Reference no: EM132798728

Assignment - In your Discussion for this unit, you will assess the impact that environmental influences have on the biological development of unborn and newly born children. Further, you will practice assessing a hypothetical scenario of a high-risk pregnancy and propose appropriate interventions to facilitate a healthy birth. Read the following scenario and then respond to the questions below:

You are a psychologist working in a community health agency as a member of the treatment team. Your specific job is to conduct individual sessions with clients who have problems that are untreatable in group therapy. Typically, you provide mental health services for clients who do not have another psychologist, and your clients are very needy.

In fact, virtually all of your clients are unemployed and are quite poor. During Maria's appointment, you learn that she has just discovered that she is 6 weeks pregnant, and despite her continued social drinking and use of cigarettes, she thinks that her baby will be healthy. Maria is also not concerned with the medications used to treat her medical illnesses, but you know that the fetal environment is important to having a healthy baby. The agency case manager asked you to talk to her about how her behaviors are likely endangering the baby. Maria does not understand how her tobacco and alcohol use, lack of sleep, poor nutrition, unprotected sex, and other risky behaviors might be dangerous to the embryo. Maria dropped out of high school as a sophomore and has a sixth-grade reading level.

What specific information from your Reading do you think is most important to introduce to Maria to help her make educated choices about her pregnancy? Remember that you do not want to overwhelm her with complicated information and explanations. What specific behavior changes does Maria have to make to help her baby to be healthy? How influential is SES in predicting the future development of a newborn child? How can you use this knowledge to help Maria make educated choices about prenatal and postnatal care for their child? What interventions would you suggest to Maria and the rest of the treatment team that will help to support the changes that she needs to make?