The document outlines various adolescent cases presented during counseling sessions, detailing family backgrounds and specific developmental crises faced by the adolescents such as relationship issues, substance abuse, and mental health struggles. Each case highlights risk-taking behaviors, family dynamics, and the need for counseling strategies that incorporate trust and engagement with both the adolescent and their family. The document serves as a resource for developing thoughtful and informed approaches to addressing the complexities of adolescent development within different family contexts.

1. © 2013 Laureate Education, Inc. 1
“Adolescence”
Program Transcript
Instructions:
Post by Day 3 the identity of your adolescent client. Summarize
the
developmental crises he or she is facing. Then, explain at least
two risk-taking
behaviors in which the adolescent is involved and at least one
protective factor
that might be influencing his or her level of functioning.
Finally, explain the impact
of these behaviors on the adolescent and his or her family.
Justify your response
with references to this week’s Learning Resources and the
current literature. Be
specific.
Respond by Day 5 to at least two of your colleagues using one
or more of the
following approaches:
Select a colleague who was assigned a different client than you.
Offer and
support at least two counseling strategies he or she might use to
establish a
trusting relationship with his or her adolescent client. Support
your response with

2. authentic observations/experiences and the current literature.
Select a colleague who was assigned the same client as you.
Expand on his or
her posting by describing how you might integrate the
parents/caretakers into the
adolescent’s treatment plan while also maintaining a trusting
relationship with the
adolescent.
Select a colleague who was assigned the same or different client
family from
you. Offer and support at least two strategies he or she might
use to encourage
healthy risk-taking behaviors with their adolescent client.
[Martinez Family]
General Background:
The Martinez family consists of Miguel, Jeannette, Gabby,
Tommy, and Christina
(the adopted daughter of Jeannette’s cousin).
The family’s ethnicity is Hispanic, and both Miguel and
Jeannette come from very
large extended families—many of whom live in the area.
They are Seventh-Day Adventists who are very involved in their
church; they
both hold leadership positions in the church and attend services
multiple times
each week.
Presenting Issues:

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Jeannette has brought Gabby (now 16) in to see you.
You meet with mother and daughter together, but Gabby does
not speak.
Jeannette is angry and yelling at Gabby, despite your requests
for her to please
calm down, take a deep breath, and speak more calmly.
Jeannette tells you that her daughter is a “slut.” She has found
out that Gabby
has been having sex, which “goes against everything [they]
taught her.”
Jeannette adds that Gabby now cannot get married in their
church because she
is “damaged goods.” She states that she is horrified by her
daughter’s behavior
and ashamed of her.
When you speak with Gabby alone, Gabby begins to cry, telling
you that she
loves her boyfriend very much and doesn’t believe that having
sex with him is
wrong. She tells you that the only thing that makes her sad is
that her parents
“hate” her now, and she’s afraid that she’s “disappointed God.”
Gabby does admit to having lost her virginity at 14 under
circumstances she
regrets but states that now she believes this behavior is okay.
She asks you to
reassure her that she’s “still a good girl.”

4. [Week 7: Reeves Family]
General Background:
The Reeves family consists of Lucas, John, Justin, and Emme.
Lucas’ wife,
Anne, left him and the children shortly after Emme was born.
The family is Caucasian and of mixed European ethnic descent.
Their faith is Protestant, although Lucas notes that they do not
attend church
regularly.
Lucas also shares that the he has no family in the area to help
him with the
children, and he often feels overwhelmed.
Presenting Issues:
Lucas has brought John (now 13) to you as a requirement of
John’s probation.
John was arrested for robbing a convenience store along with
two other boys,
ages 14 and 16. The older boys assaulted the store owner in the
process, and
they are currently in juvenile detention.
The probation officer told Lucas that, although the surveillance
video showed
John as mostly an accomplice, the charges are still quite
serious, and there may

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yet be additional repercussions for John. However, as it is his
first offense, his
case is still being reviewed.
The probation officer also told Lucas that the crime was related
to a gang
initiation, which is of great concern to the probation officer and
to Lucas.
When confronted about the gang involvement, John did not
directly deny it but
rather became angry and avoidant, stating, “At least someone
cares about me.”
When you speak to John alone, you avoid the topic of the crime
and the gang
and ask about how things are with his family. John responds
that he “has no
family”—his friends are his family.
[Jeong Family]
General Background:
The Jeong family consists of Kimball (“Kim,” a physician),
Meg (a nurse), Steven,
Kelsey, and Joey.
The family is of Korean descent and describes themselves as
“very
Americanized.”

