Case study using Adlerian Therapy

Case Study 1: Adlerian Therapy (50 pts)

CASE STUDY DETAILS

Albert is a 33-year-old single, Hispanic male who reports experiencing pervasively depressed mood following the dissolution of a six-month romantic relationship. Albert describes feeling overwhelmed with feelings of “emptiness” and is convinced that he will be “alone forever.” Although he has a high-paying job, he states he feels like a “fraud” – that he just got the job he has because of who his parents are. He states that while he has a “good” relationship with his parents and 2 siblings (he is the oldest of 3 boys), while growing up, his parents were so busy starting the family business that they weren’t around much. He states his father also has high demands and expectations of him. 

Albert reports chronic difficulty managing his strong emotions and recognizes that others would describe him as “moody.” He further recognizes that he can quickly escalate with inappropriate and/or intense anger over minor transgressions, which subsequently results in feelings of guilt and embarrassment.  His anger makes it difficult to sustain both platonic and romantic relationships. To cope, Albert frequently seeks reassurance from others (e.g., calling in desperation to make sure they still care about him) and drinks excessively (i.e., six or more drinks per sitting). Due to the heaviness and frequency of his drinking in the recent weeks, Albert has called out sick a few times from work to recover from drinking the night before. Albert doesn’t know why he engages in these behaviors and is looking for a treatment that will help him understand the cause of his maladaptive tendencies and manage/regulate his emotions in an adaptive manner. His physician prescribed an anti-depressant for him, but he doesn’t feel it’s doing much to help him.

Be sure to number each response 1-4

Viewing Albert’s case as an Adlerian therapist, answer the following questions:

1. What are some goals for therapy that may be appropriate for Albert?

2. How would you view him from an Adlerian perspective?

3. What steps would you take in therapy for Albert? Give hypothetical examples for how you would engage in each of the 4 phases of Adlerian therapy.

4. What specific techniques would be useful and why?

Add your case formulation to the end of your document (see template below)

Be sure to number each response 1-4

Upload to Canvas in Word (other applications will not be accepted by the system). 

MAKE SURE you are submitting your responses – NOT just the assignment sheet.  LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Case Formulation

PART ONE: INTAKEINFORMATIONIDENTIFYING INFORMATION AT INTAKE:

Age:

GenderIdentityandSexualOrientation: 

Cultural Heritage: 

Religious/SpiritualOrientation: 

LivingEnvironment:

Employment Status:

SocioeconomicStatus:

CHIEF COMPLAINT, MAJOR SYMPTOMS, MENTALSTATUS, AND DIAGNOSIS:

ChiefComplaint:

Major Symptoms:

Emotional:

Cognitive:

Behavioral: Avoidance

Physiological

CURRENT PSYCHIATRIC MEDICATIONS:

CURRENT SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS: 

PART TWO: HISTORICAL INFORMATION

BESTLIFETIME FUNCTIONING(INCLUDINGSTRENGTHS,ASSETS ANDRESOURCES):

HISTORYOFPRESENT ILLNESS: 

HISTORY OFPSYCHIATRIC,PSYCHOLOGICALORSUBSTANCEUSEPROBLEMSAND IMPACTON

FUNCTIONING: 

PERSONAL,SOCIAL,EDUCATIONAL,ANDVOCATIONALHISTORY:

PART THREE: TREATMENT PLAN

OVERALLTREATMENTPLAN: 

PROBLEMLIST/CLIENT’SGOALSANDEVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS (summarize your responses to 3-4 on the case study direction sheet)