Is the parent able to read the child’s cues successfully most of the time/ some of the time?

Due Date 6-28-2021
Find a child to interview with whom you are only minimally familiar and who has no obvious need for counseling. The age of the child should be 12 or younger. In order to make this a rich experience, try to enlist a child of an age with which you are least familiar. Ask the parent to sign the consent form (found in the appendix) to allow you to talk to their child in private. Be very clear with parents that only you and I will have access to the interview . The signed consent form is due on 6-14-2020
This assignment is an opportunity to get to know a child through verbal interaction and observation. It will familiarize you with the experience of being with a child and understanding his or her developmental and mental status functioning while actively listening and examining your own reactions and feelings. You will get to know a child though the use of parent interview, verbal interaction, observation, and play. You should put aside one session of about one hour to one hour and fifteen minutes in length for the child interview and about one hour for the parent interview.

Write a 5-7 page paper about your experience and cite the reading to support your conclusions and observations. As all the readings and class discussions are relevant to this assignment, it is expected that you will use All your reading and class discussions and lectures to support your analysis.Your paper will be Incorporate the following:

Complete a “mock” intake with the caretaker of the child using the interview in the Appendix. .

Observe the attachment relationship between parent and child:
How do parent and child react to being separated?
How do the parent and child greet each other following the separation?
Does the parent anticipate the child’s needs or respond to the child’s cues for care or comfort?
Is the parent able to read the child’s cues successfully most of the time/ some of the time?
What tone of voice or body language do parent and child use with each other?
What physical interactive behavior do you observe between parent and child (do they show affection, sit close to each other, use rough play, avoid physical contact)?
How does the child use the parent to help him or her navigate through an unfamiliar environment or experience (such as first meeting you)?

Ask these questions to the child:

People who like to play (spend time with) with me
People I love
People who I am afraid of
People who tuck me into bed at night
People who help me with my homework
People who think I am special
People who fight
People who can help me solve a problem
People I can go to when I feel afraid

On your paper, describe the child’s appearance; mood and affect (e.g. observe the range of affect, the variety of affect, the depth of affect expression). Additionally, observe the child’s response to the experience by observing how the child copes with this situation including drawing a picture. Pay attention to the adaptional style and themes that emerge in the sessions and the evidence of the child’s resiliency. See the Appendix to frame your response.

During the parental intake interview, your observations and the responses to the questions, summarize your clinical impressions of the child including strengths (abilities, talents, supports), concerns of parent or child (i.e. has good self-esteem, feels inadequate and lacks confidence, is isolated by peers), strengths and issues in school, parent/child attachment and relationships, and emotional issues and themes presented. This means, in summary, that you should paint a portrait of the child’s thinking, feeling and behaving. You should not only listen to what is being said but also note how it is said and the accompanying behaviors including play behaviors.

How did the child’s and your respective cultural differences influence your conceptualization of this child? e.g. the range of some developmental-based behaviors for children and adults in one culture can radically differ from what is found in another culture. They can also be radically different within the same culture so don’t get caught in the trap of thinking because a child is from your same class, religion, or race that there are no differences with which to deal; when working with any individual, their lives, cultural composition, and experiences are likely to be much different than our own. What are your own biases and how did they play out in your interview? What cultural norms and/or social context need to be considered? i.e the family’s beliefs about “normal” child behavior, development, family structure and parenting practices.

No matter how experienced you are, with certain children you will feel competent whereas with others you will feel inept. Such differences in your own reaction are significant in understanding a child. What you are feeling is in some way related to the child and may be separate from your own level of experience or competence. Examine your emotional reactions at the end of the interview. Be very honest with yourself: Consider the general feelings that the child evoked in you and your fantasies during the interview. What did it feel like for you to be talking to the child ? Which of your common beginning counselor reactions and vulnerabilities were activated? Were you able to relate to the child? How would you categorize your style as a counselor (e.g. babysitter, teacher) and your effectiveness? What issues do you expect will come up for you when you counsel children?

Critique your interviews, giving examples regarding the following:
Self- evaluate, (in depth and using 6 to 7 interactions/quotes from your interview), your ability to track behavior, to be sensitive to the child’s feelings using communication, reflecting feelings, using empathy and asking empathic questions, using the third person and metaphor, paraphrasing, affirming, and forming an alliance. Consider your ability to gain rapport and demonstrate listening skills. This is very important for your professional growth and you should be thorough in your appraisal. Is there anything you would do differently if you could go back and do the interview again?
Were you able to establish a warm, caring relationship? Did you give unqualified acceptance? Were you able to create an atmosphere of safety and permissiveness? Did you respect the child’s capacity to act responsibly? Give examples of how and when you did or did not do this.

