Introduction
In modern society, people face a lot of problems that completely different reasons can cause. There are exceptional helping professionals to resolve them. These employees help to cope with the issue and help in personal growth in such areas as physical, psychological, intellectual, and emotional well-being. Further, examples of such specialists can be medical professionals, educators, psychotherapists, counselors, and social workers. The main task of these specialists is to motivate clients to discuss and analyze emotions and experiences. Thus, this work examines the stages of development that are of the most significant interest to me as a helping specialist, ways to resolve depressive situations associated with them, and finding effective techniques.
Thus, helping specialists are representatives of those professions that assist people in solving problems is of critical importance for society. Because of their primary function, they can also contribute to easier access to health services, social services, or educational institutions. Moreover, these workers are essential as role models and advisors who can significantly improve people’s lives, but for this, they need to have certain qualities. One of the most important is the ability to communicate. This skill is required to conduct a more productive and effective practice of helping others and achieving the goals set in the process. Other qualities are acceptance and empathy, which will help to understand others better and develop the ability to enter into a situation. To develop techniques and strategies, helping specialists must have problem-solving skills and be flexible to adapt to different life situations and external and internal factors.
Stages of Development
Therefore, one of the topics that are of particular interest to me as a helping specialist is the development of sexual and gender roles. At birth, the child is immediately determined by gender: male or female. This section explains such concepts as gender and gender. Particular attention should be paid to the fact that nowadays, more people identify themselves not according to their physical gender. Thus, sex implies physical and biological characteristics that distinguish men and women from each other. Gender, in turn, refers to the social characteristics that distinguish these two sexes. It is also worth noting that gender may not always coincide with gender due to the different personal identities of people.
Moreover, gender stereotypes have been formed in society, which forces people to conform to male or female characteristics. Furthermore, various approaches have been developed to gain a better understanding of this problem and find its solutions more effectively. Thus, the biological approach to the definition of gender is to see male and female differences as usual, necessary, and natural (Erford & Tucker, 2016). This is also facilitated by the differentiation of the two sexes according to the reproductive characteristics of their organism. The psychoanalytic theory considers this problem in light of how psychosexual stages directly affect their development. In this theory, people’s identification of gender occurs around the age of four, when they begin to find similarities in their sexual characteristics with those of one of their parents (Erford & Tucker, 2016). The criticism of this view is that, in this case, the opportunity for changes in the course of the child’s development is missed, and the stability of such an early experience is exposed.
Apart from these two points of view, behavioral, cognitive development, and interpretive theories are also distinguished. The first considers the problem as the influence of the process of socialization and how children begin to identify themselves as a man or a woman looking at other people. The second theory focuses on the fact that self-determination has already been laid down in a person, which is why children learn how to behave by one or another gender. According to the latest theory, people absorb information at an early age, process it, and interpret it independently.
The second topic that makes me want to delve into the topic is language development. Language is a system of symbols that helps people communicate with each other and distinguishes humans from other species. As children grow up, they learn all five components of the language, gradually mastering speech and grammar. Moreover, sources note that at an early age, children have a developed ability to learn several languages at once. The most productive way to do this is the social aspect, that is, being in a society that speaks the language being studied (Erford & Tucker, 2016). However, this is complicated either by the absence of such a society or by the inability of children to access special educational programs. A particular difficulty in this process can be caused by the ability to read, which is caused by the different sounds of letter combinations or the general features of individual letters and sounds.
Possible Reasons Behind Depression
One of the most severe consequences of the negative course of development of a particular stage in a child can be depression. The study of this problem is necessary for the helping specialist to develop a correct and thoughtful plan of assistance. Of particular importance is timely diagnosis to minimize harmful consequences for humans. Depression as a psychological disease can have a different effect and develop both in the early and later stages of adulthood. Teenagers are most often subjected to this issue, which is also affected by physiological and social difficulties occurring at this age. Such can be a delayed development in comparison with peers, causing feelings of anxiety and anxiety. Because of this, there are also problems with socialization and isolation of the child, even from the most disgusting people.
