Counseling Special Populations - SNNP

Counseling Selected Special
Populations
Counseling Techniques 1
Prepared by: Sittie Nabila Naga Panandigan

Counseling Selected Special Populations
INTRODUCTION
 Yakubo(2000) asserted that a SPECIAL POPULATION is any group of people
identified with a certain empirical evidences or features that distinguished them
from the normal persons. Thus make them a “SPECIAL POPULATION” that are
cannot help but admiring them in a special way, due to the features that make them
strange from all others. It should however, be noted that the features do not only
involve negative qualities but also positive ones. Anything that makes one look or
behave different from others make one a special.
 The Involvement of Counseling with Special Population therefore is to improve
and possibly remedy the challenges, facing people with special needs. Human
Communities have used EDUCATION to improve their standard of living,
develop new methods and skills of production, so is the need of counseling
practices for SPECIAL NEED POPULATION.
1) Children with Behavioral Problems
2) Children w/ Emotional & Psychological Problems
3) Low-achiever Children
4) Confused Adolescents
5) Drug Dependence
6) Victims of Child-Abused
7) Sexually-abused Children
8) Gays, Lesbians & Bisexual
9) Gifted/Special Students
10) Students/Pupils w/ Disabilities
11) Elder/Midlife Crisis
1) COUNSELING CHILDREN WITH BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS
 Childhood Behavioral Problems – are often a child’s way of

communicating when he/she lacks the social or language skills to
express wants and needs clearly.
 Often occurs when a child is experiencing anxiety at home or at school,

and a child may become stressed or anxious when a behavior is approved
by one adult and disciplined by another.
COUNSELING CHILDREN W/ BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS
Symptoms of a children w/ behavioral problems:

 Cope poorly with stress
 Inability to respond appropriately in day to day life situations
 Throw tantrums
 Act out in aggressive or angry ways
 Defiant, Disrespectful or Oppositional
 Difficulty in tolerating disappointment and frustration
 Difficulty in creating and maintaining healthy rules and boundaries
 Act impulsively
 Talks back
 Refuse to go to school or participate in activities
 Inadequate immature behaviors
 Poor social skills and uncooperative
Is it A Phase or A Pattern?
 While oppositional and defiant behavioral problems in children are

not pleasant to deal with, these behaviors are often a normal part of
childhood. Children will test limits and sometimes seek negative
attention. However, when disobedient and disruptive behaviors are
ongoing, and a child is not learning from consequences or a reward
system for good behavior, there may be cause for concern.
COUNSELING THE CHILDREN W/ BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS
 Exploration stage – building relationship with clients.

 Understanding stage – assisting the client to better
understand their perceptions of themselves,
significant others and their perceptions of the
problems.
 Action phase – assisting the clients in devising a plan of
action to resolve their problems.
 Parents & Teachers were also involved in the counseling process in either
group or individual conferences.
2) COUNSELING CHILDREN WITH EMOTIONAL &
PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
Children with Emotional Health Problems
 ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) & Attentional

problems
 Anxiety Disorders (Including separation anxiety)
 Depression
 Disruptive behaviors/Acting out
 Mood instability
 Attachment & trauma issues
 Autism Spectrum Disorders
Symptoms that may indicate a Children with Emotional &
Psychological problems
 Unwarranted aggression
 Incontinence
 Difficulty adjusting to social situations
 Frequent nightmare & sleep difficulties
 A sudden drop in grades at school
 Persistent worry & anxiety
 Withdrawing from activities they normally enjoy
 Loss of appetite & dramatic weight loss
 Performing obsessive routines like hand washing
 Expressing thoughts of suicide
Symptoms that may indicate a Children with Emotional &
Psychological problems continued:
 Talking about voices they hear in their head

 Social isolation & wanting to be alone
 self-harm such as cutting
 Increased physical complaints despite a normal health physician’s
report
 In addition to these issues, the child may be dealing with:
 Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness

 Constant anger and a tendency to overreact to situations
 Preoccupation with physical illness or their own appearance
 An inability to concentrate, think clearly or make decision
 An inability to sit still
 Dieting excessively or binging
 Taking part in violent acts such as setting fires or killing animals
Five Important Goals in Counseling/ Therapy
 Building the child’s self-esteem

