Maria,a counselor working from a person-centered approach,is in the initial phase of counseling with a 26-year-old client named David.David reports that he was recently asked to take a leave of absence from law school for "anger related issues." As David describes recent incidents in the classroom and in his graduate housing complex,he describes moments of rage but indicates that it was "not that big of a deal" and "that no one was hurt." Maria notices that David is becoming visibly upset as he talks,but he continues to report he is "fine." What would be an appropriate initial goal for David in counseling?

A) Increase experience of overwhelming emotions to reduce angry outbursts.
B) Increase ability to recognize and constructively express emotions to reduce angry outbursts.
C) Reduce angry outbursts.
D) Increase ability to view self as responsible for problem situations and active agent in making changes to reduce angry outbursts.

Question

Zybrea Knight · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : B, Explanation :  David's description of his anger and his visible upset during the session suggest that he may struggle with recognizing and expressing his emotions in a constructive way. Therefore, an appropriate initial goal for David would be to increase his ability to recognize and constructively express his emotions, which would ultimately help to reduce his angry outbursts. Options A and C may not be appropriate initial goals as they do not address the underlying issue of David's struggle with recognizing and expressing emotions. Option D may be appropriate at some point in counseling, but is not necessarily the most immediate or pressing goal based on the information provided.

Definitions

Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

Related questions