Counseling Children
and Adolescents
ECG 558
Chapter One
Working With Children,
Adolescents, and Their Parents
Models of Developmental Levels
► Prevention
► Problem conceptualization
► Design and selection of age-appropriate
assessment instruments
► Application of developmentally appropriate
interventions
► Provide developmental information to parents via
consultation
► Understand how young clients process information
► Areas of development: physical, cognitive, self,
social and emotional
Developmental Characteristics of
Early Childhood (2-5)
Physical development: development of gross and fine
motor skills
► Cognitive development: imagination preoperational
thinking, centration, animism, artificialism, language
development
► Self-development: egocentrism, high self-esteem, increase
in self-control and initiative
► Social development: associative play, difficulty engaging in
cooperative play (improves around age 5), gender
differences
► Emotional development: limited vocabulary for feelings,
quite literal, limited understanding of other people’s
emotions
►
Counseling Applications
for Early Childhood
► Attention
spans of 4- and 5-year olds are
limited
► Use variety of concrete techniques
► Typical problems: difficulty engaging in
cooperative play, taking things literally
which can result in fear, situational
problems (divorce, abuse, parent
alcoholism)
► Case Studies Manuel & Amaya
Developmental Characteristics of
Middle Childhood (6-11)
Physical development: slow growth rate, high degree of
physical self-control
► Cognitive development: transitional period from 5-7, reach
concrete operational stage at age 8, begin to understand
more abstract concepts, more logical thinking, enhanced
problem-solving abilities, social interactions guide learning
► Self-development: expanding self-understanding, multidimensional view of self, development of internal locus of
control, self-criticism versus self-confidence
► Social development: socialization with peers, group
acceptance, peer pressure, form values, behaviors, beliefs;
by age 7, children become more prosocial
► Emotional development: experience more complex
emotions increased ability to recognize and communicate
feelings
►
Counseling Applications
for Middle Childhood
► Children
have many first-time experiences
► Limited ability to think logically and see
possibilities
► Need adult guidance to apply skills consistently to
common problems
► Need concrete interventions to help resolve
problems
► Typical problems revolve around school, family,
appearance, health, peer relationships, selfconcept, situational problems
► Case Studies – Jessica & Ian
Developmental Characteristics of
Early Adolescence (10-14)
Physical development: rapid physical changes, onset of
puberty, growth spurts, variation in physical maturity,
increase in sexual thoughts and feelings
► Cognitive development: gradual shift to formal operational
thinking
► Self-development: self-definition and integration,
autonomy versus dependency, self-conscious, imaginary
audience, personal fable
► Social development: importance of peer relationships,
developing more independence from parents, objective
analysis of own behavior, struggle with popularity
► Emotional development: emotional instability, increased
conflict with adults & emotional intensity (including anger),
feelings are overwhelming
►
Counseling Applications
for Early Adolescence
► Need
to remember that formal operation thinking
occurs gradual
► Responsive services to adolescents’ needs
► Problem behaviors are often a result of
incompetency in thinking and reasoning
► Adolescents need adult guidance
► Typical problems: anger, depression, mood
swings, excessive worrying, sensitivity, defiance,
withdrawal
► Case Studies – Casey & Maria
Developmental Characteristics of
Mid-Adolescence (15-18)
►
►
►
►
►
Physical development: males differ from females in terms
of rate of development, very strong sexual urges, anxiety
Cognitive development: continued development of formal
operational thinking, characterized by multidimensional &
relativistic thinking and hypothesizing, still inconsistencies
in thinking and behaving, see possibilities
Self-development: independence, search for identity, selfquestioning, experimenting and exploring, increased selfconfidence, self-assert ion, speculation of long-term
consequences
Social development: peer relationships continue to be
important, increase in self-confidence & intimate
friendships, more social sensitivity, need more autonomy
from family
Emotional development: more emotional stability,
dependent on level of formal operational thinking, more
emotional maturity
Counseling Applications
for Mid-Adolescence
► Most
are better able to express themselves
verbally
► Typical teenage problems: decisions about
relationships and the future, complex
relationships that may involve sexual
intimacy, confusion about career choice,
feelings of elation, ambivalence, & loss
related to graduation, anxiety about the
future
► Case Studies – Annie & Marcus