 Helping to improve the child’s communication skills
 Stimulating healthy, normal development
 Building an appropriate emotional repertoire
 Improving the child’s emotional vocabulary
Emotional Kids Therapy and Counseling
• Cognitive Therapy- is a good choice for emotional children as it

involves:
 Reducing anxiety and learning new ideas and new ways to channel the
child’s feelings and energy.
 It will also help him/her to identify the bad ones with more positive helpful
ones.
• Applied Behavior Analysis – can help the child learn how to respond to
situations in better, more effective ways , and will teach them about rewards
and punishments for their behavior.
• Play Therapy- is a good choice for younger children w/ emotional issues
since they can act them out through toys or dolls.
CHILD THERAPY TECHNIQUES FOR CHILDREN WITH
EMOTIONAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS
 The Feeling Word Game

 The Mad Game
 The Slow motion Game
 The Bubble Breaths
 Second Story Technique
 Positive Posting
3) COUNSELING THE LOW ACHIEVER CHILDREN
 Are the students, who have lowered in academics because of various

reasons.
 This may be due to physical, mental, psychological, familial and social
discomforts.
 Too often parents, teachers and even counselors assume that
underachiever are students who can but simply don’t (or won’t)
achieve.
Identified Six Types of Underachievers
1. Coasters - those who are the ultimate procrastinators, easy going and
unmotivated.
2. Anxious Underachievers- those who want to do better but are too
tense and uptight to work effectively.
3. Identify Searchers – those who are so wrapped up in figuring out
who they are that they become distracted from schoolwork.
4. Wheeler Dealers – those who are impulsive, manipulative and so
intent on instant gratification that they see no point in doing well in
school.
5. Sad Underachievers – those who lack the energy need for
schoolwork because of their depression and low self-esteem.
6. Defiant Underachievers – those who underachieve as act of
rebellion.
Characteristics of Low Achiever Children
 Difficulties in studies
 Not attentive in classes
 More distracted
 Low span of attention
 Very low level of satisfaction
 Have health issues
 Irregular in school attendance
 Behavioral problem
 Never participate in school activities
 Intolerable for problems
 Inability to maintain friendship
Basic concepts of the Updated Counseling Underachievers

Model
1. External Variables (Family/Communities, Peers, School, Teachers,

Teaching Methods, Task difficulty)
2. Cognitive Variables (Mental ability/Aptitudes, Prerequisite
knowledge, Past learning experiences, Study skills, Learning style)
3. Affective Variables (Mood or Disposition, Psychological
development, Values/Goals, Risk-taking propensity, Resilience)
The perception of the academic ability for underachievers
 I can achieve stage

 I want to achieve stage (Desire to achieve)
 I will achieve stage (Commitment Stage)
 Actual expenditure of Effort
Supportive Approaches For Low Achievers
 Finding out the exact reason for their backwardness in studies.

 Helping them to get rid from their personal problems.
 Giving responsibilities in classroom activities.
 Permitting them to lead a group.
 Let them mingle with other high achiever.
 Encouraging them whenever they show improvement in their
performance.
 Providing extra curricular activities for their leisure time.
 Cultivating reading habit among backward children to improve their
confidence.
 Finding out their areas of strengths and can be motivated by insisting that
they are capable.
 Appreciating each and every completed task
 Asking simple questions to explore themselves as achievers.
 Be patient till they achieve their goal.
4) COUNSELING CONFUSED ADOLESCENTS
ADOLESCENT STAGE
 is the period when a child transitions from being a child to becoming an
adult and usually takes place between the ages of 10 and 19. during this
period, the young adult starts experiencing a great deal of mental and
physical changes.
 Physically, adolescents start seeing changes in their bodies, a process
referred to as PUBERTY, and is a time that leaves them CONFUSED as the
CHANGES in HORMONES start affecting their moods and thoughts.
 Often, when these changes start setting in, Adolescents become:
 Extremely sensitive
 Mood swings
 Fluctuations in their confidence level
 Felt pressured by their own parents
 They tend to make new friends and experiment with new things
 If not properly guided or counseled, Adolescents:
 Start to take their own devices, and start making their own judgments, which
are often clouded.
 They could end up following the wrong path
 Becoming prey to negative things that could ruin their lives like; drugs, peer
pressure and many more.
 It is for this reason that adolescents should consider counseling to address

