Effectiveness of Counseling for Coping up with Parenting Challenges

The article discusses the effectiveness of counseling for coping up with parenting challenges and suggests specialized counseling services in Adelaide. It also explains the impact of stress on mental and physical health.

Running head: NURSING
Nursing
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Part 1
The question to be addressed in context of the case scenario is
“What is the effectiveness of counseling for coping up with parenting challenges?”
Social relationships lead to difficult transitions in the life out of which some can be
highly stressful for individuals who have added responsibilities, such as parenting. Parenting
entails a significant amount of time to be spent for giving care and affection to the child. It might
be difficult to manage when the child exhibits signs of behavior challenge or physical illness.
Counseling can help individuals to carry out an assessment of the needs in relation to social
relationships that influence parenting. The areas for development can be easily identified, and the
counselor works upon the strengths of the individual to gain restoration of mental wellbeing.
Parental counseling is known to promote consistent, positive and caring parenting essential for
creating supportive and safe environments for the child. It also increases knowledge of the
parents in relation to child development, and assists parents to develop parenting skills for
normalizing the difficulties of parenting (Sarkar and Kar 2015).
According to Daly (2015), some families are dysfunctional, and parents, most often
single parents, are not in a position to seek the much-needed help and emotional support when
faced with stressors. Difficulties such as adjusting to new professional job and absence of
support of partner lead to highly stressful situations that are unsafe and troubling for appropriate
parenting. Counseling is the apt method by which parents can learn how to respond to such
situations. Assistance and support are provided so that parents can relate to family members who
can promote better parenting. Personalized counseling sessions are more effective than group
sessions since individuals suffering from stress can be given a safe environment to express

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feelings of social isolation and depression. Counseling is further effective since support is given
in a non-judgmental manner. The process is informed by knowledge of social background,
wisdom and personal strengths. Cultural appropriateness is maintained in effective counseling,
and sensitivity to personal beliefs and values in relation to upbringing is evident (Singla 2015).
Adelaide has a number of counseling services that can support individuals suffering from
stress in relation to parenting that Rafella can refer. One example of such services is Life
Supports Counseling- Adelaide. The service has experienced and skilled psychologists and
counselors who work with people from diverse backgrounds to enhance their quality of life.
Individuals suffering from stress can be helped to develop healthy social relationships and
improve overall wellbeing. Specialized services include parenting among others
(lifesupportscounselling.com.au 2018).
Part 2
The Australian Bureau of Statistics indicates that Australians have high chances of
suffering from stress, the implications of which are profound. As per the study of Australian
Psychological Society (APS) 2014, focusing on stress and well-being, chances are high that
almost two in five individuals in the country experiences depression symptoms of which 13%
experience severe anxiety level. While financial concerns have been the main stressor, other
factors for increased stress revolve around social attributes. About 75% of individuals have
admitted that they face stress in their lives to the extent that they have suffered poor physical
health and mental health status (wayahead.org.au 2016).
According to Salleh (2008), stress is noted as the process in which the individual’s
adaptive ability is strained by environmental demands to the extent that biological changes and

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psychological demands place the individual at the risk of illness. The three perspectives of stress
are biological stress, psychological stress and environmental stress. The association between
stress and illness is highly complex in nature. The susceptibility to stress and consequent illness
varies from one individual to another. Stress is negative when the ability to cope is exceeded and
the body system gets fatigued.
Chronic stress has a profound negative impact on the immune system of the body that
leads to illness. As a result of an increase in catecholamine level and suppression of T cell levels,
the immune system is suppressed. This is the cause of increased risk of infections. Further, stress
is the cause behind histamine release, triggering severe broncho-constriction in individuals. As
stress contributes to alteration of insulin needs, the risk of suffering from diabetes is increased.
The other concerns related to stress are peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis and stress ulcers. Further,
stress can be a driving factor for atherosclerosis in combination with sedentary lifestyle. It is to
be noted that the correlation existing between psychiatric illness and stressful events is more in
strength as compared to the correlation with physical or medical illness. When chronic stress is
not released by the body, the outcomes are severe. When the body is subjected to a stressful
factor, there is a response given known as the fight-or-flight response. After this response the
body is brought back to the normal state. In case the stressor is prevalent event after the
response, there is a second stage of response. If stress further continues, chances are high that
bodily resources would be broken down (Salleh 2008).

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References
Daly, M., 2015. Introduction: Parenting Support in European Countries: A Complex
Development in Social Policy. Social Policy and Society, 14(4), pp.593-595.
Life Supports Counselling. (2018). Adelaide Counselling - Life Supports Counselling. [online]
Available at: https://lifesupportscounselling.com.au/adelaide-counselling/ [Accessed 5 Jun.
2018].
Salleh, M. R. 2008. Life Event, Stress and Illness. The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences :
MJMS, 15(4), pp. 9–18.
Sarkar, S. and Kar, S.K., 2015. When parents seek'counselling'for an adolescent. Journal of
Indian Association for Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 11(4).
Singla, R., 2015. Implications for Strengthening Mixed Partnering and Parenting: Counselling
and Psychotherapy. In Intermarriage and Mixed Parenting, Promoting Mental Health and
Wellbeing (pp. 200-227). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
wayahead.org.au. (2018). Stress and Australians. [online] Available at:
https://wayahead.org.au/stress-and-australians/ [Accessed 5 Jun. 2018].