Based on your knowledge of human behavior, the material covered in class, readings and your research, address the questions below. Note that the case summary does not make the connections between the life of the individuals in the case and human growth and development. These connections must be made by you in your analysis. References cannot be older than 7 years unless the literature is considered a classic (e.g., Erikson, Freud, etc.) Remember to use specific references from the case summary to support your position in addition to the professional journal material. Wikis and Wikipedia are NOT acceptable for reference material. If you use the web for references, be sure the information is from a reputable source (stick with .edu or .gov and double-check .org sites). Remember that not all information on the Internet is valid or valuable. References must be documented in the body of your paper and in a reference list using appropriate APA Style.
Section 1
Select a developmental theorist (Erikson, Freud, Bronfenbrenner, etc.) and discuss your developmental impressions of the client. Who is (s)he as an individual? What does your theorist of choice (Erikson, Freud, Bronfenbrenner) say (s)he should be experiencing developmentally up to their current age? Is (s)he? Why or why not? What developmental tasks should have been accomplished through the current stage of development and were they mastered? Why or why not? Be sure to consider the effect of crisis and trauma on development and explore development through a resilience perspective. How do interactions with the family members impact development? How has (s)he developed biologically, cognitively, socially and emotionally up to the current developmental age? Support your position with examples from the case.
Section 2
Speculate on the client’s progression into and through their next stage of development. What developmental challenges might be faced in the next stage of development given their life experiences and why might those challenges be faced? How might you help explore possible careers in this stage of development? Make the connections with examples from the case summary.
Section 3
Discuss how the multicultural aspects of the case impact the parenting issues of the parents. Do not simply say that they impact or do not impact. You must explore the literature to learn about parenting in a multicultural context.
Section 4
Discuss evidence-based recommendations/strategies that you, as the counselor or school psychologist, would give to the classroom teacher to promote academic, personal-social, and community development in the classroom. Given the experiences in the classroom setting, you need to consider interventions that are specific to the situation (differentiated interventions). Remember that as a counselor or school psychologist you might have to work with teachers even though you are not a school counselor.
Discuss therapeutic interventions with both the child as an individual and with the family. Remember this is a family in crisis.
Section 5
What ethical concerns do you see do you see in this case? Remember to check the ACA or NASP Code of Ethics to respond to this question.
Case Summary
Client: Benita St. Julian, age 12, Haitian
Mother: Rose (deceased), Haitian
Father: Esmee, age 48, Haitian
Stepmother: Alma, age 45, African American
I. Presenting Problem
Benita is a twelve-year-old female living with her father, stepmother, 19-year-old stepbrother and her six-year-old half-brother. Benita’s counselor at Benjamin Rush Middle School referred the family. Benita was on suspension from school as a result of several behavior problems. The incident that actually precipitated the suspension was Benita’s setting a toilet seat on fire. Benita was evaluated in the school district following her suspension and has been referred for a counseling evaluation and recommendations. The school will not readmit Benita to a regular school until she and the family have been evaluated.
Benita has shown disruptive behavior in school ever since third grade and Mrs. St. Julian has considered her a problem at home since she came there to live at age seven. Her behavior pattern has reportedly consisted of lying, stealing, hitting, and overeating. Benita is an extremely obese child who is said to eat constantly. Her eating habits have been a source of dismay to her stepmother who has gone so far as to padlock the refrigerator. Benita has little bowel and bladder control during the day. She soils herself frequently when she is upset, which Mrs. St. Julian says occurs several times a day. Benita very frequently burns matches and on several occasions has come close to setting the house on fire. When she is angry with people, she threatens to burn them.
Mrs. St. Julian describes Benita as “autistic and schizophrenic” and believes that at times she completely loses any hold on reality. Some of her teachers have described her acting as if she is in a different world. In school, a class for the emotionally handicapped was recommended, but there was no room for Benita in any of the classes. Just prior to her suspension, Benita was put into a self-contained class because she could not be handled in the regular class setting.
