Assignment Code: MCFTE-002 / TMA-8(2) / ASST-8(2) / 2022-23

Course Code: MCFTE-002

Assignment Name: Child and Adolescent Counselling and Family Therapy

Year: 2022 - 2023

Verification Status: Verified by Professor

Note: (i) Answer all the questions in both sections.

(ii) Answers to questions of Section “A” should not exceed 300 words each.

Section A - Descriptive Questions (10X3=30 marks)

Q 1. Discuss the significance of family as a premier social system.

Ans) Family is thought to be the most important social system because it helps people grow and is the backbone of society. It helps its members feel like they have a sense of identity, self-worth, and moral values by giving them emotional support, physical care, and social opportunities. The family also shapes how people feel about relationships, work, and their community. Also, families pass on cultural values, norms, and beliefs from one generation to the next. This helps to keep cultural traditions alive and moving forward. Overall, the family is a very important part of society, and it has a big impact on the lives of both individuals and groups. The following family factors help children develop social norms:

1. Emotional Tone of the Family: The warmth, attachment, expressions of affection and caring shown by the parents/family towards each other and towards the growing child.

2. Family Interaction: The communication both verbal and non-verbal that takes place in the family.

3. Responsiveness: Appropriate and timely response to each other as well as the child’s cues and demands.

4. Expectations: Parents teach children what to do, how to do it, and how to express emotion from an early age. Expectations change but remain.

5. Disciplining and Child rearing: The way families discipline their children and enforce rules also helps shape an individual's understanding of social norms and what is expected of them in society.

6. Family Dynamics: Family dynamics, such as the relationship between parents and children, sibling relationships, and family communication patterns, all contribute to the development of social norms.

7. Parental Characteristics: How the parents relate to their own parents, the kinds of attachments, feelings, and obligations they feel towards their own parents are passed on the next generation.

Overall, the family is a crucial socializing agent, and its role in shaping social norms cannot be overstated.

Q 2. Describe the concepts of ‘vulnerability’ and ‘resilience’. What would be your recommendations with regard to street children?

Ans) "Vulnerability" refers to the state of being exposed to the possibility of harm, injury, or damage. It refers to an individual's susceptibility to negative life events or circumstances, such as poverty, abuse, illness, or other forms of trauma. The definition for child vulnerability in simple terms says vulnerability is all about self-protection.

"Resilience" refers to the ability to bounce back from adverse experiences, to adapt and overcome challenges. It refers to an individual's capacity to cope with and recover from difficult situations and maintain a positive outlook in the face of adversity. It is increasingly acknowledged that resilience is a dynamic process in which the individual and the social environment interact to produce a pattern of functioning which offers resistance to detrimental experiences, from which coping successfully with one situation strengthens an individual’s ability to cope in the future.

With regard to street children, it is important to address their vulnerability and promote their resilience. Recommendations to support street children include:

1. Providing safe and stable living environments: This can help to reduce their exposure to harm and improve their physical and emotional well-being.

2. Offering educational and vocational training opportunities: This can help to improve their long-term prospects and increase their independence.

3. Providing access to mental health services: This can help to address the trauma and stress associated with life on the streets and support their emotional resilience.

4. Building a supportive community: Building a supportive network of individuals and organizations can help to provide street children with a sense of belonging and increase their resilience in the face of adversity.

5. Encouraging community engagement: Encouraging street children to engage with the broader community can help to reduce their isolation and increase their sense of connection to others.

Overall, it is important to adopt a comprehensive and integrated approach to supporting street children, addressing their vulnerability while promoting their resilience, to help them overcome the challenges they face and achieve a better future.

Q 3. Discuss the meaning and importance of life skills for adolescents. Give examples to support your answer.

Ans) Life skills are the practical and interpersonal abilities that enable individuals, particularly adolescents, to effectively handle various challenges and responsibilities in their daily lives. They are important for personal growth, well-being, and success.

The significance of life skills for adolescents is due to the unique challenges and opportunities they face as they transition from childhood to adulthood. Adolescents are faced with new responsibilities, such as managing their time, making decisions, and establishing relationships, and life skills help them navigate these changes with greater confidence and effectiveness.

