Overview
In this discussion, review the following cases and select ONE to use for the questions that follow.
- Case 1: Sam is 25 years old and has come to counseling based on the suggestion of their roommate after Sam went through a recent break-up. Sam admits that their roommate is getting sick of them and that they are worried that the roommate will ask them to move out. When you (the counselor) ask why, they admit that they have been “really moody” lately due to overwhelming distress from the breakup, and they just know that everybody is going to leave them at some point.
- Case 2: Marco is 52 years old, works full-time in an engineering firm, and is married with three young children. Marco said that he has been considering counseling for years, but after having several months of recurring panic attacks, his partner convinced him to call you (the counselor). He reports that he feels anxious most days, but sometimes the anxiety gets so intense that he thinks he must be having a heart attack because he loses his breath, feels shaky, and feels like his “world is going to end.”
- Case 3: Renee is 75 years old and has recently moved into an assisted-living facility after the death of her husband of almost 50 years. Renee reports feeling that she does not belong, because there are no other residents in the home that “look like her or have lived a life like hers.” She reports feeling apprehensive and not very hopeful about counseling, but didn’t have the motivation to resist her son, who has been “badgering” her to get help after she started cancelling plans, not getting out of her pajamas, and just watching television all day by herself.
Next, select either Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) or Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and address the following prompts:
- Discuss the key components of the theory that you selected (discuss at least three core components of the theory).
- Discuss the key symptoms, client characteristics, and additional components from the case scenario that led you to believe that this theory is the best model to apply.
- What counselor characteristics, behaviors, and strategies are central to this model, and how would you as the counselor apply them to this specific client? Be sure to consider key client factors in this application, including age, cultural identities, level of motivation, access to resources, etc.
***Support your points with current, peer-reviewed scholarly sources*** No title page needed. Just answers, references, and in-text citations.