Part I: Intake Interview with Parent or Caretaker
Complete the intake assessment with the parent or caregiver. This will give you some basic information about the child including the caregivers’ perception of the child, and the child’s strengths and weaknesses. It will also give you their perceptions of landmarks in motor, cognitive, psychosocial, language and emotional development by asking questions about development (e.g. walking, talking, feeding, sleeping, toilet training), behavior (favorite activities, how they get along with others, how they misbehave), current medical history, if any, current and former school performance and behavior and stressful psychosocial events (birth of a sibling, divorce, death of someone close or other losses, etc.). Document how you built rapport. Describe the parenting style, parents’ relationship to each other, and attachment and discipline strategies. Be sure and clarify general and/or unclear responses. This information should be summarized and discussed at the beginning of your write-up. Hand-in your notes as well.

Part II: Interview with Child

Below are some questions to get to know the child and understand a bit about how s/he makes meaning of their world. However, first engage the child immediately by providing an enjoyable, non-threatening activity such as drawing and attractive materials; even the most confident of children may feel somewhat apprehensive. You will need to build a relationship. Read and incorporate into your interview the techniques for building a relationship and encouraging children (in Kottman, Martin, van Velsor, Bellison, Henderson and Brooks).
Children of various ages will respond differently to different interview strategies and you will have to modify the manner in which you respond to children, ask questions and how children are expected to respond. Remember, too, that children and adolescents of all ages often express themselves more easily through art and play than through the more traditional “talking therapy”. Even very verbal, bright children may not possess the linguistic ability to describe their perceptions and affective experiences. Adolescents often like to have “something to do” while talking. Again, the goals of the interview are to attempt to track behavior, reflect content, reflect feelings, empathize, summarize, communicate, and build a relationship in your interactions.
Have markers, crayons, paper, etc. available and observe if the child draws a picture spontaneously of his/her own choice. If not, tell him or her that they can “draw or paint whatever comes to mind”. When the child is finished, ask about the picture: “Tell me about your picture”. “What do you notice about your picture?”
When getting to know the child, you might start out by telling the child or young adolescent what you already know about him or her and follow up with neutral questions e.g. “I know you are in Kindergarten and go to school on a yellow bus. So tell me what you do before you get on the bus. I know you are on the baseball team at the Middle School. What position do you play? Is that the one you prefer? Why?” Ask the child or the young adolescent in your case study to answer all of the following questions. Do not, do not, do not launch into the questions immediately, but attempt to build a relationship with the child first. The younger the child, the more creative you will need to be in getting a response; do not expect that you can simply sit down with the child and ask these questions; too many questions at once can shut down the most open and cooperative child. The questions should be woven into the session interactions and activities and should come out of your interaction– not as an interrogation. Again, whenever possible, get this information through the context of activities or play. Be creative. For example, questions 1, 2, 6,7,9, etc. can be done through drawing a picture or telling a story and number 3 can be done through a game like charades, For number 10, you should show a picture of feelings, have the child name them and then ask about the kinds of things that engender these feelings.

I’d like to hear about something you’re good at or something you are proud of.
There are all kind of families. Who is in your family? What do you like best about your family? What about your family would you just as soon forget about?
Tell me about something that happens at home that is fun.
What grade are you in school? What is the best grade in which to be? What about that grade makes it the best?
How old are you? What is the best age to be? What is it about that age?
What is your favorite activity or thing to do? What makes you like it so much?
What do you like best about school? Least? If you could change school in any way you wanted, what would you do?
What should adults know about kids? What is it like being a kid?
Do you know what a worry is? (Explain if the child does not know) What do little kids worry about? What do big kids worry about?
What kind of things make you feel happy? Angry ? Sad? Frightened? What do you do when you feel happy? Angry? Sad? Frightened?
Is there anything you keep with you that helps you feel safe or loved?
Who are the most important people in your life? What about them makes them so important to you?

Last 2 pages please do a reflection paper.
2- Reflection paper
In order to have the opportunity to think about and integrate course material, write one brief (2-3 pages) two-part reflection paper. It should consist of the following:

Discuss your thoughts and reactions to: readings, a class discussion, lecture, video, or any idea from one or more sources. It may be a scientific critique, a theoretical analysis or a personal reaction.
Discuss your interactions with children and/or their families and how they relate to the knowledge you are acquiring. The focus should be on exploring the following questions:
What have I learned about myself during this experience?
What have I learned about children during this experience?
What have I learned about child psychology during this experience? (e.g. include nurturing practices, how to evaluate critically your own skills, skills for reducing social injustices)
Whcixat is the next step in my learning?

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