Over-involved parent
Over-involved parents can complicate the counseling process for children and teens. Parents that become over involved in their
child’s therapy will affect the outcome of therapy. This can be affected by the child not wanting to open completely and participate
in treatment in fear that the parents will now how the feel, or their issues. Children and teens want to know they have
confidentiality in therapy, and if parents are always asking what gong on a child is may not want to open. This preventing the child
from wanting to attend therapy all together.
Some strategies that I would use to help a parent understand their overparenting behaviors and the effects they have on the child
would be the three- phase clinical approach mention in the Ungar reading. Phase one inviting parents to reflect on their childhoods,
and the risks and responsibilities that they assumed is a respectful place to begin a family conversation. Parents often feel
attacked. Their initial fear for their children becomes compounded by their fear of being perceived as a bad parent by the
therapist. Remembering their own patterns of risk-taking, focus is on eliciting thick descriptions of childhood experiences that
parents say taught them self-respect, demonstrated capacities, fostered independence and so forth (Ugar, P. 265).
Phase two, exploring the child’s motivation for risk and responsibility. Parents are asked to explore their child’s motivation for
his problem behavior. “How does being anxious help, your child stay safe?” “What does your child need to function more independently
and confidently?”
Phase three, Exploring safe substitutes for the child’s problem behavior. During this third phase, intervention moves from
reflections on past behavior of parents and child motivation to identifying substitute behaviors for the young person (Ugar, P.265).
With a parent who wants to be very involved in their teenager’s counseling session I would have to help the parent to understand
that their child needs to learn self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is defined as a personal judgement of “how well one can execute courses
of action required to deal with prospective situations.” I would help the parent to understand how important it is for the child to
have a space to go to and be able to let out any frustration or fear they may be dealing with. I will help to alleviate any anxiety
a parent may have, by letting them know that if their child is in danger or going to harm one’s self I will inform them.
If a family is facing very real threats to safety such as community violence, gang involvement, or high rates of involvement with
drugs I would approach this by finding ways to let family know of some group activities they can become involved in. By finding what
a child or teen has interest in for example basketball, softball, and dance. With finding out what the interest is then I can direct
that child or teen to afterschool programs that offer this activity, or civic centers that offer this. With finding an outlet a
child can go to, to have fun and be involved in something gives them a sense of control and enjoyment.
Feed back has to be done in your own word!!