What counseling theory would you use for the daughter in the film, "White Oldeander"?

I am taking a comprhensive exam for my degree in counseling and I have to watch the movie, "white oleander" and counsel the daughter in the movie.

I need theories on what would be the best way to counsel her as well as any information about the falicies of the foster system as described in the movie.

Any help would be appreciated!

What counseling theory would you use for the daughter in the film, "White Oldeander"?
Great question!



The daughter in "White Oleander" is sent to live with several foster 'families' in the film after her mother is arrested and then convicted of murder. The child has been victimized by her mother by being the mother's confidante, as well as being taken to the murder scene...yet, the daughter worshipped the mother, as children so often do when their parents treat them abusely.



I would use cognitive and behaviorial therapy with this young girl to help her realize that she does have a locus of control and that she can use it to her advantage. (Although, in the end of the film, she does remove herself physically from her mother's influence, so she is already on the right track.)



As far as fallacies about the foster care system are concerned, I can agree that the illustrations in the film were somewhat overblown and dramatic, but, after all, film is usually an inflation of reality. However, I would not say that the film presented fallacies about foster care.



When the daughter is first taken from her home, the case worker is as sympathetic as possible while still following the confines of the social system. When the daughter is placed for the first time in the so-called "Christian" home, she is inundated by her foster mother's immersion in organized religion, albeit a total hypocrisy on the part of the foster mother. Could this happen? Of course it could, and I feel certain that it does occur, all too often. Additionally, the daughter develops romantic feelings for her foster care mother's boyfriend, who is the only person who has truly been kind to her. Again, this is normal behavior for a girl who has experienced what the daughter has had to endure.



At the second foster home, the daughter is immersed in "need" masqueraded as "love" by her second foster care mother. The two have a lot of fun together and I think this is the first time the girl has felt that she could actually relax and trust another female.

Alas, tricked again! Devastated when her second foster care mother commits suicide, the daughter goes into a home for children.



When the daughter has some say about where she goes next, she chooses the most unlikely woman to be her third foster care "mother" - another exploiter of girls very similar to her biological mother. At that point in her life, even though she has special feelings for a boy who also resides at the children's home, it is evident that she feels she deserves no more than the errant third foster mother.



"White Oleander" is a sad movie that fairly accurately depicts the foster care system. Why would you be asked to analyze the movie for fallacies in a film that is almost directly on target concerning the issue?



Good luck on your exam!



Pasha