Case conceptualizations assist in client treatment by providing a framework for understanding the development and maintenance of symptoms. The resources below conceptualize clients through the lenses of Individual Psychology.
During this consultation hour, Drs. Carlson and Colker discuss the concept of goal alignment. Students then pose questions and participate in a discussion on this topic. Students then participate in role play exercises focused on goal alignment and personal counseling styles. Other options are given on how to align goals, even though each individual counselor may have different techniques or styles.
During this consultation hour, a case of an 18-year-old Polish American male high school student seeking therapy for symptoms of anxiety and depression is presented. The client’s early recollections were discussed, and Dr. Colker provides some guidance on how to collect Early Recollections. Regarding client background history, he is the biological youngest of two brothers (older brother +6 years). The client provided minimal information about his parents, but did identify his brother as understanding him better than anyone else. He reported a history of being bullied in school, which resulted in multiple transfers to new schools.
During this consultation hour, the case of an 18-year-old Polish American male high school student seeking therapy for symptoms of anxiety and depression is revisited (see Adlerian Consultation Hour with Drs. Jon Carlson and Jay Colker- 02-09-2016 for original case). The client reported a history of being bullied and feeling left out in school, which resulted in multiple transfers to new schools. When asked about family, the client rarely discusses his parents, and has indicated that there is a language barrier because they do not speak English. The therapist identified the language barrier between the client and his parents as a stressor for the client.
Drs. Carlson and Colker provide hypotheses regarding the client's anxiety and current relational stressors with his parents. In particular, adescription is offered in regards to the relationship between client and the family. Dr. Carlson suggests that the client learned the anxiety from his father. Dr. Jay Colker mentions that the client is holding on to an idealized image of what it means to be successful. Suggestions for approaching therapy with the client are then provided.
During this consultation hour, the case of a 14-year-old African American girl diagnosed with major depressive disorder is presented. The client, Diana, resides with her 86-year-old grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, and two cousins. She has reported suicidal ideation, without intent, as well as diminished appetite and desire to go out of the house and engage in activities. The client has had 13 scheduled appointments, but has only attended six. Suggestions on how to approach therapy with this client, in particular strategies to engage the client are provided. Role plays are used to demonstrate the suggested approaches.
During this consultation hour, the case of a 20-year old male who has recently returned to counseling is presented. The client reported symptoms of depression and anxiety following his mother and step-father's recent move to Florida. His younger sister also recently moved out of the house in order to attend college. The client chose not to move because he feels obligated to continue working for his grandfather’s local business. Regarding relevant client history, the client's biological father committed suicide when he was 9-years-old, and his mother remarried three years later when the client was 12.
The client’s relationships with his family and early recollections are discussed. Dr. Colker discusses the purpose of symptoms and reports that client has not appropriately coped with the death of his father. He further suggests that there is a functional purpose of the client holding on to grief after so many years. The therapist is encouraged to consider the client's new experience of being alone and having fewer supports.
During this consultation hour, Drs. Carlson and Colker continue to discuss the case of Archie, who was presented during the previous consultation hour (see Adlerian Consultation Hour with Drs. Jon Carlson and Jay Colker- 03-01-2016 for original case). In order to help Dr. Carlson gain new insight into the case, Dr. Colker assumed the role of the clinical supervisor.
Client, Archie, is a 31-year old male who is currently married and has a one year old child, and the client grew up in the Louisiana oil field. As an early adult the client saw a machine ‘eat up’ a good friend and the friend lost his life. The client moved to the Midwest to come live with family, and shortly after the family kicked him out to live in the street. The client was demonstrating depressive symptoms, anxiety, and somatic complaints. The client described his father as abusive, self- centered, and aggressive. He described his mother as the opposite, excessively loving. Dr. Jay Colker and Dr. Jon Carlson discuss the client and possible explanations of the client’s behavior. In addition, possible treatment plans were discussed for the client. Dr. Colker suggests taking a positive approach with the client and mentioning to Archie how successful he has been so far with his situations and his decisions.
During this consultation hour, an overview of Adlerian case conceptualization is provided. Dr. Jay Colker reports there being three sections to case conceptualization. The first section involves a description of the here-and-now, including the client’s presenting concern, demographic information, and the client’s current state of functioning. The second section includes information gathered about the client's family constellation, including birth order, significant role models, and parent-child interactions. Early memories are also examined. The last section is an integration of the first two. Specifically, the counselor attempts to draw connections between the here-and-now and the family data. Dr. Jon Carlson then provides examples of common questions an Adlerian therapist would ask during a counseling session. Finally, Dr. Colker briefly describes common characteristics of birth order positions.
During this consultation hour, Dr. Carlson works with a student and role playing new techniques that he had spoken to her about earlier. During this case, there is a grandmother who is the caretaker of three young children. The client that the student is seeing is a 7 year old that is diagnosed with ADHD. The grandmother has been bringing all three children in for a couple of months for therapy. Two of the children are very hyperactive and the grandmother is having a hard time trying to control them. There is a lot of destruction of property and running away by the children. During this role play, the Psy.D. student is acting as the grandmother, and Dr. Carlson is the therapist.
