Counselling Clients in Making Informed Decisions

Counselling Clients in Making Informed Decisions

As a helping professional, I would use motivational interviewing to influence Josiah to change his drinking and sexual behaviour. Josiah asserts that he enjoys having different sexual partners and having unprotected intercourse. He also states that he enjoys drinking, but he is willing to change his drinking habit since he got a police citation. I would be supportive and encourage Josiah to talk about his need for change and his reason for desiring the change. I’d start a conversation concerning change and commitment and listen and reflect on Josiah’s thoughts.

Instead of confronting Josiah about his behaviour, I would collaborate with him to learn from his point of view and experience (Langston, Rosario,  & Westhoff, 2010). It’ll be a good practice to refrain from condemning Josiah for his actions. For instance, he states that he enjoys having unprotected intercourse with different partners and that his relationships are short-term. I may oppose the habit but should not impose my thoughts on the client (Levounis, Arnaout, & Marienfeld, Eds. 2017). Instead, I’d interview the client on why he enjoys such a life and why change is important. Collaboration creates a rapport between a helping professional and the client, creating trust.

Acknowledging that a client has the power to make a change and the autonomy to make decisions is a good step in helping clients make informed decisions. As a counsellor, I cannot demand change, but I can help the client realize that their actions affect their life (Hohman, 2021). Instead of being judgemental, a counsellor should try to understand the issue from the client’s point of view. The counsellor can also suggest other constructive activities the client can engage in to replace the identified destructive behaviour.

Motivational interviewing is efficient since it will help Josiah realize his values and his goals. As a counsellor, nurturing an atmosphere free of pressure for Josiah to focus on his strengths, goals, needs, and values would be very pivotal in the change process.

References

Hohman, M. (2021). Motivational interviewing in social work practice. Guilford Publications.

Langston, A. M., Rosario, L., & Westhoff, C. L. (2010) Structured contraceptive counselling: A randomized controlled trial. Patient Education & Counseling, 81(3), 362-367

Levounis, P., Arnaout, B., & Marienfeld, C. (Eds.). (2017). Motivational interviewing for clinical practice. American Psychiatric Pub.

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According to the ACA Code of Ethics, the “primary responsibility of counsellors is to respect the dignity and to promote the welfare of clients” (Standard A.1.a). Helping professionals also should be “aware of their own values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours and avoid imposing values that are inconsistent with counselling goals” (Standard A.4.b). Keeping both points in mind, helping professionals must sometimes help clients make informed decisions about behaviour that is harmful to themselves and, potentially, others. Whether or not to use contraception is one potential area related to sexuality counselling for which helping professionals may need to inform clients about the potential risks.

Consider the following case study:

You are a professional helping in a college counselling centre. You just completed your intake evaluation session with Josiah, a 20-year-old sophomore. Josiah was mandated to attend six counselling sessions after he received a citation from the campus police for underage drinking at a party sponsored by the fraternity to which Josiah belongs.

During the intake session, Josiah was very verbal and willing to share information about his background and current experiences. He shared with you that he frequently drinks six to eight beers or other alcoholic beverages at a time, typically every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday when he “parties” with friends. He described this as normal behaviour among his peer group, saying that this is “just how we unwind from all the stress of school every week.”

When you asked Josiah about his relationships and sexual behaviours, he stated that he has not had a steady partner since high school, saying, “People here just aren’t into long-term relationships.” He admitted that he typically “hooks up” with at least one or two partners each weekend, and when you asked him what he meant by that, he said, “Sex.” You asked if he uses any contraception in these sexual encounters, and he said, “No, I don’t like how they feel, so I won’t have sex if the other person would make me use one.”

You asked Josiah what his goals are for counseling and what he would like to change, and he responded, “Not much really. I like my life and have fun with all the partying we do here. I guess I need to learn to be a little more careful with my drinking since I got that police citation, but otherwise I feel really happy with my life right now and can’t think of much that I really want to work on in counseling.”

Post by Day 4 an explanation of how you, as a helping professional, might help this student make positive, informed sexual decisions. Describe one specific strategy you might use or one example conversation you might have with him (in the form of a short dialogue) to help him change his sexual behaviour. Explain why the strategy or conversation you described might be effective.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the resources.