Assignment 1: Discussion Question: Comparing Three TheoriesBy Saturday, September 12, 2015, respond to the discussion questions assigned by the faculty. Submit your responses to the appropriate Discussion Area. Use the same Discussion Thread to comment on your classmates’ submissions bySaturday, September 12, 2015 – Wednesday, September 16, 2015. All written assignments and responses should follow APA style for attributing sources.

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Discussion Question: Comparing Three Theories

For this week’s discussion you will consider the scenario below and respond in detail to each of the questions below. Here is the scenario you will use:

Roberta has come to counseling because she is contemplating a divorce from her husband of 12 years. She has been unhappy in her marriage for several years and doesn’t think that she and her husband can rekindle the interest necessary in their relationship to make it work. To complicate the situation, she has been seeing a married co-worker for several months on the sly and is sexually involved. Roberta thinks she loves the man she is having an affair with and would like to marry him. Though he wants to continue seeing her he has made it clear that he is unwilling to end his marriage or break up his family to be with her. Roberta and her husband have three young children and she knows a divorce would be crushing to the children. She’s come to you for counseling to sort through these issues.

1. In your opinion, which of the following counseling theories would you prefer to use to try and help her: Person-centered, Gestalt or Reality? Choose only one and explain your reasoning in detail.

2. Using your chosen theory from question 1, would you go about helping her sort through her confusion? Be sure to bring in concepts from your chosen counseling theory to show how you would specifically work with her.

3. Roberta is looking for answers to questions she feels unable to answer herself because she is so emotionally involved. After she tells you her story she asks you to give your perspective and advice on what she should do. How would you respond to this request? What potential problems might arise if you do give her direct advice? What potential problems might arise if you don’t give your perspective? Be specific and detailed in your response.  What would your chosen counseling theory have to say about giving direct advice?

4. At the end of the session, Roberta is very distraught and asks if you would be available to meet her for coffee later that day to continue the conversation in a more casual environment. Under what circumstances might this be appropriate, if at all? What potential conflicts might this create? Be specific and draw upon information from your text and lecture materials to support your points. 

Assignment 1: Discussion—Motivational Interviewing and Stages of Change

The stages of change model suggests that clients who are in the process of changing addictive behavior move through successive stages, from limited insight to maintenance of change. These stages will be presented by the client’s attitudes and behaviors. It is the job of the clinician to identify the correct stage and employ specific interventions for the treatment to be successful. Most clients opting for an assessment will likely be in the early stages of change.  

The major tenets of motivational interviewing were designed to provide clinicians with tools to facilitate the change process in clients. Extensive research supports its effectiveness and it has become the standard in the past decade. These techniques are grounded in the client-centered approach rather than the confrontational approach to substance abuse treatment used in previous decades.

Use the module readings and the Argosy University online library resources to research motivational interviewing and the stages of change model.

Download and review the case study.

Respond to the following:

• Explain factors for determining the client’s stage of change and identify which stage of change the client is in.
• What two motivational interviewing techniques would be helpful in assessing substance abuse in this case? Give reasons and explanations.

Support your responses using your module readings and authoritative resources. Incorporate theory and factual information in your response.

Write your initial response in 2–3 paragraphs. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

By Saturday, September 12, 2015, post your response to the appropriateDiscussion Area. Through Wednesday, September 16, 2015, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses. Comment on the points made by asking questions, providing clarifications, giving another point of view, challenging their views, or showing relationships between two or more points in the discussion.

All discussion assignments in this course will be graded using a rubric. Download the discussion rubric and carefully read it to understand the expectations.

 

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