Case Conceptualization of Tricia Davis

Abstract Psychological counseling has become an important way of ensuring people manage their personal and family problems. This paper presents a case of Tricia Davis and explains how the Psychoanalytic Theory can be used to counsel her and ensure she manages her challenges.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Case Conceptualization of Tricia Davis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In addition, it examines the interventions described by the theory and how they can be applied to alleviate her problems. A spiritual application to the case is also discussed and examines how religious aspects may be important in ensuring that this victim escapes and manages her challenges. Lastly, it presents other options like the use of family members, religious leaders and legal system in looking for solutions to her problems. Conceptualization Theory: Psychoanalytic Theory This theory is based on the works of Sigmund Feud and it is a good approach to solving mental health problems (American Psychoanalytic Association 2009). It examines how the unconscious mind of individuals influences their behavior and thoughts and traces early childhood experiences and how they may have influenced the present situation of a victim or perpetrator. Victims of abuse that seek this therapy should meet with their counselors at least once in a week and ensure they keep this contact until when the doctor will confirm that they are in stable mental conditions. Application of the Theory in Tricia’s case Tricia has never shared her problems with anybody and this may be the reason why they affect her very much. This theory explains that counselors should spend reasonable time with victims of abuse and ensure they enable them to share their experiences.Advertising Looking for case study on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This approach is also known as  "talking-listening cure† because therapists must observe their patients and make deductions from what they hear from them (Solomon 2003). Significant past events usually form the basis of treating patients and thus therapists are supposed to listen very carefully and ask questions that will enable victims to talk about their childhood experiences. The therapist should encourage Tricia to talk about her early childhood encounters with her father and other family members. This will ensure the therapist understands that she was raised in an abusive family. Tricia must tell the therapist how her father used to prefer taking her brothers for shopping and ignoring her. In addition, she must ensure she explains that her father used to beat her mother even before she was born. This will enable the therapist to understand that her father despised women and that he was not happy when she was born. In addition, she must tell the therapist about her present boyfriend and how his behavior started changing from bad to worse. The therapist must be very careful in making comparisons between the behavior of their father and boyfriend. There are major similarities regarding how these behaviors develop from verbal to physical abuse (American Psychoanalytic Association 2009). It is necessary to explain that the discussion sessions will ensure Tricia opens her mind and heart and speaks as if she is accusing her father and boyfriend. This will be an effective way of ensuring the therapist understands the personality traits of her abusers (Eysenk 1952). In addition, the therapist will be in a position to understand how her past experiences in developing maladaptive behavior and mental illness of Tricia.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Case Conceptualization of Tricia Davis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The therapist should ensure that Tricia is comfortable, willing and ready to share her childhood experience. This will enable her to be free with the therapist and pour her heart out without hiding important details of her life. The success of this therapy technique is determined by the level of transparency from the victim and how the therapist cultivates a comfortable environment for counseling discussions. Interventions and Techniques The therapist must make use of the following three techniques that are important in ensuring psychoanalytical therapy succeeds. First, there must be free association between the therapist and Tricia. This can be achieved by ensuring that the counseling sessions are conducted in places that she is free and comfortable (Solomon 2003). This means that she must not be counseled from her house or school the place must be located in an area where her husband, father or friends cannot notice her. This will make her comfortable and ensure she is free and ready to talk. In addition, the therapist should inform her before counseling that the information she shared will not be exposed to third parties and will be kept ads confidential as possible (Summers 2013). Secondly, role play is another important technique that the therapist should use to ensure Tricia understands her condition and is ready for counseling (American Psychoanalytic Association 2009). This technique can be done through simulation, use of fictitious stories and information obtained from the internet.Advertising Looking for case study on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This will help her to understand that she is not a unique case and that her condition can be improved if she takes the counseling sessions seriously. Lastly, dream interpretation is an important technique the therapist should not ignore during therapy (Jones and Butman 2011). Tricia has suffered gender abuse from her childhood and the problem seems to follow her wherever she goes. Therefore, there are high possibilities that she usually experiences nightmares, especially because her mother was abused while she watched. In addition, she has been abused by people that are very close to her and this means that she must be thinking about this issue most of her free time. Therefore, the therapist must ensure Tricia shares her dreams and what she thinks about her abusers to help the therapist to diagnose and counsel her properly. Spiritual Application There are various spiritual concerns in this case. First, it is necessary for Tricia to understand that people do not have the abilities to determine the sex of their children. Therefore, she should be advised that her father may be ignorant of the fact that it is only God who can control the sex of a child before it is born (Corey 2012). Secondly, she should understand that it is not right for a lady to live with a man if they are not married. Her parents will be furious if they discover that she is cohabiting with her boyfriend. Thirdly, she should know that her healing process will start with her forging her father r and boyfriend. She should consider the importance of forgiveness as a way of creating room for cordial relationships between enemies and helping her to forget the past. I will advise her to forgive her abusers and focus on establishing a friendly relationship with them. However, this method faces a serious challenge because her abusers may not be ready and willing to accept their mistakes and change their behavior (Eysenk 1952). Religious counseling is compatible with psychoanalytic counseling theory in the following ways. First, both cases require Tricia to explain what she went through from childhood to her present condition. Secondly, they require her to be ready to forgive her abusers and forget the past. Lastly, they recommend that she works hard to ensure that she develops a healthy relationship with her tormentors to avoid a repeat of the problems she experienced. The differences between these approaches include the following. First, religious counseling will enable her to choose a person she knows and who can help her to overcome her problems but the psychoanalytic approach will force her to seek assistance from service providers she may not know (Corey 2012). Secondly, religious leaders may not have adequate experience and knowledge about counseling while a psychoanalytic therapist is a professionally trained individual (Jones and Butman 2011). Lastly, there is no way of measuring or determining whether a religious approach has solved her problems due to lack of measureme nt tools to determine her recovery progress. Other Counseling Resources There are many counseling resources that I will recommend for Tricia to recover from her mental problem. First, I will advise her to start participating in sports and other outdoor activities that will ensure she is busy. This will help her to stop focusing on her problems and view the world from positive perspective. Secondly, I will ask her to look for a female and male friend that she has no emotional attraction to them. These friends will ensure she develops a positive personality and stops thinking that the whole world is against her. Lastly, I will advise her to ask her boyfriend to stop abusing her and look for his own house. She should stop living with a man that is not married to her. This will separate her from him and ensure she has space and time to focus on her education. Conclusion I expect the outcome of this therapy to take a long time before its fruits are realized because Tricia has suffered si nce childhood and continue to experience the same challenges. It will not be easy to persuade her father sand boyfriend to apologize and this may delay her recovery or worsen her condition for some time. In addition, it will not be easy to persuade Tricia to ask her boyfriend to look for his own house and stop seeing her. She will recover regardless of the time taken to achieve the fruits of psychoanalytic therapy. References American Psychoanalytic Association. (2009). About Psychoanalysis. Web. Corey, G. (2012). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy. New York: Cengage Learning. Jones, S. L. and Butman, R. E. (2011). Modern Psychotherapies: A Comprehensive  Christian Appraisal. Illinois: Intervarsity Press. Eysenk, H. J. (1952). The Effects of Psychotherapy: An Evaluation. Journal of  Consulting Psychology, 16, 319-324. Solomon, D. (2003). The Professorial Provocateur. The New York Times. Web. Summers, F. (2013). The Psychoanalytic Vision: The Experiencing Subjec t,  Transcendence, and the Therapeutic Process. London: Routledge. This case study on Case Conceptualization of Tricia Davis was written and submitted by user Moderate Pheasant to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.