ABSTRACT
SOON AFTER I ARRIVED AT WORK, IN MY POSITION AS A COUNSELOR IN A program for at-risk adolescents, Mrs. Holt appeared at my office door. She was sobbing and quite upset as she tried to talk about her encounter the previous evening with her 15-year-old son. Willie had come home drunk and he "was falling all over the place." In her attempt to talk with him, Willie had put his hand through a pane ofglassin the dining room door, and she had to take him to the hospital for medical treatment. They returned home about 4:00 A.M., and at that point Willie went to bed. I was supportive in my interactions with Mrs. Holt, but she hadn't slept all night and her distresswas certainly understandable. She had come by to see me because I was about to begin working with Willie in individual counseling. He had recently been referred to our program through a local school district where he was a grade nine student. I had recently met Willie and his mother when I attended a special needs evaluation team meeting where his serviceplan was formalized.