II. Parents and Family
Mrs. St. Julian is an obese woman with an immense posterior. She is a very verbal person with a fairly sophisticated vocabulary. Mrs. St. Julian prides herself on being rather cultured. She attended art and music school in addition to going to business school. While growing up she was given all kinds of lessons. For a while, she went to theatrical school and became involved with Little Theater groups. Her mother and father gave her a great deal of support in this area, and, according to Mrs. St. Julian, her family is very disappointed now because all of these lessons and training appear to be wasted. Mrs. St. Julian worked as a bookkeeper for ten years. She grew up in an intact family, which she feels was quite close. Her father owns a garage in Philadelphia and she has one older brother who is an attorney in New York. Mrs. St. Julian’s mother died four years ago of cancer.
Benita’s biological mother, Rose, was a native of Haiti. Very little is known about her background other than she was uneducated and made a living selling produce in a local marketplace. She became ill following Benita’s birth and increasingly became more debilitated until her death when Benita was five years of age. The nature of her illness and cause of death is not known. Both Mr. and Mrs. St. Julian avoid all questions regarding Benita’s natural mother. When pressed for information, they will generally become angry and leave.
Mr. St. Julian reports he grew up in an intact family in Haiti and has several brothers and sisters. He reports good relations with his siblings although his contact is infrequent. He graduated from school in Haiti and spent a brief time in America pursuing a college degree. He works in blue print reproduction at a local architectural firm. Mr. St. Julian is reluctant to discuss his relationship with Rose. He will not confirm marriage with her but states Benita is his daughter and that he is willing to provide for her and to have her live in his home. He has no contact with any of Benita’s maternal relatives.
Both Mr. and Mrs. St. Julian describe themselves as loners. They have little social life. Prior to her marriage, Mrs. St. Julian was quite active with her church. She was also active in her sorority and occasionally went out with girlfriends. After the move to South Florida, she reports, it was difficult to become involved, as the people seemed so different to what she was used to. A couple of years ago, Mrs. St. Julian was involved with starting a civic group in her neighborhood. Now, most of her time is spent at home doing housework and sewing, which she says is a very enjoyable hobby of hers. The St. Julian’s are Catholic and consider themselves religious but are not presently active in church. Mrs. St. Julian reports feeling that something is missing in her life by not going. She was raised in a very religious home and tries to teach the children about the holidays and observes them herself.
Mrs. St. Julian has a long history of medical problems. She suffers from colitis and is on stelazine. She has had a total of seven miscarriages that are believed to be caused by her obesity. She says that growing up she had every childhood disease and had most of them more than once. She had many broken bones, has skin allergies, a non-functioning gall bladder, “obesity sugar,” hypertension, and a history of kidney problems. She has recently learned that she has a thyroid deficiency and is taking thyroid extract. By contrast, Mr. St. Julian’s health and physical being is very good. He looks far younger than his 48 years and is fairly active.
Marital Relationship
The St. Julian’s were married when Esmee was 41 and Alma 38. Mrs. St. Julian had been divorced from her first husband and living in New York with her then nine year old son when she met Esmee through a mutual friend. She reports that they hit it off right away . . . she liked his quietness and he seemed to truly appreciate her full figure. They dated only briefly before getting married. It was about six months after the marriage ceremony that things seemed to change. Mrs. St. Julian describes the marriage relationship as “stormy.” She and her husband came from two very different backgrounds and found that they had different values. She places a high value on cleanliness, education, and the African American culture. She feels that she must always be doing something constructive. She feels that her husband does not care about even being informed about what is going on in the world and even less about what is happening in the African American community. Both are very practical, perhaps almost miserly when it comes to money, and Mrs. St. Julian has remarked that this practicality is probably their greatest thing in common.
The St. Julian’s rarely go out socially, even when they were dating. Alma had a weekly ritual with her son, Joseph, where they would go to a movie and dinner on Saturdays. When she began seeing Esmee, Joseph only went to the movies with friends or his grandparents. Following the marriage, even those things ceased. Mr. St. Julian felt Joseph saw too much of his relatives and that the money spent on movie outings could be used for more important things such as saving to purchase a home. While Alma did not agree with his view, she convinced Joseph to give up his weekly outings.
