Reference no: EM133549395

Laura is a 35 year old African American female who is a highly successful business woman in the high-stress world of corporate finance. She has been referred to you by the company's employee assistance program. Laura frankly tells you that although she plans on only having one-two glasses of wine each evening; she usually finishes the whole bottle. Laura drinks at least 3-4 cups of coffee each morning. Around the time that her 50-year-old father died several years ago, Laura experienced difficulty sleeping and was prescribed Valium to help her sleep. She takes Redux to control her weight, in addition to regular exercise, and Xanax to control her anxiety. Over the past year, Laura has become more reclusive, struggling to make it to business dinners and after-work functions. Last week, Laura was to meet the firm's top client for a business luncheon; however, she arrived 20 minutes late after struggling to get out of bed and dressed. At the meeting, Laura had to excuse herself to take a Xanax to calm her nerves and could not resist ordering three glasses of wine with lunch. As a result, Laura had to be escorted to her car after the lunch, and the client canceled the account the next day. Laura's boss immediately required her to go to the Employee Assistance Program.

1. Do you think that Laura could have a dual diagnosis? If so, what do you think she would be diagnosed with? What are the contributing factors?

2. What types of screening or assessment measures do you think could be used with Laura? What do you think would be the results?

3. Do you think that her use of Xanax is "helping or hurting" her situation? Why or why not?

4. Does Laura meet any common stereotypes that we have discussed? Why or why not?

5. In thinking about your reading, what are some cultural considerations to take into account when conceptualizing and treating this client?