The clinical situation occurred while I was working in the child psychiatric clinic. It involved Ben, a 10-year-old girl who had been referred to the clinic by her teacher after complaining about her lack of concentration in class.

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Clinical Situation

The clinical situation occurred while I was working in the child psychiatric clinic. It involved Ben, a 10-year-old girl who had been referred to the clinic by her teacher after complaining about her lack of concentration in class. Ben’s teacher had sent reports on two occasions to her mother that her daughter was “difficult to deal with” and was disturbing other students willing to learn. Her teacher also complained that Ben was easily distracted in class, and she had to change her sitting position. During study and academic tasks, Ben usually gazes into space as if she is in her world. She usually comes back with poorly done homework because she needs to follow instructions fully. At home, Ben has found it difficult to interact with her peers in the neighborhood.

Reflection

Interviewing Ben was quite emotional, especially when she declined to be assessed because she does not get along with females. She stated that she did not like her teacher very much, and the only female she felt comfortable around was her mother. Therefore, I had to reassure Ben that I cared about her and what she was going through. I talked to her mother to try and convince her that talking to me was for her good. I felt profiled by gender but accepted her opinions because how her interactions with her teacher, which had changed her perception of females. She admitted that her teacher was always tougher on her than other students, and thus, she mostly felt out of place during her classes. After the initial rapport, Ben agreed to be interviewed.

When Ben declined to talk to me, it was challenging as I was anxious that she might decline the whole assessment. To manage the anxiety, I decided to take charge of my emotions by being more patient with him. Without developing positive coping skills, it can be challenging to manage one’s emotions, especially in cases where the client declines assessment or becomes difficult to evaluate. The first step to taking charge of my emotions is recognizing the fears and anxieties in the situation and knowing the causes of my worry and stress. This way, I can put my distress and anxiety into perspective. I took a long breath and tried to relax because I knew I needed to slow down my heart rate to manage my fears and anxieties. The last strategy I used to manage my fear during this situation was accepting that I cannot control how the patient thinks or their perspective regarding my personality. However, I can impact their current perceptions by assessing their opinions and educating them.

Ben’s social history indicated that her parents had divorced about five years ago. Her father was an alcoholic and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, for which he was rehabilitated for nearly ten years. Her mother was also diagnosed with bipolar II disorder and, thus, had numerous episodes of mood lability. Therefore, I assumed that Ben’s mental health problems might have emanated from his family structure and dysfunction (Sell et al., 2021). Research studies on the effect of childhood and family experiences on mental health challenges indicate that single parenthood is a risk factor for mental health problems in children and adults (Wiegand-Grefe et al., 2019). Children raised in dysfunctional families or those where parents have been diagnosed with psychiatric illnesses are more likely to develop mental health challenges.

Through this clinical experience, I improved my awareness regarding the impact of family structure on childhood psychiatry. I have changed my perspective when assessing children with mental health disorders because of the correlation of childhood experiences with mental health challenges. Ben’s situation will impact my advanced nursing practice as I will put more emphasis on the patient’s social history during a clinical assessment to diagnose the patient accurately and determine the appropriate treatment and management plan.