Reference no: EM133600908

Problem

Katrina is a 13-year-old female of mixed ethnicity. She was referred for counseling by her guidance counselor due to recent depressive symptoms, poor academic performance, and oppositional behavior and fighting with other students at school. Her aggressive behavior and academic challenges increased after Katrina overheard a conversation between her mother and aunt in which she found out that her father had an affair for eight years. She was shocked to learn that this resulted in two births. Other difficulties include several fights with other students in the classroom, frequent conflict with her mother, skipping 15 days of school over the past six months, and diminished interest in her academic work. While she had previously excelled academically, she now displayed a marked loss of interest in activities that used to give her pleasure, such as drawing and reading. Katrina's father is currently living in Puerto Rico and has no contact with the family. Katrina lives in a small apartment with her mother and younger brother near her school. She reported being frustrated with the lack of space, since they had to downsize from the single-family home they lived in before her father left the family one year ago.

Because Katrina was a minor, it was necessary for the school guidance counselor to speak with Katrina and her mother together during the initial session. Katrina's mother, Julia, stated that she believes that Katrina will not talk to most people about her problems because she does not trust anyone. During the first meeting, Katrina reported that she does not trust anyone and that she is not interested in attending counseling sessions if the practitioner is going to tell her what to do. Self-disclosure was very difficult for Katrina during the initial interview and Julia answered the majority of the questions that were asked, in some cases speaking for Katrina when she made efforts to speak. Julia reported that Katrina's father was highly critical and also emotionally withdrawn throughout Katrina's childhood. Katrina also stated, "I don't really have a dad, since real fathers are supposed to take care of their families." She said she was tired of her teachers and her mother always forcing her to do things that she doesn't want to do.

What socio-cultural factors will you take into consideration when implementing the counseling skills of empathy and active listening?