Case study: Joan
Joan is a 17-year-old refugee who arrived in Australia as an unaccompanied minor four (4) years ago. She has been granted permanent residency status. She has difficulty with written English and has reasonable spoken language skills. She originally came from a war zone where she may have been the victim of sexual assault, torture, or other violence. She has not discussed this with anyone. She is currently temporarily residing in a woman's shelter having been the victim of domestic violence. She has also been charged with assault with a weapon because of the last episode of domestic violence. Her statement to police is that the other party tried to have sex with her without her consent. She has no income and no family. She is being referred through the justice system via her public defence lawyer. The lawyer will require a report for the court in the hopes of mitigating any sentencing of his client.
Discussion:
1. You will include reference to consideration of your skills and the ethics and legalities relating to taking on the client including possible referral options
2. Discuss your application of person-centered practice with this client
3. Explicitly detail the five stages of the counselling process and the application of techniques used with this client in each stage
4. Reflect on the process noting any value conflicts or other ethical concerns