Case Study: Goal Orientated Counselling Treatment

Case Study: Goal Orientated Counselling Treatment Case Study Scenario #1 Angela Townsend Scenario Mario is an illegal alien from Mexico. He has lived in the U.S. for five years and worked various construction jobs in the South. Mario’s family stayed behind in Mexico so he struggles with loneliness and has a poor social network except for an outreach ministry at a local Catholic Church. Mario was pulled over and charged with a DUI. He was sent to your agency for mandatory counseling in addition to attending a drug treatment support group like Alcoholics Anonymous. Personal Information In counseling, the first session is very important. As a counselor, it is important to collect as much information from the client as possible. The initial intake with Mario will take about an hour to gather as much about his background and personal information. Also, I would like to get family history, his educational background, any work skills, as well as his current living conditions in order to begin forming his taxonomy needs. The case clearly reveals that Mario now lives in United States away from family for the past five years and worked at various construction jobs. According to Mario, his family stayed in Mexico and he is struggling with loneliness not being with his family. I want to learn as much about Mario as possible to give him the best possible solution to his situation. Utilizing Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a premise for disclosure, I can construct needs evaluation that arranges needs as far as characteristic, extraneous, and significance (Maslow, 1943). By evaluating Mario’s needs against Maslow’s hierarchy, I can start finding what is inadequate in Mario’s life which has made the issues he is encountering. Case in point, being isolated from his family is belonging need. Everyone has a need of belonging and this is a physical interconnected need. A need to get affection and recognition as well as being wanted as a person (Maslow, 1943). Based on the information, it seems that this need is not being met, it is showing in his conduct and actions. Personal Biases and Limitations In Mario case study, I would need to consider my own predispositions and restrictions carefully. It is very crucial for a counselor to be as honest as possible about their limitations. As a Christian, I understand the importance of taking care of our bodies according to the Word of God (I Corinthians 6:19-20, NKJV). Our bodies are the temple of God and doing harm to the body either psychically or profoundly could be harming to the soul. One of the real inclinations that I have is with the alcohol and drug addiction treatment. The major problem I have in regards to the addition treatment that people believe that the 12-Step Model does not work. It does if you work it properly. Will power alone cannot do it. This program is based on Christian concepts, even though there is a failure rate in this program, but I do believe it will work for Mario if he allows it to. One thing I do not like is that alcohol and drug addiction is called a disease in which it is not. It is a choice that peopl e make. In this world, we are given choices to make every day. We have the choice to do right or we have the choice to do wrong but the ultimate decision is ours. This is an addiction not a disease. A disease is inward in which sometimes you did not have a choice such as breast cancer. A person did not make a choice to have breast cancer. Drinking alcohol is outward; it is a choice a person makes. It takes faith to be delivered from alcohol and drugs. I tend to believe that people with alcohol or drug problem are more responsible for their condition. No one can want recovery for them. The person must want it and be willing to do what is necessary to heal. When counseling clients, it is important for me to inform my clients of my personal core values and beliefs about my faith in God giving the client the information to make an informed decision to continue counseling sessions Goals Goals should be attainable in Mario’s case. Mario reports of loneliness because not being with his family. He also has poor social skills. He is not a citizen of the United States and have worked various construction jobs. There are several goals that can be implemented for him to achieve. The first thing for him is to do is attend an AA meeting group, which is required by the court for alcohol and drug treatment. I believe signing up for the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program will not only help him develop other relationships but also help him to make better decisions in life. This program will help Mario take control back in his life. The main purpose of him attending these meetings is to see that he is not alone. Loneliness is a human response to being alone because God created humans with a need for relationship. Feelings of loneliness can be helped. Lonely people can attend church (Hebrew 10:25), be a friend to someone else (Proverbs 18:24), listen to Christian music, and pray for God to wok in and through them to take away the lonely feelings. It is very important for Mario to learn how to deal with stressors. Everyone has a need of belonging. In Mario’s case, she will be encouraged to find an activity that will force her to associate with other people. The goal is to get into a situation where other people will get to know him. Since Mario is part of his local church outreach ministry, I will encourage him to get more involved and be committed to it for no less than three months if he is open to incorporating the Word of God in his life more deeply. Too many people leave friends, jobs, or organization because