Child Risk Assessment for Therapy Essay

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Nine-year-old Afro-Caribbean, Lennox, was referred by professionals and his teacher to the therapist. Those who suggested counseling were worried about the boy's conduct and behavior when at school. As Lennox's previous therapist resigned his job during the summer school-term, the boy was referred once again; by this time, he had reached the age of ten. Lennox was offered twelve months of one-on-one therapy. The problems cited in the original referral for counseling included lack of concentration in studies, attention-seeking behavior at school, persistent unpunctuality to class, and the boy's washed-out look. Another referral by an educator in the year 2009 cited the boy's weak concentration in class, poor social skills apparent in groups, defensive stance, need to remain "in control," lack of self-esteem, and failure to accept responsibility for his conduct. According to both referring educators' behavior rating, they were highly concerned about the boy. When he reached the age of 11, this intervention was undertaken. The boy had recently completed group therapy (7 kids in total) for improving his social skills and teaching him to share things with others (Adams-Langley, 2013).



Background Data



The boy's abnormal scores may be explained by his life at home, at the time he was first referred. Lennox, the eldest child in a family of 6 kids, has one infant brother and four sisters. His mother was continuously with a child, evidenced by the fact that all six kids were aged below 8 years. Lennox does not live with his biological father; his mother separated from her husband, and her current partner is the biological father of all but the eldest two kids. Owing to issues of domestic abuse and violence, Social Services have been involved, and all 6 kids are under child protection. Another matter of great concern is that the boy's stepdad as well as his mother abuse drugs and alcohol. Lastly, to exacerbate issues, the entire household was evicted from social housing due to debt and a failure to pay their rent, and was subsequently housed in an overcrowded provisional living space (Adams-Langley, 2013).



Although Lennox was moved to his grandmother's home, the household included a cousin suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and this gave rise to conflict. Moreover, Lennox's grandmother was an alcohol and drug user as well, in addition to playing the role of local drug dealer.

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Despite remarrying, Lennox's biological father was regularly in touch with the boy. He claimed his former wife loved the boy but lacked parenting skills. This statement may be corroborated by the fact that Lennox would frequently skip school to care for his brother and sisters, or on account of a lack of clean clothes. As the stepfather and mother were busy imbibing alcohol and drugs, the boy had to change his infant brother's diapers and feed him, put his sisters and brother to bed, buy foodstuff for the family, and cook meals (Adams-Langley, 2013).



His school's project manager and class teacher view Lennox as an insecure, "lost" boy, with pervasive chaos in his domestic life. He displayed aggression towards fellow students, got into fights frequently, behaved "clingy" and "needy" with adults, and was frequently detained because of his behavior. Despite being a brainy and smart child, Lennox was so busy at home caring for his many siblings that he found no time to look into schoolwork, was impulsive, and lacked concentration. His annual exam scores were below average. Lastly, Lennox faced the added difficulty of having to catch two buses by himself and travel an hour before he could reach school (Adams-Langley, 2013).



Part 2: Write a 150-200-word summary, discussing specific behaviors that lead you to create a risk assessment.



Clearly, Lennox portrayed substantial distress by "acting out" at school (in class and in the playground) because of several risk factors within his household environment. The boy displayed superior intelligence, but couldn't engage in schoolwork. Alternately, he was needy, withdrawn, and displayed aggression towards fellow students in scenarios where he experienced "crowding." His school's project manager and his biological father claim that he is still, at times, needy and demanding. However, his now-stable domestic life and attachment with his dad have offered him the strong and reliable relationship and attention he sorely lacked. Hence, he now feels more secure (Adams-Langley, 2013).



Instead of perceiving Lennox as neglected or lost boy, there was a great need to view the boy as a unique individual experiencing a number of risk factors. A reparative bond was imperative for him, and his "carer"….....

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Bibliography


Adams-Langley, S. (2013). A Place2Be: A case study of a child with multiple risk factors -- An exemplar of School-Based Family Counseling. International Journal for School-Based Family Counseling.

Agar, S. E. (n.d.). Professional Guidelines for Assessing Risk of. CARE Manual.

Masten, A., Best, K., & Gourmezy, N. (1990). Resilience and development: Contributions from the study of children who overcome adversity. Development and Psychopathology, 2, 425-444

Winnicott, D. (1971). Playing and reality. London: Tavistock Publications

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