their own feelings and thoughts allowing them to grow into healthy, sound-
minded adults.
ADULT COUNSELING
 is counseling aimed at young people to help them make sense of
their feelings, behaviors and thoughts and entails the use of unique
techniques that draw out the expressive nature of a young person
like art therapy or more traditional approaches like talking
therapy.
 This form of counseling is important in helping guiding kids
transitioning into adulthood and to understand themselves better.
 Adolescent counseling is not only for adolescents w/ personality or
behavioral issues but it for any child undergoing adolescence who
may be confused or overwhelmed.
Different Methods or Approaches

Some of the available methods include:
 Interactive Counseling Workshops
 Are often performed with the main intention of counseling groups of young
adults all at once. Activities like talks, games and other practical sessions. At
the same time young adults are given information talks about adolescents and
peer pressure.
 One-on-One Counseling
 Involves having the adolescent attend counseling sessions. Often, this form of
counseling is advised in the event a parent has concerns about their child
and/or about transitioning into adolescents or who has been influenced
negatively by different factors during this very fragile stage.
5) COUNSELING THE DRUG DEPENDENCE
 The youths are the most vulnerable group of drug abuse; therefore
there is a need for an understanding of why many youths have the
need to abuse drugs.
 Drug abuse can lead to extreme personal, social, and cognitive
behavior.
The following were identified by Yakubu(2008) as the
possible cause of Drug Abuse/Dependence
 The drive towards modernization
 Excessive use of drugs made or induced young ones to experiment as well
 Seeking of pleasure
 To help cope with personal problems and psychological stress
 Young ones trying to protest against norms imposed on them by the
society
 Increase an international contacts as to imitate lifestyles
 Social factors such as peer influence
 Poor self-image and frequent feelings of lack of self-esteem
 Marital disharmony, family stress, and the break-up of families are
important factors
 The desire to achieve in a competitive world
 Ignorance
 Mass media
 An act of rebellion
 it can be noted that there is no single causes of drug

abuse/addiction. It is however generally agreed that
certain reasons for abuse and addiction are important.
Such as:
 Availability of drugs, marijuana, cigarettes, alcohol and etc.

 A vulnerable personality
 Social pleasure
 According to Abayemi(1990) many drug users,
particularly adolescents taking non-prescribed
drugs appear to have a personality disorder
particularly before taking drugs as shown by;
 Poor school record

 Truancy
 Delinquency &
 Drop
The Counseling Strategies that can be employed for

individuals or groups should include the following:
(a) Confrontation
(b) Accurate Education
(c) Decision making strategies
(d) Peer cluster involvement (Adegoke, 2003)
6) COUNSELING THE VICTIMS OF CHILD-ABUSED

 Based on statistics gathered through National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System
(NCANDS) of the Children’s Bureau, for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2005, an
estimated 899, 000 children in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the 50
states were determined to be victims of neglect and abuse.
 Child abuse and neglect is real, is traumatic; and for thousands of children is a
common part of their lives.
 CHILD MALTREATMENT
 FOUR RECOGNIZED TYPES OF CHILD MALTREATMENT INCLUDES:
• PHYSICAL ABUSE
• SEXUAL ABUSE
• NEGLECT
• EMOTIONAL ABUSE
DESCRIPTIONS OF CHILD-ABUSED:
 Causes or threatens to cause non-accidental physical or mental injury
 Neglects or refuses to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, emotional
nurturing, or health care
 Abandons the child
 Fails to provide adequate supervision
 Commits or allows to be committed any illegal sexual act upon a child
including incest, rape, fondling, indecent exposure, prostitution, or allows a
child to be used in any sexually explicit visual material.
BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSICAL INDICATORS OF CHILD-ABUSED

