Samantha is a 16-year-old female who has been referred to her school counselor for an alcohol/drug assessment. She was caught smoking marijuana on school grounds during morning classes the previous week. She has a C average and has never seen a school counselor before. Samantha is the oldest of five children, and her parents are influential in the local community. On entering the counseling session, she tells you that she has no interest in seeing a counselor, and you better be careful because her dad is a ‘big deal around here and he wouldn’t want anybody messing with me.’
1. How would you establish a trusting, respectful atmosphere with Samantha?
2. What about Samantha’s behavior might you find offensive, and how would you handle that?
3. What would you need to know about confidentiality limitations with regard to this client, the school, and her parents? How would you communicate those limitations to Samantha?
4. How would you approach Samantha’s implicit threats about her being carefully handled by you in terms of her father, the school administration, and liability issues?
