Janelle (age 11) lives with her grandparents, two younger cousins, and a two-year-old foster child in an urban public housing development. She has lived with her grandparents since she was removed from her biological mother’s care at age seven. She refers to her grandmother as "mama," her grandfather as "papa," and the other children in her home as "sisters." When asked who she considers part of her family, Janelle identified an exceptionally long list including everyone in her household, relatives, friends, church members, and neighbors.Over the course of the interview, Janelle offered several images depicting her relationship with her grandmother: "We are best friends because we love to do everything together, especially shopping… My mama knows all the stuff that kids want like pizza and ice cream… We always like to go places together because we laugh at all the same things… I always feel loved in my mama’s family… I can’t imagine being anywhere else." While Janelle occasionally spends time with her biological mother (and very rarely with her biological father), Janelle wants and expects that she will live with her grandparents until she is grown.Janelle lives in a neighborhood with an unusually high crime rate; she reported that she has witnessed a number of drug deals and a couple of violent events near her home. She said, "There is bad stuff happening, but my mama makes sure nothing bad is going on out there when I go outside to play." Nonetheless, she has experienced some mild nightmares about these events and is occasionally anxious about going outside. Janelle has positive expectations for her future. She said that she wants to be a doctor.What is your evaluation on this case study from a counselor point of view ?What is your recommendation from a counselor point of view ?
