Christian Counseling Case Study

Total Length: 818 words ( 3 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1

Page 1 of 3

Christian Counseling Scenario

What are the client's most prominent presenting issues (that is, what seems to take priority as being wrong)?

In the case of Leon, a 52-year-old man with a dysfunctional childhood who has been unable to experience life in typical fashion, the most prominent presenting issue is definitely the individual's lack of emotional capacity and general apathy, both of which are obviously symptoms of a deeply repressed psychological trauma. The circumstances described in the introduction to Leon's case, wherein his eventually divorced parents both suffered from chemical dependency and addiction, while the father inflicted sever emotional and physical abuse, is extremely typical in terms of being connected to later symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV Text Revision (DSM-IV TR), "diagnostic criteria for PTSD include a history of exposure to a traumatic event that meets specific stipulations and symptoms from each of four symptom clusters: intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity," (DSM -- IV, 1994, 4th ed.) and Leon's current symptoms are closely aligned with this diagnostic template. Intrusion comes in the form of Leon's deeply seated resentment towards his absentee and abusive parents, as well as the memories of that experience which continue to haunt him. Avoidance is evidenced in Leon's apathy and social withdrawal, as well as his fear of commitment and inability to develop intimate emotional bonds with his own family.
Negative alterations in cognition and mood, as well as alterations in arousal and reactivity, can be linked to Leon's insomnia, anxiety, and lack of energy.

2.) What else do you feel you need to know (or, what might be some areas you may ask about in order to determine what is going on and how severe the problem may be)?

I would like to know whether or not Leon ever reached a sense of resolution with either of his parents after their estrangement when he moved out at the age of seventeen. The presence of such intense emotional trauma would suggest that no attempts at therapeutic closure have ever been made, and I would ask Leon directly why he has avoided this crucial confrontation. By refusing to accept that the trauma he experienced during childhood is affecting his adult life, Leon has shut himself off from any realistic route to genuine healing, allowing his state of apathetic withdrawal to become normalized behavior.

3.) What do….....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


Related Essays

Religion and Christian Counseling

one’s career. For example, an Interdisciplinary Studies degree that focuses on Religion and Christian counseling provides a suitable foundation for a counselor seeking to specialize in a work area that incorporates aspects of religion into the fundamentals of counseling. It is similar to a chef who has an understanding of a variety of menus and meals and how to prepare them applying for job as a opposed to a chef who has only practiced preparing one menu item over a course of four years applying for the same job. The chef who shows greater breadth within the type of cuisine that he is… Continue Reading...

sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Christian Counseling" (2013, October 31) Retrieved May 18, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/christian-counseling-126037

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Christian Counseling" 31 October 2013. Web.18 May. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/christian-counseling-126037>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Christian Counseling", 31 October 2013, Accessed.18 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/christian-counseling-126037