Counselling a young adult who is experiencing transition from adolescence may be challenging for new counsellors and therapists. The case at hand is a nineteen-year old college student who is feeling frustration and anxiety about his failing grades and looks back to his past as a high school student garnering high grades. Add to this, his homesickness, living so far from home, just so he can attend his school makes him miserable, and it affects his academic performance.
Personally, I would choose the humanistic approach in counselling because it offers a fresh and hopeful disposition for the anxious client. This person-centered approach was founded on the humanistic theories of Carl Rogers focusing on the client as a person rather than a mere subject of therapy (Corey, 2005). The client needs to understand that despite all the failures he experiences, he is still a capable and worthy human being who can rise above the challenges he faces and still pursue success. On the other hand, the counsellor needs to be a mature person who can empathize with the client and offer unconditional positive regard (Schneider & Krug, 2010).. This is what the young, beleaguered client needs, a surrogate parent/ friend who is there to listen to his problems and not judge him for his failures. Questions that are appropriate to ask are:
How are adjusting to college life?
What difficulties are you encountering and how are you coping?
Describe your own strengths and how do you think these can help you in your situation right now.
What is the worst thing that you believe can happen to you in your situation now?
How can you prevent that event from happening to you?
These questions help the client confront the realities of his life right now and identify the sources of his difficulties as well as what his strengths are (De Jong & Berg, 1998). In making him aware that he has strengths, the counsellor can help empower him to deal with his difficulties.
References
Corey, G. (2005) Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 7th
ed. Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning Inc.
DeJong, P., & Berg, I. K. (1998). Interviewing for solutions. Pacific Grove:
Brooks/Cole.
Schneider, K. J., & Krug, O. T. (2010). Existential-humanistic therapy.
Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