The St. Julian’s moved to South Florida three years after the marriage. Mr. St. Julian purchased a home in Little Haiti and quickly secured his current position. Mrs. St. Julian looked for employment but found herself hampered by her miscarriages, obesity, and mono-linguistic ability. She secured a job as a bank teller; working until the birth of Alexander, now age six. After Alexander’s birth, she was reluctant to leave him with babysitters and since Esmee was never particularly fond of her working, she decided to become a “stay at home mom.”
Parents’ Continued Relationships with their Respective Families
Mrs. St. Julian has remained quite close to her father who continues to live in South Philadelphia. She is also close to her brother and sister-in-law who live on Long Island. Frequent contacts are made with uncles, aunts, and cousins in both New York and Philadelphia. None of the family has been to visit in South Florida and Mrs. St. Julian has only visited once.
Mr. St. Julian’s parents live in Haiti and he has several brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and cousins in Haiti, New York, and South Florida. He reports his relationship with his family is not a close one; he rarely initiates contact with them and vice versa.
Parents’ Socio-Economic Situation
Mr. St. Julian has a net income of $2,611.00 biweekly from his primary job and also is employed evenings and Saturdays at a store. The St. Julian’s are purchasing another home that is located in a fashionable area in Little Haiti. They moved in five years ago when the home was brand new and were renting until they were able to afford to purchase. It is a neighborhood with two-story row houses on one side of a circular street. The home is very nicely decorated and is a source of much pride for Mrs. St. Julian. Everything in the house looks very new and nicely kept up. Each of the children has a separate bedroom. Benita’s room is the smallest of all but is clean and brightly decorated. It used to be Mrs. St. Julian’s sewing room. The neighborhood consists of mostly young Haitian families and Mrs. St. Julian refers to herself as the “grandmother.”
Family’s Home Life
As previously mentioned, the St. Julian’s have no social life as a couple. Everything they do is centered around the home and the children. When they go out to dinner, the children are always taken along. Mr. and Mrs. St. Julian feel that there is just enough time for them at home with the family and that they do not need to seek a social life elsewhere. Mr. St. Julian works several evenings a week, so it is Mrs. St. Julian who is the one to entertain the children. Occasionally, when they find a movie that is appropriate for the children, they will go. Sundays they often go to ball games or swimming at the beach.
Joseph seemed to adjust to the move (when he was age 12) although he made or maintained few friends. He managed well in school but did not seem to excel as his mother thought he would. He completed high school but seems unable to find and maintain employment, a constant source of friction between himself and his stepfather. Additionally, it is suspected that he is using drugs. He denies usage but Mrs. St. Julian reports evidence of “high behavior.” Mr. St. Julian has attempted to evict Joseph on at least two occasions but Mrs. St. Julian refuses to have Joseph leave. Joseph spends much of his time in the home and is available to watch the children when neither parent is available. He rarely has friends visit and they are not welcomed by either parent.
Benita’s six-year-old half-brother, Alexander, was born with celiac. He has required much attention and was a difficult baby and still is a very fussy eater. Mrs. St. Julian feels that Alexander does not present her with any behavior problems. He is quite babyish and cannot stand to be away from her for long periods of time. This first year of school has been particularly stressful, resulting in Mrs. St. Julian going to the school every few hours to see him.
Parents’ Relationship to the Children
Mrs. St. Julian states she has a different relationship with each child. Alexander is “very fragile” and in need. She is very attentive to him and spends much of her time in the home in interaction with him. She reports he is very easy going and easily upset, therefore she speaks very softly to him and is more tolerant of his moods. Mrs. St. Julian reports that her relationship with Joseph is not as close as prior to her marriage but that she loves him and she is certain that love is shared by him. They speak infrequently and when they do it is mostly about his getting either a job or going to college (something she would dearly love). There are moments, she feels, when he is angry with her but cannot imagine what he would be angry about. Mrs. St. Julian reports that she has tried very hard to love Benita but that she is a difficult, angry child. She admits that she was opposed to Benita coming to live with them but finally relinquished and figured she could be helpful with the housework and watching Alexander. Instead, she is fearful of leaving Benita with anyone other than Joseph. She is certain she speaks more harshly to Benita but states that is the only way to get her to listen and to mind. There has been discussion of returning Benita to live with relatives in Haiti but to date nothing has been planned.
