Mental Health Cases in School Counseling.

COUN 410 Intro to Counseling Theory

Task:

Question:

1. Read the following vignette, and discuss how you might work with this child if you were his school counselor: J was a 15-year-old boy who first encountered mental health treatment after he admitted to his school counselor that he had thoughts of hurting himself.

He explained to his counselor that he had had been caught smoking cigarettes in his room at home by his stepfather, and in the verbal altercation that followed J told his mother and stepfather that he “didn’t care anymore and wanted to die.”

J’s stepfather became very angry and threw him out of the house for being disrespectful and untrustworthy.

The mother then became enraged at her husband and told her husband that if he kicks out J, she is going, too. Then everyone calmed down, and little had been said about the incident afterward.

J admitted to his school counselor that he had been feeling depressed for several months prior to this episode. He wanted to be an actor and said that he did not see the point of studying or going to school.

Although he did well academically in the 9th and 10th grade, his grades declined significantly in 11th grade to the point that he was ineligible to participate in extracurricular activities like the drama club.

He admitted to having difficulty fitting in and was associating with the kids who skipped class and took drugs. J’s depressive symptoms included sad mood, decreased motivation, decreased energy, decreased concentration, and sleep difficulty.

He explained to his counselor that after breaking up with his girlfriend, he cut himself superficially on his forearm with a razor and had fleeting thoughts of suicide.

2. John, a college student is struggling to decide on a career after graduation. He has had a difficult time in his coursework in college and believes he may have an Attention Deficit Disorder.

In addition, at age ten, John sustained a spinal injury and is paraplegic.

What course of action (treatment, recommendations, referrals) would you take in working with this individual?

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