Please read the case study (below) and then answer the following five questions:

1. What skills would you use to facilitate change with this client (paradoxical intent, free association, interpretation, feedback, etc.)?

2. What, specifically would you say to this client (change skill?

3. How would you know if this client is ready to terminate?

4. How would you terminate with this client? What specifically would you say?

5. How, specifically would you help this client maintain their achievements?

Co-dependent Cathy

Cathy began seeing you 6 months ago for marital issues. She had been married for 14 years to her high school sweetheart. Things started out good but as their family grew to four children the first five years, their marital relationship gradually deteriorated. Her husband, a sales manager traveled almost every week. When he was home, he tended to ignore her and the kids.

Cathy would occupy herself with housework, church duties and helping neighbors and other relatives. Most people thought Cathy had a good marriage, but inside she felt empty, trapped, and overwhelmed the household and child rearing responsibilities.

Feelings of frustration and anger would occasionally rise to the surface, but most of the time she just kept it all inside.

When Cathy started therapy, she had just discovered her husband had an addiction to pornography. She was surprised, hurt, angry and didn’t know whether she wanted to stay in the marriage or leave. She was concerned about the kids.

The therapy focused on a pattern of behavior called co-dependency. Cathy discovered that her husband was in many ways like her father, who was an alcoholic. She tried to control her family growing up and now she was trying to control her husband.

Gradually Cathy developed a healthy mental separation from her husband and as she began to get healthy, her husband admitted he had a problem with pornography and decided to get help himself. What skills did you use with Cathy? How will you ensure she is able to carry the lessons she learned from therapy over into her life? How will you terminate with her?

(Adapted from https://www.stevenjchen.com/case-examples/ (Links to an external site.))

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5rZl4m5e6U&feature=emb_logo (Links to an external site.)