Posted: November 28th, 2022

CW Case: “Drinking habits” Mr H is single man in mid 30s

Case study

CW Case: “Drinking habits” Mr H is single man in mid 30s who lives with his parents and works at his father’s business. He came for counselling prompted by his parents who think something needs to be done about his ‘unhealthy’ drinking habits. From his description in initial sessions, it was clear that in his own and his parents’ eyes he is the disgrace of the family, and his parents are angry with him. He said to the counsellor that he is desperate to stop drinking but he finds it hard to give up as when he drinks it is the only time when he doesn’t feel anxious in the presence of other people. Mr H had never worked outside of his parents’ business, any attempts to break away from his parents’ home resulted in him ringing his mother at least twice a day to just hear her voice.

Cl: When I go to party, I drink a lot; I cannot say no to another drink, and I end up doing horrible things.
C: Horrible things?
Cl: Yes, such as then when I was at my brother’s wedding…I got very drunk, went up the table and started singing. My family was terribly upset and furious with me.
C: You seem to be trying not to laugh [counsellor commented on the smile that client tried to supress while describing the event]
Cl: No, it was an important event, there was nothing funny about it.
C: Judging by your expression I am not sure…
Cl: I guess it was funny in a way. The thing is, I am usually a stuffy person and the only time I really like myself is when I am drinking.
C:…?

Guidelines
Please read and follow them accordingly. 2500 words. Answer the following requirements 1,2,3,4 and 5 following an essay structure.

1. Summary of the activity/case. You must briefly outline a description of the case and the client involved, in terms of what you “objectively” know. (10%)

2. Related theory. In this part of your report, give a discussion of relevant counselling skills, together with a review of several (maximum 3) Attachment Theory, developmental issues, and Family issues the fact that they are Authoritarian and him never learned any coping mechanisms for his anxiety/alcohol issues, support with reference. Theoretical perspectives that help in understanding the client. In this section students need to demonstrate the understanding of discussed theoretical counselling models/principles and ability to apply them to the discussed case material. You need to cite the references that you use in this section. (40%)

3. Reflective learning. This section is related to reflective practice and the focus should be on your reflections on how the reading of the case affected YOU. This should include reflection on (1) the emotional reactions triggered in you by reading the case material and (2) on the emotional reactions triggered in you by taking part in the seminar. You can also describe how this reflection changed your understanding of the client and your understanding of your own process of learning.

This section can also include reflection on any questions that still remain in your mind, concerns about the related theory, and observations of any related personal experiences (particularly including “transference/counter-transference” issues – but this is not an opportunity for you to write your own personal biography). You can include reflections on any relevant observations of what happened in the discussions, (but you must respect confidentiality, i.e. do not include any personal details of what was disclosed by anyone else in your group). You might also include reflection on the activity and suggestions for how it might be run differently if you wish. Note that this is the only section which is written in first person. (25%)

4. The counsellor’s response. In this section of the report, students are required to formulate an appropriate counsellor’s response. This means that students should propose what the counsellor in the discussed case study should say next and provide justification for their choice of response. This can include a discussion of what your group proposed, as well as what other groups came up with in the plenary discussion, or any further ideas you have had since. Discussion of the proposed responses should be limited to maximum 2 responses and you should indicate your preferred response. Justification for the proposed response needs to be included. The justification needs to be specific to the case discussed (i.e., Why would you say this to this client? Why would you say this at this point of the client’s counselling session?). The justification needs to demonstrate students’ knowledge of counselling skills/principles/theories. (25%)

5. References. You should include a full citation reference list at the end of the report using APA style.