Second Order Change in Adolescent

Second Order Change in Adolescent Life

Second order changes are difficult but are seen as long lasting rather than superficial, as second order change involves the development of a new set of goals and rules for how one lives life, within the aspect of change. (Fall, Holder & Marquis, 2003, p. 397) Utilizing the concepts of the transtheoretical model of change or TTM one can identify the five stages of change that must take place within the mind and life of an individual who is in need of a behavioral change. The five stages of change, according to TTM are precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. From a counseling point-of-view each of these change stages require the utilization of specific tools and assistance for the agent of change. This work will first briefly describe each stage of change, and touch on the counseling goals of the various stages and then describe the application of TTM to produce a second order change within an individual, in this case a teenage girl of Mexican descent who has successfully mastered a change as a result of a life changing experience, losing a child in a miscarriage. (Petrocelli, 2002, p.22)

The sixteen-year-old girl, shortly after losing her child developed a sense that there must be a better way to live her life and that she had potential that would have been unanswered if she had become a young mother and proceeded to raise a family. The girl, whom we will call, Esperanza, sought assistance from a local non-profit counseling service, at the precontemplative stage of change. Esperanza had a clear sense of the need to develop a life goal that would lead her to a better outcome, but she was unaware of what that change needed to be. The councilor she met with helped Esperanza understand that one of the best ways that she could create change in her life would be to return to school and complete her high school education, and possibly more. The councilor then offered her tools, in the form of contact information for the public high school in her area and offered to call her mother to discuss the need for her to return to school and complete her diploma, through this phonecall the councilor became more aware of the cultural and social pressures that Esperanza faces and developed a sense of empathy for her situation. The mother was resistant, at first as she felt that the father of the baby Esperanza had just lost was a good provider, though he was much older than Esperanza and she felt that Esperanza would likely loose this relationship if she returned to school. She eventually agreed to assist Esperanza in her bid to go back to school if she consented to working a part time job to help provide for the family and pay the costs that would be involved in school.

Esperanza on the other hand was ready to move on to the contemplative stage of change and begin the process of understanding what her new responsibilities would be if she returned to school. She had completed her eighth grade year of school with passing grades and though she had felt isolated in her school, as there were only a few ESL Spanish students and only three were from Mexico. Esperanza had to be assured that there was a larger population of ESL students at the high school she would attend and that there was actually a Latino Club whose members could prove her allies in her new role. The councilor obtained the contact information for the faculty advisor of the Latino Club at Esperanza's new school and gave it to Esperanza.

Esperanza then contacted the faculty advisor, at the beginning of the Action stage of change, to ask if she could assist Esperanza in enrolling in school. The faculty advisor met with Esperanza, after school and went with her to the main office to pick up all the forms she would need and the class enrolment schedule. The office personnel then informed Esperanza that she would need a birth certificate, immigration and naturalization documents as well as immunization records to enroll. Esperanza took the paperwork home and met with her mother, who obtained the appropriate records for her and went through the class schedule with her, as Esperanza translated the information. Esperanza chose a class schedule that was inclusive of her mother's desire for her to take a part time job, and included all the basic education classes that she would need to move forward as a Junior the following year. Esperanza also signed up for a Spanish class and an ESL program, at the urging of the Latino Club advisor. The Latino Club activities included a small grant to pay ESL students to tutor students of Spanish that were in need of extra help. Though the tutoring paid only minimum wage, it allowed Esperanza to fulfill her mother's desire for her to take a part time job and it would not interfere with school work and did not require her to work more than 10 hours a week or late hours. Esperanza completed enrollment and began classes one week into the first quarter of school. Her schedule included, Pre-Algebra/Geometry, ESL/English, Literature, Home Economics, Study Skills, Biology, Spanish and Government.