For This Week's Discussion: Consider The Scenario Bel

For This Weeks Discussion You Will Consider The Scenario Below And Re

For this week’s discussion you will consider the scenario below and respond in detail to each of the questions below.

Here is the scenario you will use: Roberta has come to counseling because she is contemplating a divorce from her husband of 12 years. She has been unhappy in her marriage for several years and doesn’t think that she and her husband can rekindle the interest necessary in their relationship to make it work. To complicate the situation, she has been seeing a married co-worker for several months on the sly and is sexually involved. Roberta thinks she loves the man she is having an affair with and would like to marry him.

Though he wants to continue seeing her he has made it clear that he is unwilling to end his marriage or break up his family to be with her. Roberta and her husband have three young children and she knows a divorce would be crushing to the children. She’s come to you for counseling to sort through these issues.

Paper For Above instruction

In addressing Roberta’s complex situation, I would choose to utilize the Person-Centered therapy approach, developed by Carl Rogers, as the primary counseling methodology. This approach emphasizes unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding, and the client’s innate capacity for self-direction and personal growth. Given Roberta’s emotional entanglement and her uncertainty about her future, a person-centered framework provides a non-judgmental and supportive environment where she can explore her feelings freely, without pressure or directive advice. This therapeutic style aligns with respecting her autonomy and helping her connect with her inner values and desires, which are often obscured by emotional distress (Rogers, 1951).

Utilizing Person-Centered therapy, I would begin by establishing an empathetic and accepting atmosphere, encouraging Roberta to express her feelings about her marriage, her affair, and her overall life situation. The core concept here is to facilitate her self-discovery and personal insight. I would reflect her feelings back to her, helping her clarify her own thoughts—such as her unhappiness in her marriage, her love for her affair partner, and her concerns for her children. This process supports her in gaining awareness of her authentic needs and values, which she might have overlooked amid emotional turmoil (Mearns & Thorne, 2013).

In practice, I would avoid giving direct advice or imposing solutions. Instead, I would use active listening, congruence, and unconditional acceptance, allowing her to explore options that resonate with her authentic self. For example, I might ask open-ended questions like, “What do you envision as the ideal outcome for your life and your family?” or “What values are most important to you right now?” This approach respects her capacity for self-healing and decision-making, fostering self-efficacy and emotional clarity (Kirschenbaum & Henderson, 1989).

If Roberta seeks my perspective or advice, in line with person-centered principles, I would modestly share that I see her as a caring person with complex feelings, and that ultimately, her decisions should stem from her own deepest sense of what is right. I would avoid giving prescriptive advice, as this could undermine her autonomy and lead to dependency or guilt. Overly directive responses may also inhibit her self-exploration and reinforce her emotional confusion (Bozarth & Gottlieb, 2002). Conversely, if I refuse to share my perspective altogether, she might feel dismissed or misunderstood, which could hinder the therapeutic alliance. Therefore, I would aim for a balance—offering validation and gentle guidance without overriding her personal process.

Regarding her request for a casual meeting over coffee, the appropriateness depends on professional boundaries and ethical considerations. A brief, informal post-session encounter could risk blurring boundaries and may be perceived as over-familiar or unprofessional, especially if it extends beyond initial boundaries of the therapeutic relationship (American Counseling Association, 2014). However, if the meeting is purely social and without reconvening therapy, and if a professional boundary review confirms such contact is acceptable in this context, it might serve as an opportunity for supportive human connection. Nonetheless, it is crucial to assess her motives, ensure that the meeting reinforces her trust in the therapy process, and avoid creating dependencies or misunderstandings. Any continued contact outside scheduled sessions should be transparent, documented, and consistent with ethical guidelines to prevent boundary violations or the development of dual relationships (Zur, 2017).

References

• Bozarth, J. D., & Gottlieb, D. (2002). Client-centered therapy: Its current practices and controversies. In J. C. Norcross (Ed.), Psychotherapy relationships that work: Therapist contributions and responsiveness to patients (pp. 191-214). Oxford University Press.
• American Counseling Association. (2014). ACA code of ethics. Alexandria, VA: Author.
• Kirschenbaum, H., & Henderson, V. L. (1989). The Carl Rogers reader. Houghton Mifflin.
• Mearns, D., & Thorne, B. (2013). Person-centred counselling in action (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
• Rogers, C. R. (1951). Client-centered therapy: Its current practice, implications, and theory. Houghton Mifflin.
• Zur, O. (2017). Boundaries in psychotherapy: Ethical and clinical considerations. Routledge.