Reference no: EM133263779
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; she was unfamiliar with how to find a job (since she had been employed at her old job for 12 years) and was 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 She described pots and pans scattered in different rooms, out-of-date food products in the fridge, and trash covering the counters and floors.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 had spent most of her savings over the past few months. When asked about other goals, she said she'd like to feel happier and more balanced.
- How are your values, attitudes, and beliefs similar and dissimilar to those of the client? How might similarities or differences in perspective affect the counselling process?
- How might the client be feeling oppressed? How would you approach the client using AOP?