Lydia's Community: Detective Or Protective Factors

Within Lydia’s community, she has both risk and protective factors. The neighborhood she lives in does not have any interracial families other than her own, which could create an environment where she feels she does not belong. However, since she is mixed with Filipino, she has the social support of the Filipino community. While Valdosta is home to several diverse families, diversity is often exoticized or criticized. Within their Catholic church, the priest is Filipino and offers a sense of inclusivity to the congregation. Within her new school, Lydia is considered a minority, which can further drive a sense of otherness. Additionally, since she is considered Asian, she is affected by the stereotypes of Asians as being the model minority by

However, her relationship with her father and absence of siblings could be a risk factor, as she only has one constant support within her immediate family. Additionally, the frequent deployment of John can cause marital strain and conflict, which would be a risk factor for Lydia. When John is deployed or when he returns home, the extent to which he interacts with Lydia and the effect of the interaction could be either a risk or protective factor. Furthermore, the danger of John’s job could serve as a risk factor because Lydia could be rendered fatherless. In her extended family, she has a positive relationship with her paternal grandparents, which provides an additional protective factor. Additionally, her paternal grandparents’ ability to come and help when John is deployed is a protective

As an additional provided layer of social support for Lydia, the therapist will recommend Lydia to visit the school counselor when encountering difficulties during the day, especially if she’s being bullied. In addition to seeing Lydia and Lisa each week, the therapist will check in with the school counselor via phone call or email to assess Lydia’s social participation and perceived affect. The therapist will also assess if there have been any issues when she interacts with her peers or with the staff. As Lydia continues to grow and develop, another useful collaborator on her case would be her pediatrician. While the pediatrician can be a helpful resource for the parent to make sure a child’s development is following an appropriate trajectory, they are more importantly an important resource for the child to ask questions that might be too embarrassing to ask a parent. Since most children this age only see their pediatrician once a year, this resource is one that would be reinforced by the parents. When talking to a child about their pediatrician, it would be important to remind them that an appointment can be scheduled when the child needs one, even if they’ve already done an annual exam. Since the therapist will not know how often the child will see the