Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of your colleagues' comments. Include references.

Initial Post:

Post a brief description of the sex and sexuality case study you selected (Case 1 or Case 2).

Loretta is a Caucasian female presented in Case 1. She is 17 years old. Loretta sustained a brain injury as a toddler, and now she attends a partial-day therapy program. Over the past six months, Loretta's parents have faced obstacles due to her decision to engage in sexual activity while at the treatment center, at home in the evenings, and on weekends. Loretta's parents are worried about her sexual health and well-being, as well as her recent conduct and the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy or STD transmission. Loretta sees no moral issues with having sexual relations.

Identify two potential parent/guardian, school, or community values related to sex, sexuality, or sexual identity that might adversely affect the child or adolescent and explain how.

We all know that early sexual activity among teenagers is a major concern for parents. I get the impression that Loretta's parents do not support teen pregnancies because of their values. One of the main reasons they don't want Loretta to be sexually active, in my opinion, is that they're afraid she'll get pregnant. Over the past six months, they've had an unstable relationship with Loretta due to their shared anxiety about becoming parents. Family, peers, and cultural norms all have an impact on how an adolescent handles the physical and emotional changes that come with puberty, and ultimately how they behave sexually as an adult (Kar et al., 2015). The second valueof Loretta's community in this regard is that all the other teenagers share her view that sexual activity at this age is perfectly natural. Loretta thinks it's perfectly acceptable to engage in sexual activity because she sees it happening all the time among her peers.

Explain one way you might support the child or adolescent in the case study.

One way I can be there for Loretta is to enroll her in a support group for sexually active youth. Being a part of the group will encourage Loretta to practice safe sexual behavior and teach her about resources.

Explain one way you would ensure that your personal values would not interfere with the counseling process.

It will be important to be conscious of what I say and to keep my own opinions out of the conversation. Furthermore, I would keep in mind that allowing my personal opinions to take priority over others' opinions could have a significant impact on them. However, I believe that sharing some of my own experiences will help them understand that while we are all human, we can still learn from our mistakes. If Loretta's parents have concerns that theassistance that I'm giving her would compromise her desire for sexual safety, I'll provide them with a choice of support groups from which to choose. In addition, I think Loretta's parents would benefit from joining a support group to help them adjust to the new circumstances in their daughter's life.

References

Child and Adolescent Counseling Cases: Sex, Sexuality, and Substance Abuse (PDF)

Kar, S. K., Choudhury, A., & Singh, A. P. (2015). Understanding normal development of adolescent sexuality: A bumpy ride. Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, 8(2), 70-74. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4477452/

Colleague 1 Response:

Support groups are good, but they should be selectively chosen based on the client's needs.

Colleague 2 Response:

It was great to read your post, thank you for sharing your ideas! I think your idea of pushing for sexual safety is a good one. I think it is also important for the parents to understand that the desire for sex is a normal part of childhood development (Kar et al., 2015) so it is normal for their daughter to be experiencing these feelings. As a parent, I can see how her situation would be scary, so pushing for safe sex is the best bet!

Great job!

Kar, S. K., Choudhury, A., & Singh, A. P. (2015). Understanding normal development of adolescent sexuality: A bumpy ride.Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, 8(2), 70-74. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4477452/