Mrs. St. Julian reports her husband has limited contact with the children due to his work schedule. His off hours are mostly spent playing dominoes with friends or visiting at a neighborhood bar. He does participate in family outings but conversations with the children generally focus on their performance at school or home chores. There is some subtle hostility between Mr. St. Julian and Joseph that has recently become more open. Mrs. St. Julian has described her husband as “not a bad father, just misguided.”
III. Benita
Developmental History
Mr. St. Julian is not very forthcoming with information regarding Benita’s early years. He reports that she was conceived by Rose, a girl at least seven years younger than himself, when he was home on a brief visit. He maintains he was not romantically involved with Rose and initially denied he was Benita’s biological father. He did not see Benita at birth but kept tabs on her progress through family members. He refused requests from Rose that he see, or be financially responsible for, Benita. He believes his mother, however, visited Rose and Benita periodically and contributed financially since Rose never really recovered from the birth.
Mr. St. Julian believes that the pregnancy and delivery was a normal one, although Rose did not receive prenatal care and delivered at home. Rose attempted to breast-feed Benita but her illness created an insufficiency in her milk; luckily, Rose had a sister who gave birth at about the same time and was able to periodically serve as a wet nurse to Benita. Many times, however, Benita was fed sugar water or another substance to placate her until her aunt was available. Rose was bedridden much of Benita’s early life and relied on the generosity of family members to provide care for both herself and the child. Many days, Benita lay alone in her makeshift bed whimpering and waiting. It is believed that Benita walked within a normal time frame but did not start to speak until almost age four. Benita spent most of her time in the home with her mother, rarely did she encounter anyone outside the household and outside those who came to be helpful to Rose. It is unknown at what age Benita was bowel and bladder trained.
Rose died quite suddenly when Benita was age five. It is reported that her mother’s death was not discovered for three days and Benita was alone with her during that time. Following Rose’s death, Benita was shuttled between her maternal relatives while attempts were made by Mrs. St. Julian, Esmee’s mother, to bring pressure upon her son to assume responsibility. After a year, Benita was sent to live with Mr. St. Julian’s sister in New York. It was anticipated that he would come to New York to get acquainted with the child and then move her into his home. At the death of his sister from cancer, Mr. St. Julian was ordered by New York Child Protective Services to take possession of his daughter. Initially, he wanted to return her to Haiti but no one in Haiti would assume responsibility for her. So, just before her seventh birthday, Benita moved to South Florida and a new family.
General Description of the Child
Initially, Benita was a child of average height and weight. Since moving in with Mr. and Mrs. St. Julian she has grown into a large child. She seems to eat nonstop and has averaged a significant yearly weight gain. When she began school, the other children ridiculed her because of her accent and the excessive weight. Socially she isolates herself and has been known to strike out at children attempting to engage her. At times she is very disobedient and frequently throws temper tantrums, while at other times is very angelic. She demonstrates extreme nervous behavior and she frequently has her hands gripped together and her whole body shakes. She is also a constant nail biter and has been known to make her fingers bleed.
Benita likes swimming and bike riding, however she reports that she rarely has the opportunity or means to do so. In school, she enjoys science and math but hates social studies. She is quick to blame other children for her difficulties. She complains that they make fun of her, try to beat her up and they often accuse her of doing things she could not remember doing.
Child’s Perception of the Problem
Benita says that she is blamed for food that other members of the family have eaten. Whenever she and her half-brother fight, she is the one who is punished. For a while she denied that she was the one who had burned the toilet seat. She did finally admit that she had put some paper on it and then lit the paper with a match. She also reported that during her first year with her new family she started a fire at home on the living room floor. She could not remember why she had done this but stated that Joseph had “bothered her” on that day. She could not relate what “bothered her” meant, and upon prompting she becomes mute. Benita also reports that she gets very upset every day and relates incidents of people always bothering her or breaking her things. Her stepmother is usually the one who is accused of breaking her things.
