Clinical and Counseling Cases

Option A:
Karen confides in you that she feels “down” all the time. She feels hopeless, finds no enjoyment in life (sleep, food, sex, friends, etc.), and is having thoughts of suicide. Karen goes to see her family doctor who diagnoses her with major depressive disorder. Her doctor prescribes an antidepressant and recommends Karen seek professional mental health services. Based on your study this week, address each of the following:

• Identify how a clinical psychologist, counseling psychologist, and counselor might approach working with Karen.
• Defend your position with support from the reading, noting definitions and key features.
• Indicate at least one major approach to psychotherapy which would be appropriate for Karen based on the literature.
• Identify at least one type of assessment procedure or psychological test that would be useful to administer to Karen to aid in diagnosis and treatment planning.
• Examine how you, as a mental health professional, would respond to Karen and what your ethical duties are.

Option B:
Chris can often be found around the house laughing loudly at inappropriate jokes he is telling. When he is not laughing, he is singing or whistling and making non-stop noise, as he feels like he has boundless energy. When his daughter gets home, he calls her names and accuses her of plotting to harm him. The next day, Chris calls the police to report that his daughter is a spy sent from another planet to obtain military intelligence that will be used to take over the United States government.
Based on your study this week, address each of the following:

• Identify how a clinical psychologist, counseling psychologist, and counselor might approach working with Chris.
• Defend your position with support from the reading, noting definitions and key features.
• Indicate at least one major approach to psychotherapy which would be appropriate for Chris based on the literature.
• Identify at least one type of assessment procedure or psychological test that would be useful to administer to Chris to aid in diagnosis and treatment planning.
• Examine how you, as a mental health professional, would respond to Chris and what your ethical duties are.

Option C:
Maria and David are having difficulty adjusting to being new parents. Although they both adore their two-month-old son and are grateful to have him, they both have experienced a decrease in marital satisfaction since Davito was born. Maria and David report fatigue, increased irritability, disrupted sleeping and eating patterns, and decreased interest in sex. They deny thoughts of divorce. They attended a new parent fellowship meeting at their church and learned several other couples were having similar concerns. One couple discussed how counseling helped them with adjusting to being new parents.
Based on your study this week, address each of the following:

• Identify how a clinical psychologist, counseling psychologist, and counselor might approach working with Maria and David.
• Defend your position with support from the reading, noting definitions and key features.
• Indicate at least one major approach to psychotherapy which would be appropriate for Maria and David based on the literature.
• Identify at least one type of assessment procedure or psychological test that would be useful to administer to Maria and David to aid in diagnosis and treatment planning.

Examine how you, as a mental health professional, would respond to Maria and David and what your ethical duties are.