Essay: Using a Case Study (with a DVD recording of the session that must be handed in),

students will explore all aspects of therapeutic process and critically evaluate their
thinking, treatment plan and interventions. 50 minute recording, 3500 word critical review
of the session

1.Demonstrate a deep understanding of counselling processes
2.Demonstrate a greater degree of competence with regard to their therapeutic interventions
(to a standard that is professionally acceptable)
3.Facilitate the formulation of effective therapeutic alliances with clients
4.Successfully identify therapeutic goals and formulate (and carry out) an effective
treatment plan.

CBT CASE STUDY
This is a College case study DVD scenario, for 5o minutes. Y x-partner is back in her life
they have a daughter. She feels that he’s jealous because she’s got a new partner. When Y
daughter was four she had injunction toward her x and now her daughter is 8yrs old, he’s
blaming Y for not been there in he’s daughter’s life, forgetting that in the past he didn’t
even show in the court that’s the reason why Y won the injunction against him.
He recently contacted Y because he wanted her to drop the child support which Y did. He
rings Y wanting to apologise for all the wrong he’s done in the past. He asks Y if she can
drop off their daughter to come & see him, Y had to make long four hours journeys to &
from. Y feels that her x doesn’t respect women. Even if she’s dropping their daughter with
him he’s demanding that she must pick her up at night, which Y feel that he should be
dropping her back. Y’s daughter refuses to call her x dad & refuse to ask him anything.
Their daughter will speak to the dad like a stranger.
HE treats their daughter like a boy wrestle with her she doesn’t like the way he plays with
her, he said that he want her to toughen up she’s always winging. Going to he’s house she’s
always crying and clinging to Y, sometimes Y have to stay to keep peace. Y a doesn’t
understand why their daughter is so anxious around her own dad.
He’s now becoming consistent he come to her house and drop their daughter at her nursery ,
Y is scared that he’s going to play daddy for 5 months and disappear , when he have a new
partner he dismiss he’s children, when he’s alone and lonely he picks up he’s children,
he’s got 4 children, Y said that there’s more.
He can’t play daddy to all children he picks the one’s he’s getting along with the mum. Now
that he’s got a new son he’s seeing both but as soon he stop talking to either mum, he’s
going to stop visiting that child. Y want her x to introduce those other woman that he’s
got children with so that their kids can grow up knowing each other, he feels that she want
them to gang up on him.
He come’s once a week drop off to nursery and he think he’s parental duties are done, he
said that their daughter can’t read and write and he’s God son is the same age as her and
he can. Even if their daughter is in the hospital he doesn’t visit her, he complains when Y
takes her on holiday. He doesn’t contribute to their daughter life his buy large expensive
things for himself. Going forward I asked Y what she wants to see change, is she going to
monitor him. She said that she doesn’t know how long this is going to last. Y said that
somebody said that he need to love he’s child more that he hates Y. He wants to be friends
but Y wants them to just parents to their daughter because she’s got a new partner. Their
daughter likes her new partner and looks up to him as a dad and her x doesn’t like that,
when her x visit their home he doesn’t stay when her new partner is there.
Y use to go to her x’s house and see him with deferent kind of women, and when Y was
running late from work the nursery call him to come and pick her up he refuse to pick up
he’s daughter. Y wants to move to another country and he’s threatening to take her to
court. Y think that he speak before he think cause he doesn’t have time to look after he’s
daughter for a week, he can only afford an hour.
When Y tells him that she’s going to have another baby, he told her that their daughter
doesn’t need any more half brothers and sisters. Her xs advise her to have another child
with him. He even ask her what she want and buy it, he’s now all over her cause she’s got a
new person in her life. Martha had to lay out rules because he was accusing her that she’s
letting her new partner to act like the dad. Y and her x have known each other from when
they were young she thinks that’s the reason why her x act like a child himself. Y said
that her x come back cause she took him for a child support , but he’s x said that he does
support the child when they asked him to show documents he didn’t have any to show. For a
home work I asked Y to speak to her x so that he understand that he’s going to do more as a
dad and also set up task that are going to be done by her x for their daughter.
My critic of the DVD Y didn’t appear much because the camera can only take part of her body
she sat back. I didn’t ask much questions because she talk a lot didn’t give a chance to
explore how she really feel, she sounded very angry with her x it almost sounded like they
were in a completion, I wanted to explore that but didn’t get time.

In this essay students will need to demonstrate their understanding of:
• How the professional relationship developed
• those factors which contribute towards the issues presented by their client
• the treatment plan
• a critical analysis of the interventions they utilised in the session
• how different theories have informed their thinking and practice
• how to reflect upon the feedback given by the client
• any professional or cultural issues that were present
o Please use Ariel 12 font and 1.5 line spacing.
o Please number your pages
Core Readings
1.Gilbert, P & Leahy, R. L. (2007) The Therapeutic Relationship in the Cognitive
Behavioural Psychotherapies. London: Routledge
2.Wood, J.C. (2010) The Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Workbook for Personality Disorders
London New Harbinger
3.Grant, A. (2010) Cognitive Behavioural Interventions for Mental Health Practitioners,
Exeter, Learning Matters
4.Dugas, M.J. & Robichaud, M (2007) Cognitive Behavioural Treatment for generalised anxiety
disorder: From Science to Practice. London, Routledge
5.Beck, A.& Emery, G (1985) Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A cognitive perspective, (20th
anniversary edition) NY Basic Books

Indicative Key Texts
1.Bohart A.C. and Tallman K. (2003) How Clients Make Therapy Work. AMA. Washington
2.Brammer L. M., Shostrom E. L., and Abrego P. J. (1998) Therapeutic Psychology:
Fundamentals of Counselling and Psychotherapy. Prentice Hall. London.
3.Brems C. (1999) Psychotherapy Processes and Techniques. Allyn and Bacon. London
4.Feltham c. and Horton I. (2000) The Handbook of Counselling and Psychotherapy. Sage.
London.

5.BACP (2002) Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling.

6.Leahy, R.L. (2001) Overcoming resistance in cognitive therapy, New York: Guilford Press.

7.Leahy, R.L. (2003) Cognitive therapy techniques, New York: Guilford Press.
8.Leahy, R.L. (2004) Contemporary cognitive therapy, New York: Guilford Press.
9.
10.Oldfield, S. (1983). The Counselling Relationship: A Study of the Client’s Experience.
London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
11.Tarrier, N. (Ed.) (2006) Case formulation in CBT: The treatment of challenging and
complex cases. London. Routledge.
12.McLeod J (2004 3rd Ed) An Introduction to Counselling. Berkshire Open University Press.

Journals
Journal of Counselling Psychology
Counselling and Psychotherapy Research

Websites
American Psychiatric Association (APA)
BACP: http://www.bacp.co.uk/
BPS: http://www.bps.org.uk/
ROUTLEDGE – The CBT Distinctive Features Series: www.routledgementalhealth.com/cbt-
distinctive-features