Reference no: EM133286202
A Client's First Visit
Clare V. had been suffering from migraine headaches for several months. She had been to her family doctor, who prescribed some pills to alleviate the pain, but she found no relief. She worried that perhaps this was a more serious health issue, and when a friend suggested she see a neurologist, Clare readily agreed and sought a referral from her family doctor. Her doctor didn't believe this was necessary and suggested that she see a therapist, but Clare persisted and finally got a referral to a neurologist who suggested a series of expensive tests for which she needed pre-approval from her insurance provider. All this took about three months to conclude, at which point Clare had headaches almost continuously. They left her feeling anxious and disoriented. She felt it was almost certain that she had a serious health problem.
After all the tests were concluded, Clare was told that there was no health issue and that she should continue with her medication and perhaps see a therapist. Clare had never considered therapy; she came from a family where therapy was frowned upon as a waste of time. Her parents believed that you took what God gave you and made the best of it. She was ashamed to be the first person in her family to need psychological support, but she sought a referral. It took her another three months to make an appointment with a female therapist. She finally decided she wanted and needed help.
She went to her first appointment with the attitude that she would see what it was all about and make a judgment afterwards. The worker greeted her warmly and ushered her into her office and asked Clare to make herself comfortable. She asked Clare to tell her what brought her to seek therapy. Clare said she was having headaches that would not go away and it was inhibiting her life. The worker asked her if there were any stressors in her life that she thought might be contributing to her headaches. Clare thought for a moment and told her that she was a new mother, her husband traveled frequently, and her mother-in-law, a stern and difficult woman, was coming over daily to help her with the baby and the household chores.
Clare found herself speaking openly and freely about the challenges she was facing, her feelings of inadequacy in caring for her baby, and how her mother-in-law contributed to these feelings. Clare relished this special time that was just for her, and felt she was learning so much.
After three months of treatment, Clare's headaches had abated and she was able to stay on top of her household chores, care for her baby, and limit the time her mother-in-law visited. She was no longer taking the pills that had been prescribed and described her mood as "lighter." When it came time to terminate treatment, Clare felt ambivalent about leaving her therapist, but they agreed to keep the door open if Clare ever wanted to return.
Questions.
1. How do you identify Clare's presenting problem? Was she a hypochondriac? Was she attention-seeking? Was she trying to get out of doing her chores and caring for her child?
2. Why do you believe it took Clare so long to seek help? Was she hoping the medicine would finally work for her? Was it because she secretly hoped there was a medical reason for her headaches? Was she ashamed that she needed help?
3. What did the therapist do to encourage Clare's willingness to enter into a therapeutic relationship? Why did Clare come to relish her time in therapy? How did the therapist help Clare?
4. How does Clare's experience relate to the topic of sacred time and space?