March 3, 2014 | Quebec

A Behaviour Makes More Sense When You Consider the Environment in Which It Occurs

People do not develop or change independently of what surrounds them. Their relationships, family environment, the groups they belong to, living conditions, access to resources, and the different settings they spend time in can all influence their everyday lives.

In special care counselling, understanding this context can provide a clearer picture of certain situations and help adapt interventions to the person's actual needs.

The same behaviour can have a different meaning depending on the circumstances in which it occurs. Observing the person is therefore essential, but understanding their environment provides additional context.

This dimension has a particular place in CDI College's Special Care Counselling – JNC.1U program, which includes a course focusing on a person's social context.

What Is a Person's Social Context?

Social context refers to the different environments, relationships, and social realities surrounding a person that may influence their experiences.

It can include their family environment, relationships with others, support network, school or workplace, living environment, and resources available in their community.

These factors do not automatically determine how a person behaves or adapts. They can, however, provide important information for understanding certain situations.

A difficulty that is observed cannot always be explained solely by the person's individual characteristics.

In special care counselling, another question also needs to be considered: What is happening around the person?

Why Should Behaviour Be Considered in Context?

Imagine that someone participates very little in a group activity.

This observation is useful, but it does not yet explain why.

Does the person behave this way in every group or only in this one? Do their relationships with the other participants influence their participation? Do they feel comfortable in this environment? Has something recently changed in their everyday life?

A behaviour that appears problematic when viewed in isolation may take on a different meaning when its context is better understood.

This does not mean looking for a social explanation for every behaviour. Instead, it means avoiding conclusions before considering the circumstances in which the behaviour occurs.

👉 Learn more: Observation Bias: How Can You Avoid Drawing Conclusions Too Quickly?

What Role Does the Family Environment Play?

Family members or other significant people can play an important role in a person's environment.

Depending on the person's age, situation, and intervention setting, understanding certain family routines, relationships, or circumstances may help Special Care Counsellors better understand their needs.

It is important, however, to avoid judging a family based on incomplete information.

Family circumstances can vary considerably, and the people surrounding an individual may themselves be dealing with different constraints, resources, or responsibilities.

When appropriate and relevant to the intervention, collaboration with family members or other people close to the individual can provide a better understanding of certain routines and help create greater consistency in the support being provided.

Why Is the Support Network Important?

Social context extends beyond the family.

Friends, relatives, professionals, organizations, and other significant people can all be part of someone's support network.

This network can be an important resource. It may provide support, encourage participation in certain activities, or help maintain social connections.

Conversely, a person may have limited support or experience difficulties in some of their relationships.

Understanding the person's network, therefore, provides a clearer picture of the resources already available to them rather than focusing solely on their difficulties.

This perspective is particularly important in special care counselling, where intervention can also involve recognizing and drawing on resources available in the person's environment.

👉 Learn more: Support Networks: Why Are They Important in Special Care Counselling?

How Can Different Environments Influence a Person?

The same person may spend time in several environments: at home, at school, at work, in a support setting, at a community organization, or in other places that are part of everyday life.

Their functioning may vary from one environment to another.

A difficulty that is very noticeable in one setting may be much less significant in another. This difference can provide valuable information.

What changes between the two situations?

Are the expectations different? Are the relationships different? Is one environment more structured? Does the person receive more support? Do certain conditions make participation easier?

Comparing situations can sometimes reveal what supports or complicates adaptation in a particular environment.

Why Is It Important to Consider Social Realities?

Certain social realities can also influence everyday life and adaptation.

The Special Care Counselling – JNC.1U program addresses situations such as abuse and bullying, violence, and social exclusion.

These realities demonstrate why looking only at a person's individual characteristics may not provide a complete understanding of a situation.

Someone who suddenly changes their behaviour, withdraws from certain activities, or begins experiencing greater difficulties may be dealing with circumstances that are not immediately visible.

This does not, of course, mean that the person is necessarily experiencing violence, bullying, or abuse. Context provides information, not proof.

