Counseling For Michelle And Asif: Perspectives And Challenges

Understanding the Psychology and Mindset of Homosexuality

Question:

Discuss about the Social Work with Diverse Population for Homosexual Community.

I would prepare myself for my meeting with Michelle by researching on the psychology and mindset of the homosexual community. Immense care has to be taken to ensure the fact that at no point in the conservation the feeling of Michelle is hurt. People who are gay and lesbian have to face the censure of society and they are often ridiculed at large so having a sympathetic attitude towards them is a must. It has to be explained to Michelle that this crisis is not an isolated incident and people of different sexual orientations are being recognized in today’s world. People with different sexual orientations are being accepted by the society and they have the freedom to live life on their own terms. Different countries are recognizing the need of homosexuals and they would never find happiness in a normal marriage (Owen-Pugh & Baines, 2014).  Their physical urges would not be satisfied in such a case and sooner or later their marriage would fall apart. I need to have another important thing in mind- concern for Frank since he is a loving and caring father.

Counselling for Michelle should take into consideration the needs of Frank who has been branded by Michelle as a doting father. He is however ill-tempered so care has to be taken to ensure the fact that he does not get angry that might lead to a violent confrontation. An angry person has to be dealt with carefully and he has to be made understood that Michelle is not depriving him of anything. He would after a point of time become frustrated after living with Michelle so for the happiness of both of them, they should live apart. Michelle will allow him to have contact with their children so that he can fulfill his paternal duty. He has to me made understood that he is not being deprived from the love and care of his children. He can continue to visit them and his children would also visit him from time to time.

The vital issues that are being raised in this case is whether Michelle is right in deciding to move together with Charlie inspite of being married to Frank. An important area of discussion revolves round the fact regarding whether Michelle was aware of her homosexual orientation before her marriage. She being aware of her sexual orientation before her marriage would raise another concern about her ethics (Bidell, 2013).  Was she right in deceiving her husband then? Did she know Charlie earlier? Did she start feeling for Charlie after marriage? These are the different areas that has to be made clear before progressing on this case and offering her advice. Child custody is another area that has to be delved deep into. The needs of the minor differ from that of those who are above 18 years of age. Their point of view is also important regarding with whom they would like to stay. Their desire is of utmost importance and with whom they would like to spend most of the time. Since the children are minors (one is aged 10 and the other one is 12) they would need their mother mostly (Ojanen,  Ratanashevorn & Boonkerd, 2016).

Dealing with the Custody and Family Issues of Michelle

 The interest of the children is the pivotal point around which the issue regarding custody will revolve. The relationship and the ability of the parents to meet the needs of the children is an area of consideration. Children who are in the age group of 8-12 can talk about how they feel freely (Thomas, 2016).  They can experience a conflict in relation to loyalty and if the conflict in between parents is of a high stature, they can reject one parent for the other. They sometimes involve themselves by saying negative things about one to the other. At this age, they have sporting interest and other social commitments. While making parenting arrangement, due consideration has to be given to the interest and activity of the children. The child custody should not have adverse impact on their day to day life. The child should be kept in custody with such a parent that will not hinder their activities that is vital at this stage of life (Sabri, Owoyemi & Mangsor, 2014).

Being homosexual carries with it a lot of emotional challenges along with concerns. They have to undergo a change in their social status. Added to this factor, if they are getting separated financial constraint will be another arena that has to be dealt with. First and foremost, Michelle has to be made to understand that it is not a crime to be lesbian. A non-judgemental environment should be provided to Michelle during the counseling session that will enable her to come out of the shell and reveal her problems clearly. Her husband being short-tempered poses a problem as she cannot divulge her problems carefully. In addition to this, he is conservative that makes Michelle feel that he will never understand her problems. A therapeutic relationship has to be built between me and the client. As long as Michelle would feel that she is different from the rest, she will continue to feel guilty and repressed so it is necessary to make her understand that she is perfectly normal that will enable her to confront her husband about her condition. Moreover, it is the fear lurking within her that is causing her to hide about her sexual orientation from her husband (Bidell, 2016).

Comparison with the thoughts and beliefs of others is often a yardstick in the society in order to determine the normalcy of a person. Society has evolved to a great extent and rebelling against the thoughts of one will not yield any positive results. I will make her understand that a conciliation can be reached between both the parties that will leave no party injured. I will make Michelle understand that this will serve the happiness of Michelle, Frank, Charlie and even the children. Everyone needs to be happy for a perfect balanced society (Meek, 2015).  I will impart the knowledge that all kinds of differences give rise to a harmonious society where everyone can realize their full potential.