 Bruises and welts on the face, mouth, lips, back, buttocks, and thighs
 Unexplained burns and fractures
 Withdrawing from others
 Aggressive behaviors
 Wearing clothing that is inappropriate to weather or body size
 Complaining of discomfort or pain
 Arriving early to school and leaves late
 Being cautious of adult interaction
PHYSICAL AND BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS OF NEGLECT
 Abandonment by parents or guardians
 Consistent hunger
 Inappropriate clothing
 Unattended medical needs
 Stealing food
 Arriving early and leaving late to school
 High level of fatigue
 Delinquency
 Alcohol or drug abuse
 Speech disorder
 Ulcers and delayed physical development
EMOTIONAL INDICATORS OF CHILD-ABUSED
 Is calling the child names, putting the child down and rejecting the child.
 May exhibit extreme passivity and aggression, delinquent behavior, anti-social
behavior, or sleep disorders.
ABUSE/NEGLECT PREVENTION
 Professional school counselors are mandated reporters and need policies,
referral procedures, and essential knowledge. It is legal, moral, and ethical
responsibility to report child abuse.
 ASCA (American School Counselor Association) recognizes it is the absolute
responsibility of professional school counselors to report suspected cases of
child-abuse/neglect to the proper authorities.
COUSELING THE VICTIMS OF CHILD-ABUSED/NEGLECT
 School counselors will serve as consultants w/ concerned parents, teachers, or other
school personnel.
 School Counselor should speak w/ the child to gain a better understanding of the
situation.
 It may be helpful to ask questions regarding what happened to a child or a time when
something happened that made the child feel uncomfortable.
 Noticing the body language of the child during the interview
 Allowing the child to tell his/her story about the event
 Express empathy
 Use active listening skills
 During interview, school counselor should not ask a leading questions or help w/ the
details
 In order to help the child feel comfortable, it is important for the school counselor to
validate the child for disclosing the abuse.
 Once school counselors determine possible abuse/ neglect, they take on various roles
including informants, counselors to the victims/perpetrator, employees, liaisons w/
others, court witnesses and counselors to the family.
7) COUNSELING THE SEXUALLY-ABUSED CHILDREN
*Some children withdraw, others have outbursts of strong emotions, and
sometimes there are behaviors that are challenging or hard to understand.
Sometimes these patterns overlap.
*As an important adult in the child’s life, it’s vital that you actively listen and
respond in ways that the child knows that you believe in him/her. We coach
family members to practice patience, and over-time learns more about how
kids and families deal with (and heal) from sexual abuse.
 CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT (CSA) – is attempted or actual sexual

contact between a child and an adult or a child and another child.
- can involve the use of physical force, threats of violence, bribes, or
abuse of a position of authority.
Indicators of Sexually-abused Children
 Behavioral Indicators includes:
• Excessive Crying
• An increase in irritability/temper tantrums
• Fears of a particular person or object
• Disrespectful behaviors
• Aggression towards others
• Poor school performance
• Bedwetting/ soiling of pants
• Knowing more about sexual behavior than what is expected of a child of that
age
• Sexualized play (e.g. trying to have intercourse with other child)
• Unexpected change in a child’s behavior (e.g. a lively outgoing child
becoming withdrawn)
• Suicidal
• Eating changes (increase or decrease in appetite)
• Sleeping difficulties/nightmares

 Behavioral Indicators includes(continues):
• Having a lot of worries
• Difficulty concentrating in school
• Role reversal
• Running away from home
• Reenactment of abuse behavior
• Secretiveness
• Substance abuse
• Post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)
• Self-mutilation

 Physical Indicators includes:
 Unexplained pain, swelling, bleeding/irritation of the mouth, genital, or anal area

 Sexually transmitted infections (sores, a discharge, frequent itching of the genitals)
 Pregnancy
 Unexplained difficulty in walking
 Increase in headaches or stomach aches
 Compulsive washing of hands & body
Child Sexual Abuse includes:
 Incest/familial abuse (by blood relative)