Importance of Life Skills

Teenagers today face a lot of problems on top of the ones that come with their age and stage of development. These are social and cultural changes, like a shift from a collectivist to an individualist point of view, easier access to a lot of information, less time spent on parenting, and so on. Besides that, some teenagers:

1. Have low frustration tolerance.

2. Demand immediate gratification.

3. Are short tempered and get easily agitated.

4. Have low self-esteem or an inflated sense of self esteem

5. Externalize the locus of control Life Skills Training

6. Are unable to create and sustain long term meaningful friendships.

Some examples of life skills include:

1. Problem-solving: Adolescents need to be able to identify and evaluate problems, generate options, and make decisions that lead to positive outcomes.

2. Communication: Adolescents need to be able to effectively communicate their thoughts, feelings, and needs to others, as well as actively listen and understand the perspectives of others.

3. Financial Literacy: Adolescents need to understand basic financial concepts, such as budgeting, saving, and managing debt, in order to make informed decisions about their financial future.

4. Time Management: Adolescents need to be able to prioritize tasks and manage their time effectively in order to meet their obligations and achieve their goals.

5. Self-care: Adolescents need to be able to recognize and address their physical, emotional, and mental health needs, in order to maintain their overall well-being.

Section B - Short Answer Type Questions

Q 1. Write short notes (in about 150 words each) on the following: (5x4= 20 marks)

i) Impact of computers/internet on children

Ans) Computers can also send different kinds of information through sight and sound. Children spend a lot of time at school and at home playing computer games or going on the internet. Computer games may help kids learn to pay attention and solve problems, but some games have violent or sexual content that could have a bad effect on a child or teen.

Internet content can harm children and teens if it's not regulated. Poor vision, obesity, and aggression may result. However, the internet allows the child to communicate with people from around the world and learn about many topics. Teens and kids read blogs and chat online. Blogs allow teens to express their opinions and read others'. Chatting connects kids and teens to family, friends, and people around the world. Meeting people from other cultures and exchanging ideas is beneficial. Online chatting can take time away from schoolwork, exercise, and family time for kids and teens. Other software can help kids and teens improve presentation and creativity.

ii) Need for psychological assessment

Ans) Psychological assessment is a valuable tool for understanding the complex and multi-faceted nature of human behavior and experience. It provides important information that can inform treatment, education, career, and legal decisions and improve overall well-being and functioning.

It is an important tool for a variety of purposes, including:

1. Diagnosis: Psychological assessment can help identify mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or ADHD, and inform appropriate treatment decisions.

2. Treatment Planning: Psychological assessment can provide valuable information to inform the development of treatment plans, including the selection of appropriate interventions and goals for therapy.

3. Educational Planning: Psychological assessment can help identify learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, and inform appropriate educational interventions, such as special education services.

4. Career Counselling: Psychological assessment can help individuals identify their interests, values, and strengths, and make informed decisions about their career paths.

5. Forensic Evaluation: Psychological assessment can play a critical role in legal proceedings, such as criminal trials or child custody cases, by providing important information about an individual's mental state and ability to understand and participate in legal proceedings.

iii) Benefits of play therapy

Ans) Play Therapy has many benefits for the following reasons:

1. Children use their imagination in play and become more creative.

2. Children reveal their inner self easily through play.

3. Play helps to promote social interaction from a very early age.

4. Children are able to bring out in play what is bothering them and are able to explore various possibilities to solve the problem.

5. Children play to make themselves aware about the society’s functioning. They enact and practice adult roles.

6. Play helps build social skills.

7. Free play teaches kids decision-making. They choose games together.

8. It promotes physical activity and allows children to utilize their energies in a constructive manner.

9. Parents can understand their children's perspective and foster healthy family relationships by playing with them.

10. Play helps children to adjust in various settings, to a new school, new neighbourhood, transition etc.

iv) Factors associated with child neglect

Ans) Child neglect is a form of child abuse in which a caregiver fails to provide adequate care, support, and protection to a child, resulting in harm to their health, safety, or development.

The following are factors that have been associated with child neglect:

1. Poverty: Poverty-stricken families may neglect their children because they can't afford food, shelter, and healthcare.

2. Substance Abuse: Substance abuse by a caregiver can impair their ability to provide adequate care for a child and increase the risk of neglect.

3. Mental Health Issues: Caregivers with untreated mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety, may struggle to provide adequate care for a child and may be more likely to neglect them.

4. Parenting Stress: Single parents or those with multiple children who are stressed may neglect their children.

5. Social Isolation: Caregivers who lack social support, such as those who are isolated or have limited access to resources, may be more likely to neglect a child.

6. Domestic Violence: Domestic violence may preoccupy caregivers, making them unable to provide adequate care for their children.