of being offended. I am not sure if this is the case with Mario for the reason to work at various constructions jobs. The important thing is to have a goal in mind to keep him employed. Theoretical Approach The psychodynamic approach I believe will be the most effective in Mario’s case. Mario has a few fundamental issues that are occurring which should be analyzed. Being separated from his family and disengagement from his community is one of the biggest issues. The approach of dealing with these issues Mario is facing would be to utilize journaling as a method for convey mindfulness and control to Mario’s conduct and contemplations (Howes, 2011). At the beginning of each session with me, I will have Mario record anything of significance and importance to him, positive or negative occasions or sentiments that have happened between sessions. It is imperative that Mario and I meet weekly until he accomplished his goals. I would also urge Mario to search out other support group resources because this would give him the required support he needs. Therapeutic Progress and Success The objective is for Mario to achieve his goals. When Mario get involved in a support group and get into healthy activities this should satisfy his need of belonging. All people need to feel like they belong According to Ephesians 1:4-6,which states explicitly that we are chosen for belonging with God, â€Å"just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be hold and without blame before Him to love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.† The measure of this achievement is fairly subjective on the grounds that it will be based on his journaling and the assessments of his present way of life. An example, if Mario developed healthy relationships this will reflect his conduct and possibly diminish his drinking. Conclusion The issues that Mario was facing was a great negative impact on his life. Advising Mario with goal oriented counseling approach will keep him on track. Mario must make a decision to stay on track to improve his life. By doing so, he will diminish the drinking problem especially when he gets involved actively in support groups as well as his church ministry. Through regular counseling sessions with Mario, I will be in a position to develop an intervention plan that will lead him to a solid and satisfying life. References ACA Code of Ethics (2015): American Counseling Association, Alexandria, Virginia Corey, G. (2010). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. (8th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Howes, R. (2011, January 26). Journaling in Therapy Supersized therapy? Write on! . Retrieved from Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in-therapy/201101/journaling-in-therapy Khantzian, E. J. (1986). A contemporary psychodynamic approach to drug abuse treatment. The  American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 12(3), 213-222. LeBeauf, I., Smaby, M., Maddux, C. (2009). Adapting Counseling Skills for Multicultural and Diverse Clients. Compelling Counseling Interventions: VISTAS , 33-42. Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Retrieved June 17, 2015, from York University, Toronto, Ontario : http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm Schmidt, C. D. (2014). Integrating Continuous Client Feedback into Counselor Education. The Journal for Counselor Preparation and Supervision , 6 (2), 2-12. Wilson, W. (2001). Alcoholics anonymous. New York, NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. Police Stop and Search Powers: Effects on Public Trust Police Stop and Search Powers: Effects on Public Trust Introduction The increased powers of stop and search afforded to the police by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) have seriously contributed to a lack of trust and confidence in the police service, particularly among ethnic minorities. This essay will focus particularly on how the new powers have been used more extensively on ethnic minorities, which undermines trust and confidence in the police particularly among these communities but also perpetuates ideas of corruption and racism. Stop and search powers have further contributed to the notion of over policing not simply because they lead to greater police intervention in individuals lives, but because it leads to a greater influx into the process of the criminal justice system as a whole, known as attrition, especially among ethnic minorities (Home Office 1998). Stop and Search powers: historical backdrop The history of stop and search powers has provided the context for increasing mistrust of police felt by ethnic minorities and the notion of over policing. PACE was enacted to deal with problems that had resulted from a perception on the part of the public that the previous powers granted to the police to stop and search potential offenders were far too broad. These rules were known as the Judges Rules (Ormerod Hooper 2009). These rules allowed police to stop, search, and then arrest a suspicious person without and need to have obtained a prior search warrant. It is empirically difficult to say whether it was due to actual over-use, or merely a perceived increased resort to this power when police were among the black community. As a result of the powers, there were race riots throughout various parts of the United Kingdom in the early 1980s which resulted in the Judges rules being repealed. Pursuant to PACE, the law states that a police officer must have reasonable suspicion before he has the legal grounds to stop a person and search them. These practices, which confer very broad and intrusive powers, are often seen as the most glaring example of abuse of police powers. Although now under