On the previous page there was a list of six questions that an effective theory of human development might explore. You can also find the list on pages six to nine of this chapter:
Refer to the list when answering the questions below.
Which of the six questions do you consider most important to the practice of counselling? Choose one. Why is do you think it is most important?
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How relevant are early experiences for later development? Early experiences are very important because they shape how we think, feel, and relate to others later in life. A loving and safe environment builds confidence and trust, while trauma or neglect can cause emotional struggles. In counselling, understanding a person’s early experiences helps identify the roots of their issues and supports healing and positive change.
How relevant are early experiences for later development?
question 5. because I think this is applicable at any time in your life. from your adolescence all the way to old age. and you can teach resilience to future generations when life throws curveballs at you, you can adjust. because life will ALWAYS have its downs. learning how to go through it rather than taking the easy way is a much more efficient strategy long term.
Oh! All Six would be useful when exploring someone's journey, but if I had to choose, I think:
I think this is great for diving into how individuals process their emotions or issues and from there they can see the tools that they already hold and can or do use.
I consider the 6th question as the most important to the practice of counselling as it helps to establish some fundamentals to how the theories can be implemented in a practice, or to develop a care plan. Through these accumulated experiences gained from multidimensional inquiries can strengthen the understanding of counselling practice and to provide a counsellor with necessary practical knowledge to determine its practice style or practice direction for further development and growth needs. I would use a humanistic approach simultaneously as the framework to ensure a client's wellbeing as the priority.
I think the most important important question to consider to the practice of counselling is "How do environmental and social contexts affect individual ddevelopment?"
As counsellors, I believe we should be curious about the person as a whole. This would include trying to understand their home life, schooling, hobbies, family, friends, culture, values, goals etc.
The more we know about our clients, the better we can support them.
i think they are all important, but I wrote down impact of environment/social factors on individual development. If we are surrounded in love, with a safe environment around us, I believe one will grow up to be fairly content. If we are neglected of these at a young age, developing well will be much harder.
I chose number 2.
What are the impacts of environment and/or social factors on individual development?
I believe this can come down to the "nature vs nurture" debate, however I believe that the environment in which one grows up in, learns in, explores, has connections to, with attachments made, or neglect happens, plays a huge role in the development of that individual. If they come from a positive home / environment they are more likely to have positive development as they grow and age.
I consider number 6 is most important to the practice of counselling. While the other questions address what shapes our behaviours number 6 addresses bringing about positive change, active support and intervention techniques for improved well-being.
I think there is no one most important question to counselling practice and varies with the type of counselling. Personally, I would focus on - "how influential are early experiences on later development?"
I am interested in trauma informed therapy and from a personal and practical perspective I find early experiences are pivotal in the understanding of later development and how to overcome trauma informed behaviours. Even more so when studying this paper it is clear there is a correlation between early development and how it manifests later in life, either positively or detrimentally
How influential are early experiences on later development?
I consider this most important to the practice of counselling because early experiences shape our attachment styles, and how regulated our nervous system with accordance to the ways in which we show up in the world. These early experiences also shape our identity.
I think all six questions are important, but q3 early experiences standout because they shape beliefs, behaviors and emotional patterns into adulthood. Understanding this can help us explore the clients history and provide support and growth for healing.
How influential are early experiences on later development.
i chose this one because how we think and behave and make decisions are based on our early years. what environment we grew up in, our attachment styles, brain development and cultural backgrounds all play a key role in how we act as adults.
I consider the question about risk factors at different stages of development to be the most important for the practice of counselling. The reason is that while developmental stages and common patterns provide general guidelines, they can sometimes lead to predetermined judgments about a client. In counselling, it is essential to recognize that each individual has a unique situation and experiences, which must be approached with respect and understanding. Focusing on risk factors allows counsellors to be aware of potential challenges without making assumptions, and to tailor support to the specific needs of the person they are working with.
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I choose question 3 - How influential are early experiences on later development? and question 4 - What are the impacts of environment and/or social factors on individual development? I think to understand the challenges, issues and experiences a client is facing, as a counsellor, you will often need to draw on/explore the impacts of their environment (now or in the past) and how is this contributing to the client and their situation, what social factors are they facing or have they faced that puts them in their current situation or how they are feeling, and what early experiences are impacting how they are now.
Īt's difficult to choose only on as all 6, points can have an impact that indeed changed ones trajectory. If I had to choose only one, I would probably look at point 3 as this relates this to attachment theory previously studied.
What are the practical applications of a given theory of human development? Here, one might consider prevention, intervention, or education.
Whilst all questions are very relevant to explore in a developmental theory, I will choose Q6 as the most important in counselling practice as this is the applied part of the theory for me. All contributing aspects to development have shaped the client we are working with and the situation they are encountering in the now. We may identify areas of "suboptimal" factors and influences but as a counseller we focus on the "mechanisms for change", how can the client heal, remedy, grow from here....