 Extrafamilial abuse (by someone outside the child’s family)
 Pressured sex (use of persuasion/enticement)
 Forced sex (use of force/threat/harm)
There are many reasons children do not disclose abuse:
• Children are taught to obey adults
• Developmental differences that child may not know the words that describes the abuse, have
difficulty understanding the event, be mixed up about the time and location, and may confuse
reality and fantasy
• Confusion about appropriate touches
• Fear of parent’s anger or blame
• Fear of the consequences or that they will not be believed
• Fear of loss of privileges
• Guilt for feeling pleasure
• Fear of threats made by the perpetrator
Responding to a child’s disclosure:
• Filter your natural reactions of expressions of anger, shock & horror
• Stay calm, reassuring, non-judgmental, and believe what the child tells you
• Let the child do the talking and take down the facts
• Do not condemn the abuser
• Keep your promises and stated expectations realistic
• Give the child your full attention, listen and show empathy
NEEDS OF CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN ABUSED
• To be told that the abuse was not their fault and they did nothing wrong: over and
over again
• To be believed and reassured that they were right to tell
• To be informed of what will happen next: use language and information that the child
understands
• To receive support and love
• To assessed for counseling
COUNSELING THE SEXUALLY-ABUSED CHILDREN
 Forming a trusting relationship, so that the children can communicate what is on
their mind and in their heart.
 Must also take into account the age, maturity, and the emotional state of the child
 It is also important that the counselor helps to make the child feel safe and
comfortable.
a. See the child in an appropriate and comfortable setting.
b. Get to know the child, not just his/her problem.
c. Protect the child’s privacy and confidentiality by only informing those who needs to
know.
d. Create an atmosphere of safety and trust for the child.
 It is important to explain openly and honestly the purpose of counseling to the
children
a. help them to understand why they are with you, and tell them about the procedures
that will be taking place.
b. introduce the idea that during counseling there will be discussion about the sexual
abuse.
COUNSELING THE SEXUALLY-ABUSED CHILDREN
CONTINUED:
 The counselor must give the child an opportunity to discuss his/her experience of the
sexual abuse and feelings about the event.
a. The counselor should follow the child’s lead, but may at times need to sensitively
introduce the topic of the sexual abuse.
b. When working with children, you are working with their heads, heart and
imagination. When you enter the child’s world, it is important to follow the child’s
lead. This allows the child to lead where you need to go. In daily life it is the adult who
leads. In counseling, it is important that the counselor follow the child.
 The counselor should keep questions open-ended and not ask leading questions.
 Remember NOT to command, direct, threaten, preach, lecture, ridicule, interrogate,
blame or shame.
8) COUNSELING GAYS, LESBIANS & BISEXUAL
 There are at least 20 – 25 million gay, lesbian and bisexual

individuals, or 10% - 15% of the adult population.
 There is no typical gay, lesbian or bisexual person. Individuals come

from different races, ethnicities, religious backgrounds,
socioeconomic statuses, and cultures.
 There are seven variables of sexual orientation: sexual attraction,

sexual behavior, sexual fantasies, emotional preference, social
preference, lifestyle, and self-identification.
Problems Faced by Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Clients
 Cultural Homophobia
 Cultural Heterosexism
 Internalized Homophobia
 Homophobia and Heterosexism in Counselors

Identity Development of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Clients
 Identity confusion
 Identity conflict
 Identity denial
 Community identity
 Coming out or not
”
Special Situations in Counseling for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual

Clients
 Violence in Lesbian and Gay Male Couples

 Gay and Lesbian Families
 Religious Issues
 Drug and Alcohol Abuse
 AIDS
 Loneliness
 Guilt
 Depression
 Suicide
9) COUNSELING WITH GIFTED/SPECIAL STUDENTS
 It has long been recognized that gifted and talented students have unique personal,
social, and academic characteristics that distinguished them from their non-gifted
peers.
 Specialized guidance and counseling services are recognized by many experts in the
field as essential to the maximum educational achievement of gifted and talented
students.
 GIFTED is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and
heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are
quantitatively different from the norm.
 The uniqueness of the gifted renders them particularly vulnerable and requires
modifications in parenting, teaching, and counseling in order for them to develop
optimally.
 Social and emotional difficulties may arise because of the gifted children’s
asynchronous or uneven development, exceptional abilities, and notable talents and
can be especially problematic during the teenage years.
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DIFFICULTIES OF THE GIFTED
 Depression
 Emotional intensity and heightened sensitivity
 Feeling different from others
 Perfectionism
 Social isolation
 Social skills deficits and peer relationship issues;
 Stress management problems
 The social and emotional needs of gifted children are not static, but are greatly
influenced by the environment in which the child exists and the culture in which he/she
is immersed. Such issues are;
 Parent separation or divorce
 An unstable home life
 Personality conflicts
 Grief and behavior issues
 Motivational deficits
 Academically, the intellectual abilities of gifted students differ both quantitatively and
qualitatively from average children. They learn at a faster pace, think or process more
deeply, and require less repetition or practice to master assigned material, thus
warranting greater educational challenge in their coursework. However, if left
academically unchallenged , these students can become;
 Bored and exhibit disruptive behaviors
 Lack of goals, motivation or direction
 Failure to develop self-regulatory strategies can impact the academic performance of
high ability students
 GIFTED AND TALENTED LEARNERS may also feel pressure to live up to the
expectations of parents, teachers, and other significant adults in their lives and may
have a fear of failure, experience frustration, and underachieve in school.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN COUNSELING THE GIFTED STUDENTS
1. Counselors should be attuned to differences in the emotional as well as the intellectual
systems of the gifted students and work w/ students based on these differences.
2. Counselors should help these students learn about their special characteristics so that
feelings of being different , of social alienation, and of inferiority are not allowed to
develop unchecked.
3. Counselors should focus on both cognitive and affective needs of gifted students through
a program that provides academic, psychosocial, and career counseling experiences.
4. Counselors should act as a advocates for the gifted student in the educational institution
and help negotiate and facilitate individual progress through appropriate school
experiences.
5. Counselors should provide an information clearinghouse for outside resources that
could benefit these students. Human resource needs include role models and mentors;
material resource needs might be in the area of museums, libraries, and universities.
6. Counselors should aid students in decision-making skills and planning. These students
tend to have more choices in regard to course-taking, college, and careers than do other
students and frequently need to make decisions earlier in their school careers.
7. Counselors should value, encourage, and reward self-initiated learning on the part of
students.
8. Counselors should develop a system for assessing tested strengths and weaknesses of
individual students and providing constructive criticism for developing a plan of action
around them.
9. Counselors should encourage students to read books that relate to their particular
problems or situations and should provide a reading list and follow-up discussion
opportunities. Such Bibliotherapy techniques have been found to be most effective for
counseling this population.
10. Counselors should be sensitive to the value conflicts experienced by students who come
from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Such students need special support and help in
clarifying their goals and moving toward actualizing them.
11. Counselors should establish a special network of female students in order to encourage
course-taking in mathematics and science as well as to provide support for high-level
academic decisions.
12. Counselors should act as chief communicators to other educational personnel on
individual case problems or general issues regarding the needs of these students
13. Counselors should serve as initiators in the identification process of these special
students whether for inclusion in special programs or individual attention from others in
the education community.
14. Counselors should team w/ parents, psychologists, and others who influence these
students to conduct “staffing” on severe problems related to underachievement, social
adjustment, or personal crises. Referral to outside agencies or specialists in such cases may
be appropriate.
10) COUNSELING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
 Thomas and Woods (2003) wrote that “Disability” is an umbrella term providing a
common language for school counselors and teachers. In which, there are 13
disability categories recognized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Improvement Act of 2004.
 Although children with disabilities are an extremely heterogeneous group of diverse
learners, each with unique learning strengths and needs.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defined
disabilities includes:
1. Autism
2. Deaf-blind
3. Developmental Delay
4. Emotional Disturbance
5. Hearing Impairments
6. Intellectual Disabilities(Mental Retardation)
7. Multiple Disabilities
8. Orthopedic Impairments
9. Other Health Impairments
10. Specific Learning Disabilities
11. Speech or Language Impairments
12. Traumatic brain injury
13. Visual Impairments (Blindness)
Characteristics of students with Disabilities from a counseling