PACE 1984 a stop and search power can be carried out only when there is reasonable suspicion that stolen property or prohibited articles are being carried, the grounds for reasonable suspicion as defined in PACE are not of a very high threshold (Sprack 2008). This has been reinforced repeatedly in the case law regarding police stop and search powers under anti terrorism. Parker v Hampshire Constabulary (1999) note the suspicion must be based on reasonable grounds. Lord Devlins words, a state of conjecture or surmise. He goes on the further add In my judgment this state of mind, suspicious but uncertain, was based on reasonable grounds. The relationship between mistrust and a lack of confidence in the police and the stop and search of ethnic minorities is most keenly felt. Police data for 1999/2000 found that there was a five-fold increase stop and search used on blacks than on white including the same pattern for stops under early Prevention of Terrorism legislation. In 1997, 7% of these stops were black which is a clear example of discrimination and further creates an idea of police racism, over policing and decreases confidence in the criminal justice system overall. Even when deploying these powers outside the Terrorism Act, police intrusion and formal action remains significantly greater where the suspect is not white. More stops, more searches and more intrusive searches lead to increased suspicion. (Hayman Newburn 2001). However there are problems concerning the methodology of this research. The methodology of calculating stop and search is questionable as it can be based on outdated census figures. It is submitted that rates should be calculated on available rather than resident populations then findings for black people and ethnic minorities were mixed, both under and over represented for different localities this research emphasises the need for caution in assessing disproportionality in stop and search. For example, ethnic minorities may be subject to direct discrimination in schools and therefore be excluded, becoming unemployed and therefore more being available to be stopped and searched by the police. Clothing and hoodies and even a certain car type that can be associated with ethnicity. These all contribute to the process of criminalization which increases stop and search, which further increases distrust in the police system and over policing of deprived areas based on what is at least as sumed to be police prejudice. However the 2000 British Crime Survey (BCS) found ethnic origin only a predicator for car stops not foot stops. Clements (2006) found in London, reasonable suspicion was often absent in use of stop and search often used not for detection but for intelligence gathering used by supervisors of the metropolitan police to measure performance in that the more stop and searches conducted, the more successful arrests that will be made and a police officer will gain credit within the police as being successful. What is required is official acknowledgement that stop and search powers must be regulated to safeguard the individuals right to privacy due to the danger extent of discretion and limitations of legal regulation coupled with vague notions of reasonable suspicion. This is further exacerbated by the fact that most stop and searches occur outside the supervision of the police station. The relationship between Stop and Search, Arrest and Over policing The role of stop and search has only one role in explaining the over-representation of black people in arrest and imprisonment statistics due to the fact that only a small minority of stop and search in ethnic minorities lead to arrest. This statistic can further represent the lack of trust and over policing due to the fact that these searches are deemed as, and witnessed to be unnecessary. Undoubtedly, the police use of stop and search powers makes at least a modest contribution to over-representation of blacks in arrest population, and a significant contribution to the increased arrest statistics which further leads to a notion of over policing among black areas. This perceived abuse of stop and search and poor response to racist victimization has lead to wide ranging loss of confidence in policing and undoubtedly public perception, particularly among ethnic minorities has been harmed by these negative interactions. Arrest PACE 1984 requires that reasonable suspicion that an offence has been committed exists before an arrest is made. There was a four times greater rate of expected arrest of blacks in 1999/2000 considering their numbers in general population (particularly for robbery 28%) and arrests for asians also higher than it was for whites (again in fraud and forgery). The fact that once having been arrested and in custody, ethnic minorities tend to exercise the right to silence, opt for legal advice and deny guilt. This can cumulatively disadvantage them in the criminal process, as least punitive outcome of an arrest, a caution, can only be given if guilt is admitted. This leads to higher rates of imprisonment and an even greater perception of over policing as these people become filtered in to the Criminal justice system (Phillips and Brown 1997). Black offenders are therefore both more likely to be arrested and more likely to be held in remand. Moreover being held in remand can mean that the magistrates court is more likely to refer their case to the crown court, which instantly makes their prospective sentence more likely to be serious. This clearly shows that whatever the subjective intent of officers, there is attrition process which results in incorporating more offenders into the net of the criminal justice. Most studies on the actual sentencing of ethnic