Thus, the problems that may arise due to uncertainty concerning sex and gender roles may be of critical importance. As already mentioned, some people find it difficult to identify themselves at such an early age and experience a clash of opinions when one or another gender is attributed to them. Moreover, like boys, young girls have sudden jumps in hormones that directly affect their mental state and response to external stimuli. Studies show that the level of depression among this age group of the population is growing every year (Grover et al., 2019). Consequently, it is noted that women are often more depressed.
The contradictions that cause the problem under study may come from social norms imposed by society. Hence, it is accepted that women are soft, emotional, and sensitive, and men are the complete opposite. Thus, when children are not able to match these features and find more feminine or masculine traits in themself, they have anxiety concerning self-perception. The level of depression is increasing, and there are apparent gender differences in adolescent depression. In addition, it is worth noting that the gender gap and its negative consequences resulting in depression can persist throughout life.
Similarly, linguistic problems and developmental delays can play a destructive role in the development of depression. The main factor, in this case, is bullying by peers because teenagers are incredibly overwhelmingly affected by the circumstance when their problems with language acquisition are psychological and physical and do not depend on it. Consequently, children are constantly experiencing difficulties at school, communicating with their classmates and teachers. This prevents full-fledged communication and obtaining the proper level of education. Social networks can make a unique contribution to the development of depression due to the problem of identifying sex and gender roles and problems with language development. This aspect of society is gaining more and more popularity and has a significant influence on modern youth. Concepts such as cyberbullying, which results in depression and anxiety disorders, are also gaining strength (Hoge et al., 2017). To minimize these harmful effects, helping specialists should spread awareness about the proper use of social networks and respect for tolerant attitudes towards each other.
Counseling Strategies
One of the most effective ways to solve the problem of depression in the younger generation is counseling. This approach can ensure the building of strong relationships and trusting relationships with clients of helping specialists (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2018). It is essential for teenagers who need support during a difficult period of life. Counseling has several types that are applied depending on the characteristics of the problem. It can be directive, non-directive and eclectic, but in the case of adolescent problems, the first option can be most effective. This is because it is characterized by a more active position on the part of the specialist and the most significant participation in the issue of the patient.
The main requirements for specialist who applies such a strategy to work must comply with certain conditions. Henceforth, it is essential to maintain openness and sociability towards the person with whom the work is taking place. Moreover, if even the most insignificant questions arise, the helping professional is obliged to answer them, contributing to building trusting relationships. The choice of language also has a unique role, so professionals can not raise their voices, shout, get angry, or use inappropriate expressions for a qualified specialist. Counseling consists in providing comfortable conditions for the client to more accurately and effectively understand the source of the problem and find its solution.
Using techniques in this type of work can significantly speed up the problem finding. The problem-solving and conflict-resolution technique is beneficial when dealing with the problems of young people. So, due to the lack of sufficient experience, teenagers and children can be referred to a helping specialist who will help them develop strategies on how to deal with bullying or other kinds of conflicts. The second technique is based on group counseling theories, which are helpful when working with multiple people. It provides an increase in the level of team cohesion and rapprochement of teenagers who experience similar difficulties.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this scientific work considered the importance of the profession of a helping specialist to solve problems related to the development of children. It explored such stages of development as sex and gender roles and linguistic development. In addition, it was noted that depression might occur at these stages, which results from problems with self-identification and lagging behind peers. The most effective in this case may be counseling strategies that are aimed at helping people to independently come to the issue limitation method when assisting a helping specialist.
Reference
Erford, B., & Tucker, I. B. (2016). An advanced lifespan Odyssey for counseling professionals. Cengage Learning.
Grover, S., Raju V, V., Sharma, A., & Shah, R. (2019). Depression in children and adolescents: A review of Indian studies. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 41(3), 216-227. Web.
Hoge, E., Bickham, D., & Cantor, J. (2017). Digital media, anxiety, and depression in children. Pediatrics, 140(2), S76-S80. Web.
Sommers-Flanagan, J., & Sommers-Flanagan, R. (2018). Counseling and psychotherapy theories in context and practice: Skills, strategies, and techniques. John Wiley & Sons.