The role of the Special Care Counsellor remains to observe, listen, and act in accordance with professional responsibilities when the situation requires it.

Can Social Context Also Be a Resource?

Yes. Understanding someone's environment is not only about identifying problems.

The person's context can also reveal factors that are already supporting them.

A meaningful relationship, an environment where the person feels comfortable, an activity they enjoy, or a resource they use effectively can all provide a foundation for intervention.

This approach avoids focusing exclusively on difficulties.

It also encourages another question: What is already working, and how can the intervention build on it?

This is one reason why risk and protective factors can be useful for understanding a person's development and adaptation.

How Does Social Context Relate to Biopsychosocial Adaptation?

Understanding social context does not mean assuming that the environment explains everything.

The interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors may influence a person's adaptation.

Social context is therefore one dimension of the person's overall situation, rather than a single explanation.

An appropriate intervention needs to reflect this complexity.

Attributing difficulty entirely to the person overlooks the influence of their environment. Attributing every difficulty to the person's social context would be equally reductive.

The goal is to understand how different factors may interact in the observed situation.

👉 Learn more: Biopsychosocial Adaptation in Special Care Counselling: Understanding the Whole Person

How Does Social Context Influence an Intervention Plan?

An intervention plan should be based on the person's actual needs.

To establish relevant objectives, it may therefore be necessary to understand not only the situations in which a difficulty occurs, but also those in which the person functions well.

Suppose someone completes an activity in a structured environment but experiences more difficulty performing the same activity in another context.

This difference can help guide the intervention.

Rather than simply trying to “correct” a behaviour, the objective may be to understand the conditions that contribute to success and determine how certain strategies could be adapted to other situations.

Considering the context can therefore make an intervention plan more individualized and more closely connected to the person's everyday life.

Why Is It Important to Avoid Judging a Person's Environment?

Understanding social context also requires caution.

Values, routines, family circumstances, and life experiences can vary considerably from one person to another.

Special Care Counsellors, therefore, need to understand the situation before evaluating it through their own frame of reference.

This becomes particularly important when cultural or social differences are involved.

The goal is neither to treat every situation as equivalent nor to ignore a concerning situation. Instead, it is important to distinguish between the facts observed, the context in which they occur, and the interpretations that may be made about them.

This approach supports a more rigorous and respectful intervention.

Understand the Person Within Their Environment to Intervene More Effectively

Observation shows what is happening. Social context helps explain the circumstances in which it is happening.

This distinction can change how a situation is understood.

A behaviour does not necessarily have the same meaning in every environment. Relationships, support networks, available resources, and certain social realities may influence a person's adaptation, while the environment may also contain strengths that can be used as part of the intervention.

In CDI College's Special Care Counselling – JNC.1U program, a person's social context is the focus of specific learning within the training, which also develops skills in observation, communication, and intervention with diverse populations.

For Special Care Counsellors, understanding context does not mean looking for an external cause for every difficulty. Instead, it means remembering that a person lives in an environment that is itself part of the situation to be understood.

FAQ

1. What is a person's social context in special care counselling?
Social context includes different aspects of the environment in which a person lives, including their relationships, family environment, support network, the settings they spend time in, and certain social realities. These factors can provide useful information for understanding the person's needs and adaptation without determining their behaviour on their own.

2. Why is it important to understand the context before interpreting a behaviour?
The same behaviour may occur in some situations but not in others. Examining the circumstances can help identify what may support or complicate adaptation and avoid attributing a difficulty too quickly to the person's individual characteristics alone.

3. Can social context influence an intervention?
Yes. It can help identify barriers as well as existing resources and sources of support. This information can help select objectives and intervention strategies that are better suited to the person's everyday reality.

Explore Further

👉 Special Care Counselling: Understanding the Field and Career Opportunities

👉 Do You Have the Right Profile to Work in Special Care Counselling?

👉 Inclusion and Cultural Diversity in Special Care Counselling

👉 Learn More About CDI College's Special Care Counselling – JNC.1U Program