minorities suggest there is little or no difference in practice but they do not take account of the aforementioned complex process of incorporating black suspects into the system. Hoods ground-breaking study in 1992 using a different 16-point methodology showed that 503 blacks were sentenced to custody when only 479 should have been making an overall increase of 5%, which, if employed in every Crown court in the country would make for serious racist discrimination. Hoods findings have, however, been criticised by Hakevy as having a 0.7% probability that the result was random as opposed to the normally accepted figure of 0.5% which indicates that results are above the level of random coincidence. The attrition process provides further evidence of discrimination against ethnic minorities with them being filtered in to the Criminal Justice System (CJS): ethnic minorities therefore comprise only 7.3% of those arrested but make up 12.3% of those imprisoned (Hood 1992). The cyclical nature of the CJS with reoffenders, who have been in custody before receiving harsher punishments further exacerbates the racist discrimination, leading to a cumulative disadvantage on the part of minorities (Phillips and Bowling 2002). Prosecutorial Decision -Making and Sentencing The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) potentially has the ability to divert individuals from further action after a police officer has officially charged a suspect. The CPS must consider whether there is a reasonable prospect of conviction and whether the case should proceed on public interest grounds. These grounds include the seriousness of offence and the involvement of defendant. Case Termination: A break on Criminalization? Only 2 research studies have examined whether these differ depending on ethnic origin. Phillips Brown (1997) 12% cases whites terminated compared to 20% blacks terminated and 27% against asians ethnic origin predicated an increased chance of case termination. This again reinforces that ethnic areas are being over policed, due to ingrained social ideas of racial criminality and institutional racism. It is submitted that this break should be taken note of and provides a real opportunity to change the publics view of over policing if it is used as an opportunity to decrease police stop and searches in ethnic areas. These studies raise serious questions about the use of stop and search powers in our criminal justice system as there is implied discrimination and presumption of guilt selectively applied by police. CPS break on criminalizing ethnic minorities can be explained because at this point in CJS discretion and subjectivity at minimum guided by stringent code for Crown Prosecutors. Pre-sentence processes: decision to remand or bail Remand prisoners are more likely to receive custodial sentences if found guilty cannot be presented in a positive light by smart dress or newly gained employment and unfortunately ethnic minorities are much less likely to be given bail (Hood 1992). This could merely be because ethnic minorities have an increased risk of being of no fixed abode this is apparently a neutral factor but it can still lead to the perception of over policing. The higher acquittal rates for blacks and asians, which are consistent with the case termination by CPS discussed above. This again raises questions about previous actions of police and leads to an even more entrenched mistrust of police action and allegations of over policing. Moreover pre-sentence reports where 16% written on black offenders and 11% on asians reinforced stereotypical attitudes to race. There have been documented higher rates of committal to Crown Court for ethnic minorities even before sentencing decisions are made, blacks face a m ore severe punishment than their white counterparts (Hood 1992). Sentencing Most studies suggest little or no difference exists between those from over policed areas (which tend to be areas dominated by ethnic minorities). However, these studies have a limited methodologically: it is almost empirically impossible to consider the wider range of legitimate legal factors which influence sentencing decisions, including subjective intention on the part of the judge. Hoods (1992) pioneering used 16 variables, which best predicted possibility of a sentence. 503 blacks sentenced when there should only have been 479, which was 5% greater probability of blacks being sentence: if practised in every court would show serious racial discrimination. The results of a study like this originate with over use of stop and search powers. Hoods findings provide clear evidence of discrimination which reinforces negative public opinion and mistrust of police and racially motivated over policing policies. Conclusion Over policing as in the proactive policing of areas populated by ethnic minorities does not go unnoticed and the greater use of stop and search powers creates bitterness and mistrust among these populations, which eventually undermines any positive work the police are trying to accomplish. The perception of over policing undoubtedly starts with the PACE 1984 stop and search powers, but as the offender progresses through the criminal justice system, and these powers are shown to have led to unnecessary arrests, the bitterness created by their use increases. It is difficult to think of a precise solution as the notion of reasonable suspicion, although an objective one in legal terms, is necessarily employed by the police based on their subjective judgment, which as a result of social factors and institutional racism, appears to be geared towards searching ethnic minorities. Mistrust is a two-way street and perhaps even contributes to increased criminality.