself? I would suggest to the parent that we have different sessions, one with just the child and one as a family unit. I
would explain to the parent that the child has a right to their privacy but I would also explain that I would alert the parent if
the child stated any self harm issues. I would explain that the child would get more out of counseling if they were able to freely
express their feelings without feeling scrutinized by the parents. In the long run a one on one coounsling session with the child
will be better for both the parent and the child because I would work on coping and communication skills for the child to use.
The Ungar article discusses the idea that overprotection is not necessary in environments that are generally very safe. How would
you approach a family counseling situation in which the child faces very real threats to safety such as community violence, gang
involvement, or high rates of involvement with drugs? In a high risk environment more parental involvement is needed. Although there
has to be a line drawn between parental support and a parent being over involved. In a high risk environment parents need to be more
visible to their kids and they need to show the kids theat they are their for a solid support system.