Developing a counseling plan

Mark Halberd, known to many as Marry Mark, was born the youngest of nine children In a working class Irish Catholic family (” Mark Halberd biography,” 2013). For Mark Halberd, trouble started when his parents divorced. He was eleven years old at the time and was deeply affected. The divorce took a detrimental toll on Mark’s mother, Alma, and she ” has since blamed her own emotional neglect for her youngest son’s descent into juvenile delinquency’ (” Mark Halberd biography’, 2013). It was during this time that Mark’s older brothers introduced him to drugs by getting him sigh for the first time.

By the age of 14, Mark Halberd was spiraling deeper into a life of crime. He had dropped out of school and had several arrests for theft and various drug charges. He had developed a cocaine addiction and was making a living on the streets by dealing drugs (” Mark Halberd biography, 2013). Mark’s case became serious at age 16 when he was arrested and convicted for his part in the beating of a Vietnamese man that left the man blind in one eye (” Mark Halberd biography, 2013). He was charged with attempted murder, but took a plea bargain for a lesser charge of assault.

He was sentenced to two years In prison but only served 45 days. Treatment plan Mark Halberd’s delinquent behavior is directly related to disruption in the family unit. A successful counseling plan for Mark would address both the family issues that precipitated the behaviors as well as individual concerns that developed as a result. To achieve the desired results the counseling plan for Mark would be based on family systems theory. Mark Halberd does not suffer from any major mental health issues. Until family turmoil caused excessive amounts of anxiety and lead to deviant behavior he was aroma adolescent. In an Interview with Jon Wiled, of Associated Newspapers Ltd, Mark stated ” Everything I did wrong was my own fault. I was taught the difference between right and wrong at an early age. I take full responsibility’ (Wiled, 2009). Mark’s Individual difficulties Include Impulse control problems, drug addiction, and anger Issues Including violent tendencies. Presumably, much of his Impulse control problem and some of the anger/violence could be related to excessive drug use.

A at the time. According to psychotherapist John Chairman, impulse problems stem room deficiencies of the frontal lobe which is the region of the brain known as the executive control center. ” The frontal lobes are responsible for planning, organizing, inhibiting inappropriate behaviors, and controlling affect and emotion” (Morgan, 2004). Development of the frontal lobe continues throughout the teens and into the early twenties, according to Elizabeth Swell, an assistant professor of neurology at UCLA (Morgan, 2004).

Family systems theory would address the other issues relevant to Mark Halberds case. The first issue in the family that needs to be addressed is he emotional climate. Marks mother had a difficult time dealing with the divorce and became emotionally unavailable to her children. This poor emotional climate leads the children to have differentiation problems (Cook, 2001). When family emotions become fused it creates high levels of anxiety for all family members (Cook, 2001). Juvenile delinquency can function in many families with poor differentiation much in the same manner as addiction. The person with the least amount of power in the family (a child) develops symptoms that require the rest of the family to rally ND focus on problems other than their interpersonal anxieties” (Cook, 2001). This person functions as a scapegoat for the family and in turn is often blamed for the unhappiness in the family. As tension and anxiety within the family increases, the behaviors displayed by the scapegoat will also increase (Cook, 2001). The second issue to address for Mark would be his birth order. He was the youngest in a family of nine children.

This made him very impressionable to the behaviors of older siblings who would have taken on the care taker role. Mark stated in an interview, there was always a voice in my head telling me I was going to end up in Jail. Three of my brothers had done time. My sister went to prison so many times I lost count” (Wiled, 2009). It was these influences that lead him to try drugs for the first time at the age of 10. Interventions that may be successful in Marks case would include those found in the Functional Family Therapy model or FT. FT may include diversion, probation, alternatives to incarceration, and/or reentry programs for youth returning to the community following release from a high-security, severely extractive institutional setting” (Sexton & Alexander, 2000). The reentry programs, in particular, could be very beneficial to Mark after returning from an adult prison. Functional Family Therapy focuses on building inner strength for individuals which provides them with a greater sense of being able to improve their situation (Sexton & Alexander, 2000).

FT also focuses on how both positive and negative behaviors can be influenced within the family system. This may help Marks siblings improve their behavior to set a better example for him. The end result of FT is to provide the family with a platform for change and future functioning that extends beyond the direct support of the therapist” (Sexton & Alexander, 2000). Functional Family Therapy interventions exist in three phases; engagement and motivation, behavior change, and generalization (Sexton & Alexander, 2000).

The engagement and motivation stage focuses on building credibility with the client and encouraging their belief in positive change. ” In particular, therapists apply retribution (e. G. , reframing, developing positive themes) and related techniques to dress maladaptive perceptions, beliefs, and emotions” (Sexton & Alexander, negativity, and build respect for individual differences. The behavior change phase involves coping strategies, working through emotional difficulties, communication skills, and conflict management (Sexton & Alexander, 2000).

The generalization phase helps the client to apply the skills learned during behavior change to all systems including school, work, and community. This helps to maintain change, prevent relapses, and helps take advantage of community resources (Sexton & Alexander, 2000). Another intervention that may be successful in a case such as Marks, and did prove to be successful for him, is finding a creative outlet. Some examples include art, creative writing, yoga, or athletics. For Mark music, and later acting, provided an outlet for him.

With the help of his older brother, Donned, Mark launched a semi-successful music career which lead to his more successful acting career (” Mark Halberd biography, 2013). Iodine’s positive influence at the time also helped Mark to learn positive behaviors. Research Support According to research, Functional Family Therapy produces results significantly more successful and fiscally more responsible than many other treatment options for juvenile offenders. One study concluded that the one year recidivism rate for those who completed a FT program was approximately 19. Percent compared to a 36 percent recidivism rate for those completing a standard probationary treatment program (Sexton ; Alexander, 2000). The treatment is also much more cost effective for families. A Washington State study showed a savings of up to $14, 000 per family when compared to residential treatment programs (Sexton ; Alexander, 2000). In real life Mark Halberd was able to achieve rehabilitation through the help of a priest who was committed to helping create a change within Mark.

He was also fortunate to have the aid of his older brother, Donned, in launching his career which gave him a positive outlet. Many youth do not have these opportunities or support. Often the Juvenile system places severe cases of delinquency in the hands of the adult system or places the offender in a Juvenile residential treatment facility. The three year recidivism rate for Juvenile offenders released from standard detention orgasm is approximately 90 percent according to some studies (Sexton ; Alexander).

Understanding the difficulties within the family and how they affect the individual is critical in the treatment of Juvenile offenders. Using the interventions found in Functional Family Therapy can equip the entire family to function more completely as a unit and enable them to better use community support. ” Unique to FT is its systematic yet individualized family-focused approach to Juvenile crime, violence, drug abuse, and other related problems” (Sexton ; Alexander). Family trudges play a large role in Juvenile delinquency.