6. They are Christian Buddhists and embrace their faith strongly.
Both Kim’s and Meg’s extended families live within about an
hour of the Jeongs,
providing the family with both support and unsolicited advice.
Meg divides her time between Kim’s private practice and taking
care of the
children, particularly Joey, who has been diagnosed with
autism.
Presenting Issues:
It’s been several years since you’ve seen the Jeongs.
Meg brings her son Steven (now 17) to see you regarding
concerns over his
substance abuse. Recently, Meg found two empty bottles of
vodka buried in
Steven’s closet. She turned his room upside down and found a
bottle of what
appeared to be prescription medication, but she could not
identify it. Steven
claimed that he did not know where the bottle came from and
that the alcohol
belonged to his neighbor.
When you speak with Steven alone, he first maintains his story.
However, he
eventually admits to “[drinking] a little bit—but what teenager
doesn’t?” Steven
seemingly changes the subject, stating that his parents are
always “ragging on
[him]” about something and that they still can’t agree—even
after all these years.

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He constantly feels like he is in the middle of family “drama”
and needs to keep
the peace.
Steven also shares that his girlfriend just broke up with him
after she cheated on
him with his best friend. He then quit baseball, since his best
friend was on the
team, and has no interest in “that bullshit” anymore.
He grows quiet briefly and eventually shares that sometimes he
just needs to
escape—but he’s always careful.
[Crane Family]
General Background:
The Crane family consists of Carol, Hunter, and Olivia.
Carol is a single mother living in the inner city under very poor
conditions.
Although she has a job, she barely makes ends meet and
receives federal
assistance for her children. She cannot afford good food, nor
can she afford to
live in a safer area. She currently lives in a subsidized housing
development,
which is under investigation for possible lead paint.

8. The family is Caucasian, of European descent, and agnostic.
Presenting Issues:
It’s been about six years since you last saw Hunter, who
responded well to
treatment with you in earlier childhood. Carol brings Hunter
back to see you
when he starts to have significant issues in high school.
Hunter (now 14) is a freshman with only a few friends. Lately
he has been
skipping school, refusing to do his homework, and showing
signs of depression.
Carol was first worried that he might be using drugs, but she
has drug tested him
twice and he’s been clean both times. His grades have
plummeted, and Carol is
worried.
When you meet with Hunter alone, he tells you that he hates
school and only
feels motivation in his art classes, where he has As.
[Anderson Family]
General Background:
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The Anderson family consists of grandparents Ernie and
Audrey, Jamal

9. (diagnosed with Asperger’s disorder), Marcus, and Artesia.
Ernie and Audrey gained custody of their three grandchildren
after their daughter
and her husband were killed in a car accident. Their daughter
and her husband—
the parents of the children—had been living with them prior to
the accident, as
they had fallen on hard times after both parents lost their jobs
and subsequently
had to give up their home.
The family is African American, Southern Baptist, and very
involved in their
church.
Presenting Issues:
It’s been about 10 years since you last worked with the
Anderson family.
Audrey has brought Marcus in to see you. You meet with them
together first and
listen as Audrey shares her concerns about Marcus’ behavior.
She states that
Marcus has lost considerable weight over the past six months or
so. He eats
“practically nothing” and seems obsessed with exercise. He has
withdrawn from
his church youth group and rarely goes out.
Audrey became very alarmed when she found cuts on Marcus’
arms—not deep
enough for stitches but severe enough to scar. When pressed for
an explanation,
Marcus refused to talk about it.

10. Marcus is quiet and appears teary while his grandmother speaks.
When Audrey
leaves and you are alone with Marcus, he breaks down crying.
He asks you to
promise not to tell his grandmother, because he’s afraid she
“won’t love [him]
anymore.” Marcus shares that he is gay—something he’s known
for a long time
but doesn’t think he can hide any longer. He is afraid of the
implications in his
family, his church, and among his community.
Marcus tells you that the cutting is not suicidal, although it does
help him “release
[his] pain.” He also admits that sometimes he wishes he could
“just disappear.”