Anne:

I think that in Anne’s situation, one of the first things she needs to do is to make an educated decision about having sex. The responsibility is up to her, not her boyfriend and not her mother. One main thing that the therapist would discuss with Anne would be the emotional and physical consequences of having sexual intercourse. They should also evaluate together the relationship between Anne and her boyfriend to decide if her boyfriend is really taking advantage of Anne or not. From the sounds of it, he is putting un-needed pressures on Anne to have sex, and that is one thing she needs to think about; he is not only more mature than her, but he is also more experienced in sexual encounters. Like I mentioned before, the decision to have intercourse with her boyfriend is totally up to Anne. The therapist needs to discuss with Anne, that being an adolescent, she may not realize that there are different types of love, and she needs to be sure that it is actual love that she is in, and not lust, or infatuation while making her decision.

The therapist should touch onto Anne and her mother’s relationship. With Anne being an adolescent, in order for her to show her mother her maturity, she should be open with her mother as she decides to make decisions about sex. This is important in order to build a truthful and honest relationship with her mother. This can lead to Anne showing her mother that she can make smart decisions for herself, and that she is a mature young lady. While she is being open and honest with her mother, her mother should be open to hearing things like this happening in Anne’s life. Her mother needs to not be critical the way she has been. She can discuss her concerns, but “telling” Anne the decision she should make is not right. Just because her mother has anxiety about her daughter having sex, does not mean that Anne should be as anxious as