Counseling the Contemporary Woman - Suzanne Degges-White

Скачать книгу

that she likes traveling and camping and exploring new sites. She shared that she is good with kids and likes cooking and baking. Her grades are good, and she noted proudly that she had been on the dean’s list. She is a supportive friend.

       The counselor stepped in and added that she sees her as independent and responsible since she is holding a job while studying and paying for her own car and insurance. Agneshka reluctantly agreed. Her counselor encouraged Agneshka to think about some small things she would like to change about her feelings and her situations. Agneshka shared her wants, and together they cocreated some basic goals and objectives to accomplish. The list looked like this:

      1 To improve relationships through reducing conflicts: with my dad and stepmother and with my boyfriend

      2 To improve mood: feel less anxious, less depressed, and therefore feel good about myself

      3 To be more independent and eventually move out

      Brief Conceptualization

       Before any further work, it is helpful to bear in mind Agneshka’s current developmental status. As a young woman of Polish descent, her cultural background will play a role in her counseling work, even though she was raised in the United States. As an emerging adult, she has needs for independence and intimacy. She is also working on getting her education in order to establish her professional career. Cognitively, postformal thought allows her to consider multiple angles and contradictory perspectives. Further, her dualistic tendencies (“right vs. wrong” thought patterns) still persist until she moves into relativistic thinking that will allow her to honor different opinions. She might not have access to all possible information needed in order to make the best decision, and there are no preestablished answers. She has met with barriers related to her expected gender role and her own vision of her career path and identity. While she wants to become a wife and a parent, her independence and career come first. Such difference in views (gender, family, and culture) and tendencies for dualistic thinking contribute to frequent relational conflict, leading her to see only one possible solution to her problems, to move out of her parents’ house. In relation to her stepmother, Agneshka’s behaviors can be seen as a result of competition over her dad’s attention. Further, feeling dismissed by her father and lacking a strong support network of female friends may contribute to her decision to date a man who is significantly older than she is and who is a father to two children; Agneshka may be seeking validation and support through this relationship.

      Final Wrap-Up

       While working with Agneshka, her counselor can best help her by doing the following: Show respect for Agneshka’s thinking and keep in mind that promoting reflective thinking needs to be done in a supportive atmosphere. Encourage Agneshka to gather necessary information about a problem she is facing, evaluate the quality of the information she retrieves, and draw a conclusion based on evaluated facts. Assist Agneshka in concretely examining the assumptions she is using in making her decision about issues she is facing. Lastly, pay attention to Agneshka’s culture and how this may be influencing her thinking and decision making. Agneshka and her counselor, besides working on already established goals, can also explore Agneshka’s identity and facilitate a deeper self-understanding in order for Agneshka to navigate her relationships in a more meaningful and intentional manner.

      Questions for Reflection

      1 What additional information would you as a counselor like to gather about Agneshka, considering her developmental phase?

      2 What are some additional issues Agneshka should address during counseling?

      3 Are there any ethical considerations that are relevant to working with Agneshka?

      4 What approach would you take when working with Agneshka as her counselor?

      References

      Arlin, P. (1984). Beyond formal operations: Late adolescent and adult cognitive development. Journal of Gerontology, 39(6), 765–65.

      Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–80.

      Arnett, J. J. (2004, November 12). “Emerging Adulthood.” Chronicle of Higher Education, p. B4.

      Arnett, J. J. (2006). Emerging adulthood in Europe: A response to Bynner. Journal of Youth Studies, 9(1), 111–23.

      Arnett, J. J. (2007). Emerging adulthood: What is it, and what is it good for? Child Development Perspectives, 1(2), 68–73.

      Arnett, J. J. (2016). Does Emerging Adulthood Theory Apply Across Social Classes? National Data on a Persistent Question. Emerging Adulthood, 4(4), 227–35.

      Aron, A., & Aron, E. N. (1986). Love and the expansion of self: Understanding attraction and satisfaction. New York, NY: Hemisphere/Harper and Row.

      Ballakrishnen, S., Fielding-Singh, P., & Magliozzi, D. (2019). Intentional invisibility: Professional women and the navigation of workplace constraints. Sociological Perspectives, 62(1), 23–41.

      Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

      Betz, N. E., & Hackett, G. (1981). The relationship of career related self-efficacy expectations to perceived career options in college women and men. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 28, 399–410.

      Bishop, J. L., Welsh, D. P., Lounsbury, J. W., & Norona, A. J. C. (2016). The individual and relational role balance scale (IRRBS): A preliminary scale development and validation study. College Student Journal, 50(4), 531–50.

      Boisnier, A. D. (2003). Race and women’s identity development: Distinguishing between feminism and womanism among black and white women. Sex Roles, 49, 211–18.

      Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2014). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

      Carter, B. A., & McGoldrick, M. (2015). The expanded family life cycle. Boston, MA: Pearson.

      Cass, V. C. (1979). Homosexual identity formation: A theoretical model. Journal of Homosexuality, 4, 219–35.

      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019). Depression among women. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/depression/index.htm#Postpartum

      Chapman, B. E., & Brannock, J. C. (1987). Proposed model of lesbian identity development: An empirical examination. Journal of Homosexuality, 14, 69–20.

      Collins, W. A. (2003). More than myth: The developmental significance of romantic relationships during adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 13, 1–24. doi:10.1111/1532-7795.1301001

      Collins, W. A., & van Dulmen, M. H. M. (2006). “The course of true love(s) . . .”: Origins and pathways in the development of romantic relationships. In A. C. Crouter & A. Booth (Eds.), Romance and sex in adolescence and emerging adulthood: Risks and opportunities (pp. 63–86). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

      Degges-White, S., & Borzumato-Gainey, C. (2011). Friends forever: How girls and women forge lasting relationships. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

      Demir, M. (2009). Close relationship and happiness among emerging adults. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11(3), 293–313.

      Diamond, L. M. (2008). Sexual fluidity: Understanding women’s love and desire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

      Fassinger, R. E., & Miller, B. A. (1996). Validation of an inclusive model of sexual minority identity formation on a sample of gay men. Journal of Homosexuality, 32, 53–78.

      Faw, M. H., Sonne, J., & Leustek, J. (2019). Exploring tough love communication in parents’ relationships with their young

Скачать книгу