When a client presents with a current issue in their life, all aspects of
Question 4
What are the impacts of environment and /or social factors on individual development?
These have to be considered as a counsellor. It reminds me of the Nature versus Nurture. Nature is what you are born with, your character and the nurture is your family, your friends, your school, and your culture. Do they help you or do they hinder your growth. For optimal development (newman and newman 2015) you need a mix of both, and the models of Te Whare Tapa Whā and Fonofale fit well into this question
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For me personally it's how influential are early experiences on later development, because I believe that the experiences we form in our childhood shape our neural pathways. Which helps to form our belief systems, our self-worth, and how we form attachments to each other, etc.
Where and how someone is brought up can shape everything for an individual from their social skills, coping mechanisms and overall worldview. Living in a safe, nurtured environment will have a lasting impact on an individuals development compared to an individual growing up in an unstable environment. This could bring long lasting anxiety, stress, behaviour issues and poor academic performance.
How influential are early experiences on later development?
Early childhood development is crucial because it builds the foundation for a child’s entire life. The brain grows rapidly in the first five years, and experiences during this time shape how tamariki learn, behave, and handle emotions. Positive interactions, safety, good nutrition, and love help tamariki develop skills needed for school, relationships, and future success. Without support, tamariki may face learning, behaviour, and health struggles, including anxiety and depression. But healthy early care significantly improve their growth and well-being. "The past is like the river, always flowing, but sometimes we must look back to move forward" (Lin, 2012).
What are the impacts of environment and/or social factors on individual development.
I think the most relevant or important to the practice of counselling is "What are the impacts of environment and social factors on individual development?" because that is the key question we are trying to help the client answer for themselves and it applies to present and past experiences.
At this stage of my learning, I find the last question to be the most important one.
6. What are the practical applications of a given theory of human development?
While knowing many different theories is helpful, I am curious to learn how to apply knowledge. How do we create healing action from what we have learnt?
What are the impacts of environment and/or social factors on individual development?
I think a number of them are very important - this one especially: what are the impacts of environment and/or social factors on individual development? Because the environment a person is in (at home, school or elsewhere) or has previously been in, can influence their development and, therefore their behaviour and thoughts, emotions and feelings.
I am always curious about question 3, how early childhood experiences have affected later development. Early childhood is the building block for all other stages, and if there are disruptions to a stage here, through harsh parenting, negative events or trauma, it can impact a person into adulthood. Identifying the root cause of an issue and the stage a person may be regressing to might help in counselling to build the resources to develop through the next stages.
I choose question three, how relevant are early experiences for later development? I find this question really important as it highlights the need to acknowledge the clients childhood history, even if they are now in adulthood. As some theories suggest even well into adulthood, significant events that occur in infancy and childhood can shape behaviour. I think that traumatic events in childhood can have negative impacts in adulthood, even if they appear underlying and have not been brought to the surface. Discussion around this history can provide reasoning to the actions or events occuring in adulthood.
Well all points are important but the one shining out for me is nr 6 - practical implementations of teh theory for prevention, intervention or education. Its great to understdn the theory of human development but as a counsellor, we are 'hands on professional' that include the theory into the practise. We support clients throuch challenges, help to recover from trauma, greif etc and as well support through transitions in development.
What are the impacts of environment and/or social factors on individual development?
In my understanding, I believe question 4 is important because environment and social factors play a big role in individual development. The environment we chose to stay in affects our overall health, being a good healthy environment generates good outcome for individuals.
I believe the question of how influential early experiences are on later development to be an important question to consider in counselling. I would extend this more to looking at parental relationships with children, and how these experiences impact how one views themself later on in life. Eg: Having a challenging childhood with a toxic parent who was overly critical and judgemental might mean that as an adult, one struggles with confidence, may avoid confrontation, or may be 'people pleasers.' When these core wounds are not addressed, I believe these issues are likely to crop up forever, impacting friendships and romantic relationships.
I believe this is the most important question as it talks about differences in periods of life, that mechanisms could vary across a life span. That systemic change can be bought about by experiences and processes, but there are different theories of development that could apply at separate periods. This is important as a counsellor as we need to be aware that possibly not just one theory will apply to one person across all their life span.
What are the practical applications of a given theory of human development? Here, one might consider prevention, intervention, or education.
I think this is the most important question of the 6.
This question gives you a range of practical considerations. Theories can offer preventions, a reduction in problems before they occur. Interventions, supports for people who are already experiencing challenges and Education, theories can offer a range of relevant insights that can be used in a variety of circumstances for example the way we teach or parent.