Shia's Case Scenario

According to Erford (2007), in Shia’s case the first step that a counselor should follow is to identify the problem. In Shia’s case, the problem appears to be that Shia presents with self-harming behavior. This appears to have been reported to a teacher by Shia. Based on the identified problem, and as Shia’s counselor I would make the approach to meet with Shia to follow up on the reported behavior. The conversation with Shia would initiate by providing inform consent and notifying Shia about confidentiality. It will be my responsibility to implement a risk assessment in order to have a clear image of the actual behavior. The risk assessment will consist of questions such as symptoms, precipitating events, sources of distress, onset, and duration. The assessment would also assess Shia’s current lethality to hurt her self or others, or if there are any past gestures. Based on reported self-harming behavior, it will be my responsibility to notify Shia’s grandmother (Huey, Remley Jr., 2010). However, if there were evidence that there is any lethality, a safety plan or contract would also be necessary.
On another note, as a mandated reported, I would be required to address the reported

The report would have to be made within 24 hours from the time that the information was received, or the next business day. Also, Huey and Remley state that parents should be notify of any injurious behavior, and if not clear about the need to break confidentiality the school’s district attorney should be consulted. Another important aspect of Shia’s case is in regards to documentation. While there would have to be documentation filed in Shia’s chart, if the counselors feels the need to have a personal note in order to prevent other staff to access confidential information regarding Shia’s case (Erford,