Case Presentation: A. W. Counseling Intern: Kathy Parker 4/8/13 1.

Client/Student: A is a 17 year-old heterosexual African-American male who attends Ingraham High School in the 11th grade. A lives with both parents and is the youngest of 5 children. Both parents are in graduate school at this time. As dad is in charge of keeping up with As academics. A is a practicing catholic and very social at school. 2. 3. Date session occurred: 4/4/13 : session number: on going ; length of session: 29 minutes. S.O.A.P. (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) Notes:

Subjective: As presenting issue is he is struggling to pass his classes and often does not turn in his work. I first met A when he asked for a schedule change in the Fall, 2012. A says he does not know why he is doing so bad at school and feels overwhelmed. He continues to say he wants to do better and graduate next year. When his grades go up he is very happy and says, Im going to do this, Im going to pass this quarter. Objective: A is well groomed and usually has a very positive, happy affect. He is very social and seems also to be sensitive because at times he will come to session sad and can not focus. He has a pattern of presenting like he has his work under control, but then does not follow through or says he turned his work in when it is not there. There seems to be a disconnect in As understanding of what amount of work is needed to get a passing grade. A does not question his teachers, is very accepting and rarely asks clarification questions. A is on this third year of Algebra I. Assessment: As presenting problem seems to encompass the following: (1) Biological: There are no documented biological issues. (2) Psychological: Nothing has been formally diagnosed, but A is eligible for special education testing in math. Both parents have declined the testing. A has also mentioned being depressed at times. (3) Sociological: A seems to be from a supportive family, that is also busy and can not consistently support A. After having a conference with A and his parents, A said he really connected with his dad after that. I think A really wants to feel connected to his parents and sometimes feels on his own. Plan: A is having trouble following through on turning in his homework. The plan is to help A become self-sufficient and manage his homework using some strategies. My hope is that he can head to college with some strong self-management skills. A relies a lot on his parents for motivation. When that source of motivation is absent, he is not productive. My focus will be to help A find another, more consistent source of motivation and purpose. He also needs to become more of a self-advocate and ask questions. We will also work on how A views himself as a student and how that affects his homework production. 4. What multicultural factors influence the client-counselor relationship? No issues have surfaced at this point. Gender and race may be an issue, as I cant fully relate to A on that level.

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What counseling theories are you using in this session and what evidence do you have to support this? I am mainly using solution focused brief therapy. I asked A what has worked before the help him turn in his homework on time. I am also using narrative therapy, helping A realized his self-view and modify it to being more positive and find his strengths. List three things that you did well in the session with the client. 1. Helped the client become aware of his self-view related to math 2. Kept the focus on the client 3. Provided a comfortable environment for student List three things that you can improve on in your session with the client. 1. Move focus off of grades to social/emotional issues 2. Need more silence 3. Often say so.

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7. ACA Advocacy Competencies: Client/Student Level: What are you doing to empower the client in the session? Working with student to develop self-control and self-awareness. A also is learning to self-advocate more with his teachers.

School/Community Level: What systemic barriers impede the clients ability to achieve her/his academic, career, and personal/social goals? The amount of homework required is difficult for A. Alternative ways to show what he knows would be helpful. How would involving school and community members help the client with her/his presenting concern? Involving community members such as the PTSA can help A by using grant money they provide to form a study group with food. Public Arena Level: How would the clients life change for the better by being involved at the political level? A greater awareness of how students struggle with math and finding solutions to supporting these students would be helpful. How do you take the clients issue and bring it to the public eye? If someone is taking Algebra I for the third time, something is not clicking. Students should have an intervention sooner. This issue can be brought to the public eye by going to school board meetings and asking for support in restructuring the math program.