Counseling Case Studies: Chris, Justin, and Lin

Chris: a Counseling Case Study

Task:

Chris came to counselling because he was experiencing increasing feelings of being stressed, overwhelmed and weighed down by his commitments in life. He has been particularly concerned about his negative thoughts and attitude at work and at home and would like to change this. Chris has been seeing a Professional Counsellor for three sessions and together they have been using an eclectic approach using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, some Solution Focused Therapy and Gestalt techniques.

Chris is a husband of three years to Michelle and father to 18-month-old James. He is 45 years of age and a nurse at a local hospital. He has also been studying part time for his Master’s degree in Nursing for three years. His wife is also a nurse and together they work shift-work in order to look after James. Chris states he enjoys his job but it can be demanding and physically tiring at times. He has previously enjoyed his studies but is now finding it difficult to finish the work with the responsibilities of a small baby. For financial reasons he has not been able to complete his studies full-time.

Chris has recently found the demands of being a husband, a nurse, a father and a student to be taxing on his physical and emotional health and he has found himself to be snappy, irritable, exhausted and unmotivated at home and at work. He has noticed that his relationship with his wife Michelle has become strained and he has begun to resent her for asking him to complete even minor chores around the home. He is feeling unloved and taken for granted by his wife. He has started questioning whether he wants to finish his studies and whether he wants to stay in the marriage.

Chris was prompted to come to counselling at the suggestion of his doctor. Chris presented to his doctor complaining of an itchy rash covering his arms and torso, and of throbbing headaches at night and in the morning. Chris stated that medical tests revealed no physical reason for these complaints and his doctor suggested that working through some of the demands and pressures Chris had in his life may relieve the symptoms, as they may be directly related to stress and tension. Chris was happy to do this as he stated he was unhappy with his reactions and attitude at this time, as he had always been a happy, positive sort of guy. How do you help Chris and his wife?

Justin Bieber is a 16 year old Caucasian male who is referred to your private practice due to conflict between his mother.  Justin Bieber comes from Union City, New Jersey and is currently being raised by a single mom. Justin has a poor relationship with his biological father who lives in Canada.  In the past he has been the victim of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his mother’s boyfriend.  His mother and her boyfriend have broken up since this traumatic incident. Recently, Justin Bieber has been getting into extreme arguments with his mother over not receiving permission to leave the house and attend certain events. He has run away from home and has also refused to go to school.  Additionally, he is refusing to go to his maternal grandparents’ home to celebrate Christmas with his family and wants to remain alone during the holiday.

Using the examples we discussed in class, explain what counseling approach you would use to treat Justin.  Specifically what theoretical orientation would you use in therapy with Justin? Please explain in detail what techniques you would use to facilitate the healing process.

Lin Manuel is a 14 year old Latino male from Newark who is referred to you because he has been struggling with suicidal ideations. His peers reported to his school counselor that Lin was telling individuals he was recording tapes to send to people blaming them for the reason he was planning on committing suicide.  His peers also reported that Lin was inspired by the show, 13 Reasons Why, and said he wanted to “pull a Hannah Baker” where he would kill himself like the main character did. Additionally, Lin was heard saying that he planned on attending a school sponsored camping trip where he planned to kill himself and have his guidance counselor find his body in the woods. It was also reported that Lin was posting suicidal messages on snapchat and began giving away his possessions to his friends.

How do you assess Lin Manuel for suicidality? What are the steps that need to be taken in order for you to complete a formal risk-assessment? What other steps should be taken to assess Lin for suicidality? Lastly, what should be done once the assessment is complete?