This case involves a Title 1School that has a relatively low attendance rate and low rate of graduation. This kind of school could turn up to be a place where drug abuse is likely to occur making it an unsuitable place to raise one’s child. In this case, the physical altercation that happened among an African American male, a Caucasian male, and Latino male could be assessed accordingly.
There are certain steps required as a way of forming the basis of efficient school-wide needs assessment. There should be a consideration of a positive behavior existing among the students and stuff in the school (Farkas & Hall, 2000). If this hardly exists, a theme of behavioral change has to be initiated. There has to be adequate respect for one-self, respect for others, and respect for property. Every member should be responsible by being protective and respecting relationships within the school.
To provide counseling to the three males, some of the assessments would include the reasons behind their noisy quarrel or fight. It would be wise to find out would initiated the altercation and the purpose of the whole incidence (Farkas & Hall, 2000). It could be wise to check on any conflict having arisen due to drug usage or alcohol. Given that the source of the altercation is found, individual counseling to the three males would be necessary. This would be necessary as it could bring a sense of having done a mistake for every one of them and make corrections in a more specialized way (Farkas & Hall, 2000). This would also lead to confidentiality in the discussion but none of them should be taken as righteous in the incidence. After the counseling, monitoring their behaviors would be necessary including their relationships, how they relate with others, and their academic progress.
Various counseling techniques could be used including reality therapy, which focuses on realism, right-and-wrong, as well as responsibilities (Paisley, 2001). Adlerian counseling, which involves holism, compensation, withdrawal, and continuing influence, could be applied. Solution-focused brief counseling is based on social constructionist philosophy while cognitive behavior counseling involves helping patients identify their problems and diversifying their thoughts from such problems.
In Tan’s Case
Students with disabilities have difficulties relating with others making it necessary to curb this. Most of disadvantaged students feel inferior and are likely to perform poorly. This happens whenever counseling services are not provided in order to encourage them. It is the role of professional counselors in this category to counsel them and show them their importance and responsibilities in the society.
IDEA and Section 504 are different laws protecting students with disabilities. Protecting students with disabilities is one of the major similarities. The two cover the educational sector but the major differences include their structure and scope. IDEA only covers school age students with disabilities while Section 504 covers all people with disabilities. IDEA is a federal law ensuring that there is free and good education for children with disabilities while Section 504 covers all agencies since it is a broad civil rights law (Paisley, 2001). ADEA provides supplemental education while Section 504 requires schools to get rid of barriers that make it difficult for students with disabilities to participate fully school curriculum.
ADHD could be treated with psycho-stimulant medication but the major problem is the case of addiction whereby the student cannot act normally without the medication. The same medication must have some medical side effects such as kidney problems after a prolonged use. The fact that Tan was physically abused by his biological mother may be treated, but this could be causing all his problems (Paisley, 2001). Like any other child, Tam misses maternal love and thinks he deserves to be loved like his classmates and therefore lacks concentration, a condition that may persist even in the future. This problem is a risk factor in treating small children in the same way. His problem could be solved by providing examples of students facing the same problems but are doing well academically like portrayed by Zigarelli.
Teresa’s Case
The case of Teresa involves a sophomore who has transferred in the urban school at the start of the year. Teresa hardly speaks her problems but keeps to herself instead of sharing her problems with others. Since she accumulates many problems without solution, she turns out to be depressed. She can hardly talk of the scars on her arms but during counseling, she talks of having tried hard to stay slim and fit. She claims that the scars are for expressing pain over losing her boyfriend in a car accident. Her situation is a serious case, which she has to say the truth about her scars and the reasons she is always deeply depressed. Ethically, there is the need to bring out how her boyfriend’s death affects her and how dear he was to her (Paisley, 2001). It is also good to find out how the accident occurred and if she was involved but fortunately survived. Scope of the counseling to her should go beyond her confidentiality in this case and the way she behaves. Her lone behavior could emanate from the fact that she is new to this school as well.
Teresa is really in crisis since she may be in a trauma and a mental situation whereby she sees the problem as completely hers. She thinks that nobody is concerned or cares about her loss or loneliness. There is as well another aspect of her condition in which case she finds it hard to have someone who could take the position of her boyfriend in her life and ends up giving up in life and getting depressed. This could be solved through counseling starting by addressing that her situation has been experienced by many and that she is not alone (Paisley, 2001). The fact that her boyfriend was important should be addressed but still she could live without him even if he was alive. The best thing for her is to face life afresh, focus on her academics, and start a new relationship.
A better relationship could even come her way and help her focus on developing her life by avoiding reflecting on the past. The kind of depression she has could lead to worse situation such as suicide attempts witnessed in the scars on her arms. She should be advised that suicide might hardly be the best way out since committing suicide would affect others who love her. All that happened should be taken as the will of God that cannot be avoided according to Yeh, Borrero, and Shea. Peer programming as well as collaboration could be used in this case by encouraging her to share her loss with other and develop relationships with the rest of students in the school and in her class (Berg, 1993). This would assist in healing her problems.
References
Berg, I. K. (1993). Making numbers talk: Language in therapy. In S. Friedman (Ed.), The new language of change: Constructive collaboration in psychotherapy. New York: Guilford.
Farkas, G., & Hall, L. S. (2000). Can Title I Attain Its Goal? Brookings Papers on Education Policy , 59–123.
Paisley, P. (2001). School Counseling for the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities. Professional School Counseling Vol.5 No.2 , 106.
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