Introduction and Recognition of the Privilege of Counseling Children and Adolescents

Abstract

When many aspects of a child/adolescent’s life may seem deficit and competition focused, it stands out for counselors to be focused on strengths. Counseling and treatment need not focus primarily on what is broken but instead need to cultivate and encourage what is positive and good within. This chapter discusses the importance of the counseling relationship. Increasing research has focused on “at-risk” youth. However, it is also important to understand that at any given point in a child/adolescent’s life, “even the most advantaged youth may be at risk for participating in or developing problematic behaviors”. Strengths-base counseling theory is founded on multicultural counseling research and concepts and in prevention research literature. Rapport and the therapeutic alliance are of utmost importance. Researchers have noted that independent of the many approaches to counseling, treatment, and therapeutic measures, the client-counselor relationship is a predictor of positive clinical outcomes.