Читать книгу Counseling the Contemporary Woman - Suzanne Degges-White - Страница 55

Sofia has recently celebrated her sixteenth birthday. She has one younger brother, but she considers herself homeless. Her mother and younger brother have been moving from shelter to shelter since shortly after Sofia’s father was deported back to Mexico due to charges of domestic violence and child abuse. Sofia and her mother have a rather distant relationship that has been getting worse in recent months. Sofia attends school but struggles academically. She enjoys the arts, especially painting. Sofia does not have a lot of friends but, on occasion, speaks with one girl from her art class. She hangs out with other teens on her block but is not close to any of them due to frequent relocations. Last weekend, she got home very late and was drunk. This sparked a heated argument between Sofia and her mother. Her mother is forcing Sofia to get a job so they can afford to find their own place to live. Her mother’s employment is very inconsistent as she is undocumented and has difficulty locating a long-term, stable job. Sofia’s school counselor referred her to an independent living program for teenage girls, where Sofia met her clinical mental health counselor, Anna, who specializes in counseling teenage girls.

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Adolescence is a period of significant development across multiple domains due, in part, to pubertal changes that occur as girls move from childhood into emerging adulthood. Significant development occurs in the areas of physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and sexual development as many milestones are reached. Growth spurts, menarche, the development of secondary sexual characteristics, and other tangible signs of development are accompanied by inner changes that mark the passage from childhood into adulthood. These are visible in the areas of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive functioning.