Surname1
Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Counselling and the Concept of Resilience
Mary is a spouse to a military reservist. Her husband has been called to duty several
times and i soon set to be deployed to Syria. Though she has always had confidence in God (she
professes the Christian faith), she finds that very time prior to her husband's deployment she
struggles with an inner doubt. She often wonders if he will be back home or will she one day,
answer the dreaded house call from her husband's commander. She is grateful for the life she
lives and the fact that her husband is committed to serving his country. The worry comes in when
he is gone. She fears that by herself, she will not manage to raise their three school-going
children (grade 3, 5, and 8). She often slips into mild depression and this affects her children.
She knows it would be unfair to ask her spouse to quit his job because of the passion he has for
his work. When he is at home, she is able to be more at peace and there are no episodes of
depression. In fact, her husband has never witnessed any of the mood swings she experiences
when he is away.
Exploration
Resiliency is the ability of one to overcome any challenge be it a personal crisis, tragedy,
or trauma (Henderson, 2012). It is the capability to bounce back more powerful, wiser, and
stronger. Resiliency is a natural way of survival that helps one to deal with life's inevitable
, Surname 2
difficulties and move on. When one attains a level of resilience, they not only do it for a better
life for themselves but also for their loved ones too (Meichenbaum, 2012).
The primary concerns of Mary can be classified as two. The first is her fear of being
alone, a widow. The second is the fear that she will not manage to raise her three children by
herself. Though her fear of being a widow is valid seeing that her husband is a military reservist,
it is an inevitable occurrence that all beings have to go through. Death is inevitable to all and
living in continuous fear of its occurrence is denying oneself the right to enjoy the present. The
second fear calls for Mary's ability to cultivate a spirit of resilience before, and in case, she finds
that she has to raise her children alone. In doing so, she will also need to train her children in the
same so that they too are able to cope with the possible absence of their father.
The potential circumstances that the counsellor will address are the fear of the inevitable
as well as capacity-building that will enable Mary and her children overcome a tragedy that may
or may not occur in the near future. In addressing the issue of becoming a widow, the counsellor
will incorporate Biblical truths concerning life after death and the hope offered to those that are
left by loved ones. In the second issue, the counsellor will introduce to Mary the option of
building her own capacity so that she is able to take care of her children in the event of her
husband's demise.
The main concerns that the counsellor may encounter is Mary's socio-economic status.
(Noguera, Alvarez, & Urbano, 2013, p 183) She is a house wife and making any suggestions on
how to better position herself to take care of her children will require that she has a source of
capital(she desires to start a business) and that is a decision that may need the approval of her
husband. The second hindrance would be her gender role in the family. Gender is the
expectations that people have on a person because they are male or female (Calvo-Salguero,
Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Counselling and the Concept of Resilience
Mary is a spouse to a military reservist. Her husband has been called to duty several
times and i soon set to be deployed to Syria. Though she has always had confidence in God (she
professes the Christian faith), she finds that very time prior to her husband's deployment she
struggles with an inner doubt. She often wonders if he will be back home or will she one day,
answer the dreaded house call from her husband's commander. She is grateful for the life she
lives and the fact that her husband is committed to serving his country. The worry comes in when
he is gone. She fears that by herself, she will not manage to raise their three school-going
children (grade 3, 5, and 8). She often slips into mild depression and this affects her children.
She knows it would be unfair to ask her spouse to quit his job because of the passion he has for
his work. When he is at home, she is able to be more at peace and there are no episodes of
depression. In fact, her husband has never witnessed any of the mood swings she experiences
when he is away.
Exploration
Resiliency is the ability of one to overcome any challenge be it a personal crisis, tragedy,
or trauma (Henderson, 2012). It is the capability to bounce back more powerful, wiser, and
stronger. Resiliency is a natural way of survival that helps one to deal with life's inevitable
, Surname 2
difficulties and move on. When one attains a level of resilience, they not only do it for a better
life for themselves but also for their loved ones too (Meichenbaum, 2012).
The primary concerns of Mary can be classified as two. The first is her fear of being
alone, a widow. The second is the fear that she will not manage to raise her three children by
herself. Though her fear of being a widow is valid seeing that her husband is a military reservist,
it is an inevitable occurrence that all beings have to go through. Death is inevitable to all and
living in continuous fear of its occurrence is denying oneself the right to enjoy the present. The
second fear calls for Mary's ability to cultivate a spirit of resilience before, and in case, she finds
that she has to raise her children alone. In doing so, she will also need to train her children in the
same so that they too are able to cope with the possible absence of their father.
The potential circumstances that the counsellor will address are the fear of the inevitable
as well as capacity-building that will enable Mary and her children overcome a tragedy that may
or may not occur in the near future. In addressing the issue of becoming a widow, the counsellor
will incorporate Biblical truths concerning life after death and the hope offered to those that are
left by loved ones. In the second issue, the counsellor will introduce to Mary the option of
building her own capacity so that she is able to take care of her children in the event of her
husband's demise.
The main concerns that the counsellor may encounter is Mary's socio-economic status.
(Noguera, Alvarez, & Urbano, 2013, p 183) She is a house wife and making any suggestions on
how to better position herself to take care of her children will require that she has a source of
capital(she desires to start a business) and that is a decision that may need the approval of her
husband. The second hindrance would be her gender role in the family. Gender is the
expectations that people have on a person because they are male or female (Calvo-Salguero,
