Reference no: EM133236391

Assignment:

Please read the following case study and answer the questions to the best of your ability.

Susan has been a counselor for several years. Two years ago, she got a divorce from her husband of three years after two years of fighting. She does not have children of her own. In addition to her full-time work as a counselor, she had also been taking care of her mother, who had chronic health problems and was unable to live on her own. Susan's mother died recently after years of illness and spending several weeks in the hospital. Susan's mother had signed a do-not-resuscitate order and had named Susan as the person to make her medical decisions if she could not make them herself.

During her hospital stay, Susan's mother experienced some complications and her heart stopped. Susan happened to be there and the medical team wanted to do CPR. Susan said her mom had a DNR order, but the physician said that if Susan did not let him perform CPR immediately, she would be killing her mother. Susan still refused and the physician stormed out saying he hoped she could live with herself knowing that she murdered her own mother. Susan believed she was dealing well with her grief over her loss and her anger with the physician. One week after her mother's passing, though, she found herself tearful and drained after several sessions. She consulted with a colleague who honed in on two of Susan's cases.

In the first, Susan was treating a medical doctor for depression related to the breakdown in his marriage and she reported feeling angry with him, more so when he reported not making any headway with her kind of approach. In the second case, the client was an acutely anxious woman who presented with concerns about the burden of taking care of her teenage children and her aging parents, and Susan said she felt as overwhelmed as the woman. Over time the woman began to resent that she was not benefitting from the therapy and that Susan was being as unhelpful as her children. Consequently, Susan saw herself speaking to the woman in subtle yet belligerent tones, implying that the woman ought to be taking better care of her parents and worrying less about her children.

1. Why do you think Susan is increasingly unable to help the acutely anxious woman?

2. Why did Susan report feeling angry with the medical doctor who was her client? Would you advise Susan not to continue her career in counseling?

3. Should Susan be in counseling? What would be your approach to helping her?