Imagine that you are a school counselor working with an 8-year-old boy named Josh who gets into frequent conflicts with his peers. In the classroom, these conflicts are verbal and he can often be redirected by the teacher. But on the playground, Josh sometimes becomes physically aggressive when angry. His teachers and the principal have punished him repeatedly for this behavior but it has not reduced Josh’s angry outbursts and fights with other students. In his first session with you, Josh expressed that he feels his classmates don’t like him and often exclude him from games and activities. He says that he does not know what he can do to get along better with his peers but that he would like to have more friends to work and play with in school. You have contacted Josh’s parents and they said they are willing to come in to have a few sessions with you and Josh together.
Main Response:
Now, develop a main response in which you: briefly describe how you might address Josh’s problem using a cognitive-behavioral approach and then using a solutions-focused approach.
Discuss the pros and cons of each, referring to the required reading.
Which do you think would be more effective with Josh and why?