perspective
 Developmental delays
 Inappropriate behavior relative to their chronological age
 Socially isolated
 Poor self-concept
 Lack adequate expressive language
 Often disorganized in their thought processes
 Difficulty with Time Management
Counseling Special Populations
Common Problems for Clients with Disabilities
 Lack of motivation.
 Secondary gain.
 Depression and anxiety.
 Poor body image.
 Problems with self-concept.
 Impaired social or vocational roles.
 Changing family dynamics or relationships.
 Disruption of social life.
 Negative attitudes toward own disability.
 Social rejection and social isolation.
 Loss of control.
 Loss of reward and pleasure.
 Loss of independence (physical and economic).
 Difficulty in adjusting to the disability.
 Inability to access the environment.
COUNSELING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
In providing school counseling;

• it is important not to generalize across disabilities w/ handicapping
conditions, putting children & adolescents with disabilities at risk.
• School counselors should be cognizant of the limits and biases that may be
presented by children w/ moderate to severe disabilities.
• School counselors must have knowledge of the laws and understand the
rights of children w/ disabilities.
• The initial stage of counseling requires the manipulation of several
components in the counseling environment.
a. counseling activities should be no longer than 20 to 30 minutes.
b. Distractions in the environment should be kept to a minimum or
eliminated.
c. Tasks should be structured and followed consistently.
d. Multisensory approaches including auditory, visual, tactile, and
kinesthetic, should be used by counselors while presenting activities to the
students.
• The ability to communicate concretely is vital for success w/ handicapped
students.
e. Verbal generalities should be avoided. Abstract relationships and
terms should not be used by the counselor.
f. Questions beginning w/ the words how and why should be avoided.
g. Short, concise, explicit sentences should be employed.
• Frequent and consistent repetitions are needed during the counseling
session.
h. A review of previous meeting and their objectives should occur at the
beginning of each counseling session.
i. Students of clients should be told what to expect at each session.
j. A summary of the activity should be presented stressing the important areas
for students or clients to remember.
• Repetitions allow students to absorb each session and understand the
continuity of the presentations.
School Counselor responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:
 Providing school counseling curriculum lessons, individual and or/group counseling to
students with special needs within the scope of the comprehensive school counseling
program.
 Providing short-term, goal-focused counseling in instances where it is appropriate to
include these strategies as a part of IEP.
 Encouraging family involvement in the educational process.
 Consulting and collaborating w/ staff and families to understand the special needs of a
student and understanding the adaptations and modifications needed to assist the
student.
 Advocating for students w/ special needs in the school and in the community.
 Contributing to the school’s multidisciplinary team within the scope and practice of the
comprehensive school counseling program to identify students who may need to be
assessed to determine special education eligibility.
 Collaborating w/ other related student support professionals (e.g. school psychologists,
physical therapists, occupational therapists, special education staff, speech and language
pathologists) in the delivery of services.
 Providing assistance w/ developing academic, transition and postsecondary plans for
students w/ IEP’s as appropriate.
Adaptive Tasks to Help Clients Cope With Disabilities
 Help clients deal with pain and incapacitation.

 Help clients deal with stress.
 Help clients manage negative feelings.
 Help clients regain a positive self-image.
 Help clients gain a sense of competence.
 Help clients change their lifestyle.
 Help clients gain independence.
 Help clients manage their relationships.
 Prepare the client for an uncertain future if additional losses are
likely.
11) COUNSELING ELDER/MIDLIFE CRISIS
 As society ages, more counselors will be needed to work with those

65 years or older.
 It is estimated that by the year 2020, this population will encompass

50 million of the Philippine population.
 Older adults will vary according to: age, sex, marital status,
geographic distribution, race and ethnicity, retirement, employment
and income status as well as physical and mental health.
Problems and Concerns of the Older Adult
 Loss of work role identity.

