Reference no: EM133264936

Case:

Keisha, a 30 year old African American woman, came to your agency for help finding a job. She noted that she left her last job (as a medical secretary in Quebec) 4 months ago, when she moved to Toronto to help care for her mother. Keisha expressed that she needed help finding a new job. She said that she was struggling to find work because she was new to the city and didn't know her way around, was unfamiliar with how to find a job (since she was employed at her old job for 12 years), and feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Keisha teared up when she talked about her old job and said she missed it dearly.   When discussing job options, Keisha focused on salaries and benefits. When the counsellor asked about her interests and preferences, Keisha raised her voice and said "it doesn't matter". Keisha expressed that she needed sufficient funds to support her mother and herself. Keisha explained that when she visited her mother two months after her father died of a sudden stroke, her mother's house was in disarray. She described pots and pans scattered in different rooms, out-of-date food products in the fridge, and trash covering the counters and floors. Keisha said her mother's electricity had been cut off due to unpaid bills and that her mother looked as if she hadn't showered in weeks, which was uncharacteristic. Keisha said, "So I dropped everything and moved to Toronto".  When asked if she has any children, Keisha said "No, and I won't ever have kids". When asked to elaborate, she shared that her father was abusive to her and her mother and that she has a temper herself. She said she decided not to have kids, "Just in case I end up like him". Keisha mentioned that she had a long-term boyfriend but broke up with him when she moved because "there was too much going on and he didn't understand". She added, "He thought I should just move Mom into a home".   Keisha was open with her story and stated she needed to find a new job quickly as she spent most of her savings over the past few months. When asked about other goals, she indicated that she'd like to feel happier and more balanced.    

1. What client resources, coping strategies, personal strengths, and other characteristics can you draw on to facilitate the counselling process? How can focusing on these strengths help the client?
2. What challenges do you anticipate in establishing a relationship with this client? How will you address those issues and establish rapport? (Feel free to discuss strategies related to face-to-face and remote counselling)
3. How are your values, attitudes, and beliefs similar and dissimilar to those of the client? How might similarities or differences in perspective affect the counseling process?
4. How would you approach this client from a trauma-informed perspective? Explain some concrete strategies you might use to help the client feel safe and more in control. (Feel free to discuss strategies associated with face-to-face and remote counselling).
5. How might the client be feeling oppressed? How would you approach the client using AOP?