Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Paper Summary:

This paper is a case study of a woman who has come to therapy because of difficulty with interpersonal relationships, both in her personal and work life. The paper explores her medical and personal history and then looks at her diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The paper then explains the humanistic approach for the management of PTSD and why it is relevant for this case.

Outline:
Case History
Background Information
Diagnosis

From the Paper:

"The primary focus will be on process, to review Mariah's experience and to help her cope with the problems she is having at home and at work. Rather than avoiding her pain from her trauma, Mariah and her therapist will work through it, to review the pain and to learn from it. Mariah will not simply rehash painful events in her life. Instead, she and the therapist will work to evaluate Mariah's experiences and how they have contributed to her life and her reaction patterns. The focus will primarily be on the now, rather than the past. The therapist will keep the attention focused on Mariah and her experience. This many include techniques such as cognitive restructuring, but will be selected on Mariah's needs and on the point she has reached in therapy."

Sample of Sources Used:

• American Psychological Association Division of Clinical Psychology (1995). Training in and dissemination of empirically-validated psychological treatments: Report and recommendations. The Clinical Psychologist, 48, 3-27.
• Atkinson, B., Atkinson, L., Kutz, P., et al. (2005). Rewiring Neural States in Couples Therapy: Advances from Affective Neuroscience.Journal of Systemic Therapies. 24 (3): 3-16.
• Melito, R. (2003). Values in the role of the family therapist: Self determination and justice. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. 29(1):3-11.
• Fowers, B.J. & Richardson, F.C. (1996). Individualism, Family Ideology and Family Therapy. Theory & Psychology, 6 (1): 121-151
• Davis SD, Piercy FP. (2007) What clients of couple therapy model developers and their former clients say about change, Part I: mode-dependent common factors across three models. J Marital Fam Ther. 33(3) 318-43

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