COU108: Lena is a young mother aged 25 years old and She got married when she was 18 years old to her husband Don, also aged 25 years old: Counselling Processes and Practice Casestudy, SUSS, Singapore

Case Study

Lena is a young mother aged 25 years old. She got married when she was 18 years old to her husband Don, also aged 25 years old. She gave birth to her son Dennis when she was 19 years old. Her son is now 6 years old. Lena and Don also have a daughter Dez aged 5 years old. Lena and Don met each other in Secondary School and both have ‘N’ level certificates.

Lena is currently a stay-at-home mother. Don works as a deliveryman and earns about $1200 a month which is just enough money for each month’s expenses. They are financially stretched as Don is the sole breadwinner and they have two young children. Lena is stressed about money as she has to manage the household with the money that Don gives her monthly.

Don is a good husband and loving father but as both Lena and Don are very young, they do quarrel over the different ways to bring up their children. They have differing parenting styles. Don is more relaxed and permissive in his parenting style, while Lena is stricter and will sometimes discipline the children by caning them when they are naughty. Don thinks Lena is too strict while Lena thinks Don is spoiling the children. They have quarreled over the way their children should be brought up, and Lena gets very upset by their quarrels. She will cry and also shout at Don and the children during the quarrels. Lena does love her children, and she believes bringing them up strictly is the best way as this was the way she was brought up.

Lena sometimes feels very exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally as she is the main person looking after the children daily. She is also worried if Don’s salary is enough to provide for the family financially as the cost of living in Singapore is very high. Dennis is currently in Kindergarten 2 while Dez is in Kindergarten 1. Both receive subsidies for their education. Lena is considering if she should go back to work to supplement the family’s income and if she
should place the children in Student Care during her working hours. Lena has worked in the Food and Beverage Industry in the past as a waitress and in a coffee chain as a barista. She is also interested in cooking and baking. She had hopes and dreams of becoming a chef or baker in the past before she got married. She is open to taking up upgrading courses in the Food and Beverage industry.

Question 1

Demonstrate and evaluate any SIX (6) of the following counseling skills used in Stage 1 of the Skilled Helper Model with Lena in the case study.

• Probing
• Paraphrasing
• Reflecting feelings
• Encouraging
• Summarising
• Empathic challenging
• Reframing
• Immediacy focus
• Self-disclosure

Please follow the format of the verbatim transcript as stated below:

Question 2

Articulate the skills in identifying possibilities for Lena. Demonstrate by providing examples of how you might help Lena to create these possibilities for her preferred picture in Stage 2-A of the Skilled Helper Model.

Question 3

Delineate the sub-stage in Stage 2 which you would help Lena to increase her level of commitment to working towards her goals. Discuss the guidelines and demonstrate by providing examples of how you could help Lena to commit to her goals.

Question 4

Demonstrate by providing examples of ways you could help Lena to commit to her plan in Stage 2-C by developing her self-efficacy.

Question 5

Discuss FIVE (5) ways that you could help Lena to move from Planning to Action in Stage 3-C.