Case of James

James has disclosed to his teacher that he “wished he was dead.” James is 8 years old and is currently transitioning through his parents’ divorce. James’s mother is concerned that James is overwhelmed with the recent divorce. James also disclosed that his father gets angry with James when he does poorly in sports or at school. James reported that his father spanked him after a game and said “mean things” to him. James’s mother is concerned that James’s father is physically abusing him due to a history of domestic violence issues.

Research confirms that children of divorce are at an increased risk for the development of psychological, behavioral, social, and academic problems. The results indicated that children of divorced families scored significantly lower in areas of well-being, academics, emotional/psychological adjustment, and behavior (Amato, 2001). All of these factors can overlap into adulthood. However, if a child is given the opportunity to develop coping skills and appropriate decision-making that is provided in counseling, the child will have a greater probability of overcoming these obstacles. “Preadolescent children in divorced families show increased levels of aggression, noncompliance, disobedience, inappropriate classroom conduct, and decreased self-regulation” (Hetherington & Elmore, 2003). Children of divorced families also have a greater risk of depression, anxiety and lower self-esteem.

James would not only benefit from individual counseling, but from family counseling as well. James should initially begin individual counseling to discuss his emotions related to his parents’ divorce and explore his point-of-view of the situation and how to process the adjustment that has occurred in his life. Since James’s parents’ divorce is quite recent, he is struggling with the adjustment of living with both parents separately. This can be a struggle for any child to make all of the necessary adjustments after the separation of parents.

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