Family Counseling, Session 1

The first family therapy session was between J and I, and D’s therapist (ST), and her therapist’s manager (B)

Our goals for the meeting were as follows

• Determine a plan for D if she melts down, either on the way, or while visiting with her family for Thanksgiving.
• Decide whether or not online access was detrimental in D’s live right now (specifically myspace).
• Come up with a set of rules for the next few visits.

The plan for Thanksgiving

We all agreed, including J, that D would have to be taken back to Edgewood immediately and would lose her family visit.

The plan for Internet Access

This one was difficult. J does not want to shield her from her friends. But what friends? The 30 year old men and women that D is choosing to associate with? Or the 16 year old girl whom she used to hang out with that now does crystal meth? These aren’t good people. J finally agreed that as a consequence for her behavior last weekend (which was caused by D’s online access), Internet access would be restricted for the next weekend.

J was also to establish a her authority and make those rules very clear to D before picking her up this weekend.

This point was stressed so much that ST wanted to be in on the phone call when that was discussed to make sure that D understood it properly. That was it in a nutshell. Those were our immediate plans. If she proceeds to have a melt down during family visits, she should immediately be taken back.

Let’s see what happens….

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