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CHAPTER 28: Brittany—The Social Media Queen

DOI:

10.1891/9780826150028.0028

Authors

  • Robinson, Mona

Abstract

This chapter presents a case study of a 14-year-old African American female. She had strong beliefs in the family system and felt protective of her children. She was in trouble at school due to bullying other students through social media comments. Her suspension from school for texting inappropriate pictures prompted her mother to bring her to counseling. The author’s initial concerns focused on addressing the patient’s feelings of sadness and hopelessness related to her low self-esteem. The therapeutic alliance is the foundation for counseling effectiveness. The counseling goal centered on increasing the patient’s self-esteem and decreasing her reliance on approval by friends via social media. Using brief solution-focused therapy with her was a good choice. By coming to terms with her feelings of sadness and hopelessness and recognizing the effect of her sexualized behaviors, the patient made positive changes in her lifestyle.