Pediatric Counselling: An Innovative Approach to Working with Infants and Young Children

Contemporary literature provides a framework for counselling young children that employs a medical model, focusing on psychiatric or developmental disorders. Needed is a perspective that applies the core assumptions of counselling, such as prevention, wellness, development, and use of a strengths-based approach. In this course, Professor Cirecie A. West-Olatunji (Xavier University of Louisiana) introduces pediatric counselling as an approach to servicing clients from birth to five years of age, with an emphasis on children 0-3 years of age. A definition of pediatric counselling and suggested settings for this area of work will be offered, such as schools, agencies, hospitals, and forensic sites. Dr. West-Olatunji discusses the key elements of pediatric counselling, major techniques, and provide case examples of clinical work. The course concludes with a short Q&A segment with the Dr. West-Olatunji.