Child Intervention

The physical, social, cognitive and emotional development of a child is the key indicator in understanding a child and adolescent. It is important for counselor to understand the characteristic of each stage of development of a child and the typical problems that occur during each stage. Counselor who have a strong understanding of the development of a child are able to accurately assess a child, also a counselor could pinpoint children at risk, design meaningful interventions, develop developmental appropriate classroom lessons, and guide parents and teachers to better help children.
Children reach physical, social, cognitive, and emotional milestones at different point of their development. Counselor must understand the developmental characteristic …show more content…
Vernon states that “developmental knowledge is crucial in designing effective intervention (Vernon, 2009, p. 35).” Interventions that are child center, such as play therapy, has a great impact than strategies that work with adults. “In fact, evidence shows that the promotion of a combined eco-systemic and child-focused perspective in working with difficult and challenging or vulnerable/ at risk children seems to be more effective than single-individual interventions (Kourkoutas & Xavier, 2010).” Child development theories is an essential part in designing intervention programs for children and adolescents.
A developmental approach to a school counselor curriculum ensures a positive and healthy behaviors for children and adolescents. Throughout this model, student competencies are identified based on developmental learning theory and national standards. The standards are a set of guides that “professional school counselors can develop specific competencies for each grade level, reflecting the developmental characteristics and needs of students for that grade (Vernon, 2009, p.