Description
Once a child or adolescent is engaged in aggressive and violent behaviors, it is sometimes challenging to change the behaviors, especially if the behaviors serve the intended purpose or “works” for the child or adolescent. If left untreated, the continuum of aggressive and violent behaviors can often spiral out of control, increase over time, and result in catastrophic, or sadly, fatal outcomes. There are, however, evidence-based strategies for helping children and adolescents control themselves and refrain from aggressive and violent behaviors. As a school counselor, it is important to understand the strategies available and to be able to determine which strategy would be most effective given the environment, context, and the specific needs of the child and adolescent.
In designing programs to prevent child and adolescent aggression and violence in school settings, it is important to address the individual, family, and environmental factors, including the social systems that shape these factors. Most common interventions for aggression and violence at the individual level seek to increase the level of protective factors associated with individual skills, attitudes, and beliefs. In contrast, relational approaches address aggression and violence prevention by attempting to influence the relationships that a child or adolescent has with others with whom he or she interacts regularly, such as family and peers.
For this Assignment, review the interactive media titled Aiden Carter Reverse Timeline listed in this week’s resources. Select one childhood period in Aiden’s timeline and consider intervention and prevention strategies for that time period which might have changed the course of events. Think about different stakeholders including family system intervention in preventing aggression and violence in children and adolescents.
The Assignment (3–4 pages):
*Describe one internal and one external factor that if developed earlier in Aiden’s life might have changed the course of events and explain how.
*Describe one family system intervention through parent consultation that might have potentially changed the course of events and explain how.
*Identify the key stakeholders in the family, school, and community you might collaborate with to address Aiden’s issues. Then explain the role each stakeholder might play in preventing aggression and violence in children and adolescents.