Medical History and Physical Health
It is unknown whether Benita had any of the childhood immunizations while in Haiti but received the required vaccination prior to starting school in New York. While in New York, a truck backed into her, resulting in many torn ligaments. An examination at the hospital at that time revealed old fractures in her collarbone and an arm. Her aunt had no explanation for the injuries and had to prove that Benita had only recently arrived in the country. Benita cannot recount any child incidents where she sustained injury. In fact, she is reluctant to talk about her early life at all.
Benita has not missed any school for health reasons. Mrs. St. Julian reports that there are times when Benita complains of pain in her stomach/pelvic region but she attributes this to her emotions. Benita never sleeps during the day; she goes to bed at 9 p.m. but stays awake considerably longer and gets up quite early, around 5 a.m. When asked about this, Benita states that to sleep means that she is unaware. Of what she cannot or will not say. Benita eats constantly, whenever she is allowed to, and her table manners are described as atrocious.
School Adjustment and History
Benita’s initial acclimation to the school system was fairly smooth with the exception of her difficulty in making friends. Teachers reported she was a pleasant child who demonstrated a capacity and motivation for learning. The fact that English was not her native tongue presented some challenges but she seemed to fair well. Three months into the school year they noted a change in Benita’s attitude and performance. She seemed to become more sullen and intolerable of the teasing of the other children. She also began to withdraw from her usual activities especially her contact with the teachers. Over the years the behavior has only gotten worse, in spite of counseling in the school. The schools have also tried to work with Benita’s parents in helping them to be aware of and understand Benita’s behavior in the classroom. Mrs. St. Julian was initially quite hostile toward the school system but did become more cooperative when the suspensions started. Family therapy was suggested and scheduled to begin following a three-month delay but the St. Julian’s failed to return for treatment. Mr. St. Julian has consistently been non-responsive to requests for meetings with school personnel.
Relationship to Parents and Siblings
Benita initially reported that she got along well with her parents but in later sessions shared that there were some problems. She sees her stepmother as easily angered and a threatening person. She is, reportedly, constantly on Benita’s back about her manners and gets on her nerves. Benita related one incident in which she said Mrs. St. Julian made her get on the floor to put her socks and shoes on. Then, according to Benita, she ran in and stepped on her. When she reported the incident to her father, he stated that she should not have been on the floor. Benita thinks she gets along better with her father but he is rarely around and also blames her for things she has not done. She feels both parents are very contradictory people. For example, she says that they tell her she may buy something when she has saved the money for it, and then get angry after she purchases it.
Benita frequently fights with Alexander, which causes her parents to become quite angry. Benita states that he can be quite rotten and she likes him only when he is behaving. Sometimes she will read books to Alexander but they have to be careful as Mrs. St. Julian seems to get angry when she and Alexander do things together too long. Benita says Alexander is spoiled and knows how to “play” mom, and he can get his way every time. She reports that she is often blamed and punished for things he has done. “Between me and him, they believe him every time.”
Benita states that she used to like Joseph a lot; he was her only friend when she first came to live with them. He would take her places and often invited her into his room to hide from Alexander and just to talk. Whenever she was feeling low because the children teased her about her weight, he would show her that she was really pretty (she could not say how he did this). Benita says she stopped liking Joseph because he “changed towards her” but would not elaborate what this meant. She now avoids Joseph as much as possible and he, reportedly ignores her.
Social Relations Outside the Family
Benita has no special girlfriends nor does she play with the children in the neighborhood. Mrs. St. Julian describes Benita as a loner and is very defensive when people criticize this because she feels that Benita is simply taking after her father; besides, she (Mrs. St. Julian) never really cared for any of her neighbors and feels the children in the neighborhood are undesirable playmates. Benita knows one or two girls in the neighborhood but their parents are reluctant to have them visit and they have never invited Benita to their homes. Benita also has no friends at school and she spends much of her time, at school and at home, alone. She entertains herself by reading books from the library. She has few toys as her parents feel she is too old for them.
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