Case Study 2: Behavioral Therapy
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.
Be sure to number your responses 1-5
Viewing Albert’s case as a Behavioral therapist, answer the following questions:
- What are 4 goals for therapy that may be appropriate for Albert?
- What would you focus on (Present or past? Unconscious or conscious thoughts or behavior? Short term or long termtherapy?)
- How would you utilize ABC’s? Give specific examples.
- Describe how you would execute the 7 steps of behavioral therapy for Albert. Give an example for each step.
- What specific Behavioral techniques would be useful and why? Select at least 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.