 Increased amount of leisure time.
 Decreased financial support.
 Loss of significant other(s).
 Increased loneliness and separation.
 Geographic relocation.
 Peer and family restructuring.
 Increased physiologic disorders.
 Increased amount of dependence.
Counseling Principles for the Older Adult
 Enhancement of dignity and worth.
 Counselors need to “sell” the positive benefits of counseling.
 Counselors need to attend to the physical environment.
 The counselor is often an advocate of the client.
 Goals should be short-term and clear-cut.

Counseling Principles for the Older Adult (continued)
 Counselors need to attend to dependence/independence issues.
 Counselors need to attend to the age differential.
 Counselors need to attend to the client's place in history.
 Counselors need to diagnosis carefully with this population.

Goals For Counseling for the Older Adult
 To decrease anxiety and depression.
 To reduce confusion and loss of contact with reality.
 To increase socialization and improve interpersonal relationships.
 To improve behavior within institutions.
 To cope with crisis and transitional stress.
 To become more accepting of self and the aging process.

Counseling Selected Special
Populations
Thank you for listening 

The end…

Counseling Special Populations - SNNP

Transféré par

Informations du document

Titre original

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Counseling Special Populations - SNNP

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Counseling Selected Special

Prepared by: Sittie Nabila Naga Panandigan

1) COUNSELING CHILDREN WITH BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS

 Childhood Behavioral Problems – are often a child’s way of

 Often occurs when a child is experiencing anxiety at home or at school,

Symptoms of a children w/ behavioral problems:

 While oppositional and defiant behavioral problems in children are

COUNSELING THE CHILDREN W/ BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS

 Exploration stage – building relationship with clients.

 ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) & Attentional

 Talking about voices they hear in their head

 Persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness

 Building the child’s self-esteem

• Cognitive Therapy- is a good choice for emotional children as it

 The Feeling Word Game

 Are the students, who have lowered in academics because of various

Basic concepts of the Updated Counseling Underachievers

1. External Variables (Family/Communities, Peers, School, Teachers,

The perception of the academic ability for underachievers

 I can achieve stage

 Finding out the exact reason for their backwardness in studies.

 It is for this reason that adolescents should consider counseling to address

Different Methods or Approaches

5) COUNSELING THE DRUG DEPENDENCE

 it can be noted that there is no single causes of drug

 Availability of drugs, marijuana, cigarettes, alcohol and etc.

 Poor school record

The Counseling Strategies that can be employed for

6) COUNSELING THE VICTIMS OF CHILD-ABUSED

BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSICAL INDICATORS OF CHILD-ABUSED

 CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT (CSA) – is attempted or actual sexual

Indicators of Sexually-abused Children

Indicators of Sexually-abused Children

 Unexplained pain, swelling, bleeding/irritation of the mouth, genital, or anal area

Child Sexual Abuse includes:

 Incest/familial abuse (by blood relative)

NEEDS OF CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN ABUSED

8) COUNSELING GAYS, LESBIANS & BISEXUAL

 There are at least 20 – 25 million gay, lesbian and bisexual

 There is no typical gay, lesbian or bisexual person. Individuals come

 There are seven variables of sexual orientation: sexual attraction,

 Homophobia and Heterosexism in Counselors

 Coming out or not

Special Situations in Counseling for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual

 Violence in Lesbian and Gay Male Couples

Characteristics of students with Disabilities from a counseling

In providing school counseling;

 Help clients deal with pain and incapacitation.

11) COUNSELING ELDER/MIDLIFE CRISIS

 As society ages, more counselors will be needed to work with those

 It is estimated that by the year 2020, this population will encompass

 Loss of work role identity.

 Enhancement of dignity and worth.

 Counselors need to “sell” the positive benefits of counseling.

 Counselors need to attend to the physical environment.

 The counselor is often an advocate of the client.

 Goals should be short-term and clear-cut.

 Counselors need to attend to dependence/independence issues.

 Counselors need to attend to the age differential.

 Counselors need to attend to the client's place in history.

 Counselors need to diagnosis carefully with this population.

 To decrease anxiety and depression.

 To reduce confusion and loss of contact with reality.