Compose a succinct description of a client. This is an invented client. Could be a composite of many people you have known. You might consider a superhero or famous movie character or even someone from Shakespeare’s plays. No matter what client you decide you can also decide on their age, decide if you want to work with your client as a child (5-11 yr), or an adolescent (12-17 yr), or young adult (18 – 30), or midlife(30- 50), or a senior, past 50.
Give them a first name, age, aspects of identity (e.g. gender, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic, family situation, other relevant identity.
State the presenting problem – why are they seeing you as a counseling psychologist? What are some of their relevant symptoms? Was there a precipitating event?
What are their treatment goals?
Task #2 Key Terms: Transference, Countertransference, Co-transference
Reflect: What do these terms mean? How are they relevant to the client and to the therapist and to therapy?
Task – Locate definitions for these three terms, use at least two different sources. Quote the definitions and fully cite. For example, use APA’s web site, a psychology dictionary, an encyclopedia, peer reviewed articles, videos. Avoid relying on general web sites like SimplyPsychology. Instead search for the terms and look for academic or professional web sites. Each of the three terms should have at least two definitions fully cited. For example, for the term Transference, you might have one definition from Wikipedia and one from APA.
Task #3 Expressive Therapies
Background: There are many expressive therapies used within all the mental health professions. Expressive therapies are used along with the therapist’s main treatment approach. Examples of expressive therapies include: art therapy, play therapy, drama therapy, music and poetry, and movement therapies. These all require specialized training for use with clients. If you approach your client with a psychodynamic/ psychoanalytic therapy, you might use traditional analytic techniques, maybe dream interpretation or psychoanalysis or hypnosis, and if trained you could also use an expressive therapy, if appropriate, such as art or play therapy.
Task – Locate two expressive therapies you might use with the client above. Define and fully cite and state why you might use these with your invented client. Stay with the definitions and descriptions of the actual expressive therapy for giving your reason for use; not something you make up – like it might be fun or interesting.
