REBT Case Example Essays - Clinical Psychology, Applied Psychology

Case Examples CAROL: Im to blame for all the problems in my family As the oldest of three children, Carol (who is 29) berates herself for her familys tension and dissension. Her father is depressed most of the time (which Carol feels responsible for); her mother feels overburdened and ineffectual (Carol feels she contributes to this); and both her sisters are doing poorly in school and having other personal problems (Carol also assumes responsibility for this). Somehow she is convinced that if she were different and did what she should do, most of these problems would greatly diminish. Assume, as you listen to her, that you hear her saying some of the following things: My father looks to me to be the strong one in the family. I must be strong if Im to gain his approval, which I feel I must have. Since my mother is overworked, I should take on more of the responsibility for taking care of my younger sisters. I ought to be able to talk with them and help them with their problems. My sisters both expect me to do their chores for them, to help them at school, and to live up to the image they have of me. I ought to meet their ideals, and it would be absolutely horrible of me to fail in this regard. Then if they grow up with problems, Ill have only myself to blame for the rest of my life. 1.Rank the following in order of importance, from the perspective of rational emotive behavior therapy: ____ providing Carol with support and understanding ____ creating a warm and personal relationship with her ____ telling her that she should not think the way she does ____ confronting her with her irrational assumptions ____ asking her to question the origin of her beliefs ____ asking her what she most wants to change ____ teaching her how to identify her own faulty thinking and how to dispute it ____ providing her with reassurance Are there some of the above things that you would not do? If so, what are they? Are there some things that you would stress that are not mentioned above? If so, what are they? 2.One of the things a rational emotive behavior therapist would do is teach Carol that her thinking and her evaluation of events are causing her problems (feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and insecurity). What do you hear her saying to herself that is irrational? 3.As a rational emotive behavior therapist you would want to help her undermine her self-destructive thinking, once she had identified disturbance-creating beliefs. Check the therapeutic techniques that you might be inclined to use: ____active teaching methods ____ readings ____ relaxation exercises ____ fantasy exercises in which she relives past experiences ____ specific homework assignments ____ therapist interpretation ____ free-association exercises ____ a journal of events, thoughts, feelings, and outcomes ____ behavioral rehearsal ____ writing her autobiography ____ writing a letter to her sisters and parents ____ methods of disputing irrational beliefs List some other procedures you would be inclined to use: 4.Discuss in greater length which of the above techniques you would expect to rely on the most. What might you expect to occur through the use of these procedures? What outcomes would you hope for? 5.Assume that Carol holds steadfastly to her beliefs and tries to convince you that they are not irrational? For example, she tells you: I just know that if I were more adequate as a daughter, my father wouldnt be depressed. 6.Its because Ive let him down so that he feels useless as a father. How would you respond? 7.If Carol seems to hang on to the idea that she must have the approval of her father in order to feel adequate as a person, what direction might you take? 8.What value do you see in asking Carol to do a written REBT Self-Help Form? 9.Apply the technique of rational-emotive imagery in Carols case. How would you help her imagine herself thinking, feeling, and behaving in the way she would ideally like to? 10.What differences, if any, might there be between using Becks cognitive therapy and using Elliss REBT?