Challenges in Counseling Asif as a Refugee

Asif has gone through a lot of hardships in his life. He has faced terrible circumstances that makes him feel lonely and secluded. I will investigate into the work climate and social support system of Asif as a preliminary before the counseling session of Asif. He must be facing “culture shock” since he has to live alone in Australia completely away from his friends, family and his familiar society (Slewa-Younan et al.,2014).  He wants his family to come to him but the procedure is lengthy and he has to tolerate the torture of separation. The death of his 15 year old son who lost his life when shot by the Taliban continues to haunt him. I will like to know about the neighborhood of Asif and the kind of life they lead. Then I can give him valuable advice regarding how he can accommodate himself into the culture of the place. Man cannot live without society and he will never be happy unless he makes friends.

A thorough study of the psychological setup of a refugee will help reveal the solution of Asif’s problem. Adaptation in a new country is unique for every individual. His life situation has to be dealt with meticulously and adaptation cycle will highlight the difficulties that an immigrant can possibly be going through (Kane et al., 2014).  I have to take note of his childhood experiences that can have a great impact on the overall life of an individual. They can throw a great amount of light on the psychology and mental framework of an individual. Background variables has also to be considered in understanding his problem, symptom and influence (Berthold et al., 2014).  I will have to engage myself in understanding the socio-economic condition of the place of Australia. Transition-related factors has also to be studied. His traumatic experience that continues to plague his soul has to be dealt with carefully and with a lot of compassion. “Self” is created on account of interactions with the society and that we think of ourselves in terms of how others perceive us. He should be enquired about the way other people is behaving with him in order to get a glimpse of the reason of his depression.

The issues in this case have been raised by the life circumstances of Asif who had to face terrible consequences. He is living in a single room within a boarding house that is making him feel isolated and depressed. He cannot accommodate himself into the culture of the new place thus making it all the more difficult for his delicate psychological set up. He wants his family to come to him in Australia but legal processes are leading to delays and he cannot have his family beside him to provide solace to his soul. A part of his family has moved to Iran but he has not heard from them since. He does not even know whether they are alive. This is another issue that is ripping him apart. Knowledge about their death would have added some iota of peace to his soul but he has to live and suffer the torment of all these mental burdens. The Talibans caught Asif and his 15 year old son and his son got shot. He lost his life and since then Asif has to live with the painful memory of the death of his son. His son died in his arms and he saw his son slowly moving into the other world. All these incidents have shaken Asif completely and he has to live his life with the troublesome memories of the circumstances and situations of his life.

Adapting to a New Culture and Dealing with Psychological Distress

A single bad incident can be tolerated but when so many bad incidents weigh down on the life of an individual he is bound to feel frustrated. He will feel completely shattered and he needs the support of clinical support to help him get over this crisis. Social identity can have a great impact on the well-being of an individual (Alemi et al., 2017).  Self is created on account of the process of social interaction and self-concepts refer to the evaluation of other people. This aspect is both created by the individual along with that of the society. The individual’s social identity in his original country as well as that of the new one should be dealt with carefully in order to provide solution to his psychological distress.

There are various definitions in relation to culture. For some people, culture comprises of values and motives whereas for others culture is inclusive of the institutions within the framework of which human beings live. The manner of thinking and feeling gives rise to culture. There are other people who focus on the genetic influence in relation to cultural traits. Culture consists of socially transmitted mental abilities hence it becomes difficult for a person to assimilate into a new place. It is extremely important to create the element of tolerance and avoid resentment so that conflict does not arise in relation to different social groups (Yaser et al., 2016).  One may face difficulties in relation to learning a new language and that can complicate the process of assimilation into the foreign culture. Language influences to a great extent the thought and culture. Without this, one will not be able to understand the verbal or non-verbal interpersonal communication. Learning the language fluently can also help in the process of assimilation (Pollard et al., 2014).

Longitudinal cohort study revolving around the Afghans who are newly settled could prove to be effective in the identification of the social and economic factors that are related to cases of trauma and depression. Studies have shown that learning the new language of the place can prove to be an effective tool in dealing with crisis (Pour et al., 2014). Language is an important indicator of acculturation. It can prove to be  protective factor as against the impact of negative mental health outcome in relation to particular sub-groups that are receptive of such kind of strategy. 

References:

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Meek, J. (2015). The Scottish Minorities Group. In Queer Voices in Post-War Scotland (pp. 89-116). Palgrave Macmillan UK.

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