During this consultation hour, a Psy.D. student speaks about working with females that have recently been released from prison. The case brought up is about a Caucasian female who was convicted of multiple offenses. She is divorced with two children who she still talks to everyday. She has multiple difficulties currently with previous diagnosis of ADHD, bipolar disorder, and PTSD. She suffered sexual and emotional abuse throughout much of her life. During this consultation hour, Dr. Carlson speaks to working with this type of population and discusses positive therapeutic techniques that can be used as well.
During this consultation hour, a Psy.D. student discusses a case study about a 34-year-old male who sustained a traumatic brain injury in high school due to a car accident. He recently moved back into his parents’ home after being independent for 8 years. The TBI cased some executive brain deficiencies and has also caused some long term medical issues. He has ADHD like symptoms and he is having some issues regulating his emotions. The consultation hour discusses this case further and therapeutic techniques that can be used to help to relaunch the client into an independent life.
"I need to take a hard look at my life": A case from an Adlerian Perspective
During this consultation hour, a student at Adler University talks about a previous case that had been presented (see Adlerian Consultation Hour with Dr. Jon Carlson and Jay Colker- 11/10/15). His client is a Caucasian male who has sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI), while he was in high school that resulted in lasting deficiencies. The client has been going through a deep depression due to a failed long term relationship and a stressful work environment working with children on the autism spectrum. He moved back home with his parents, and now the client and his parents are looking to help him relaunch. Follow up with this client is discussed in this consultation hour.
During this consultation hour, Drs. Carlson and Colker discuss the case of Deborah, a female client interviewed by Bob Powers
During part 1 of 2 of this week's consultation hour, Drs. Colker and Carlson talk about three orders of change in psychotherapy.
During part 2 of 2 of this week's consultation hour, a student provides an update on a previously presented case. Drs. Colker and Carlson provide consultation about the client's unexpected termination.
During this consultation hour, a Psy.D. student presents a case for a 17-year-old male adolescent client. The client presented for an assessment in an inpatient hospital setting after he was reportedly found viewing gore videos and researching information about school shootings. Dr. Colker assists the student in developing an Adlerian conceptualization and provides insight into client assessment.
Video Length: 53:46
Key Words: Factophilia, lifestyle, case study, adolescents, line by line interpretation
During this consultation hour, common questions about Adlerian therapy are answered. There is also a conversation about industrial psychology and different types of therapy as well. Lastly, follow-up to a case presented about a 42-year-old incarcerated female client is discussed (see Adlerian Consultation Hour with Drs. Jon Carlson and Jay Colker- 12/08/15 for original case presentation). Time is spent during the consultation hour discussing the client's difficulty expressing emotions and processing trauma experiences.
Video Length: 55:05
Key Words: Adlerian therapy, case study, industrial psychology, trauma, incarcerated clients
During this consultation hour, a Psy.D. student presents a case of an incarcerated 42-year-old African American female client seeking therapeutic services for trauma and substance abuse issues.Therapeutic techniques for helping the client develop insight are discussed.
Video Length: 42:33
Key words: trauma, substance abuse, insight building, abstraction, therapeutic technique, incarcerated clients
During this consultation hour, a Psy.D. student describes a current case and poses the question of how to effectively work with an inconsistent client, while managing her own feelings of frustration. Feedback and suggestions are provided for effectively approaching inconsistent clients. Throughout the consultation hour, Drs. Colker and Carlson provide suggestions for working through her frustration and effectively approaching this client about inconsistent attendance.
Regarding client history, the client sought therapy after being recently released from jail. Initially, the client appeared enthusiastic about therapy, but her attendance started to taper off. Most recently, after many failed attempts to reach the client, the client contacted the therapist and made an appointment. However, the client did not show for her appointment, and subsequently contacted the therapist to schedule a new appointment.
Video Length: 50:24
Key Words: attendance, case study, recently released clients, failed therapy
During this consultation hour, a third year PsyD student discusses a psychological assessment she conducted with an 18-year-old female client. The client was referred for therapy by the court after being found with marijuana. The client has a history of marijuana and LSD use, and presented with depression and family conflict. She also has an epilepsy diagnosis. Dr. Colker encourages the student to consider her reactions to the client in order to inform her understanding and assessment. A discussion of the purpose of the client's "lazy" approach is also included.
Video Length: 41:36
During this consultation hour, a student in the master's program asks about formulating Adlerian treatment goals. Dr. Paul Fitzgerald sits in for Drs. Colker and Carlson, and facilitates a discussion about translating a case conceptualization to treatment goals. In order to exemplify the formulation of treatment goals across the four stages of Adlerian therapy, Dr. Fitzgerald presents the case of a 30-year-old male client who sought therapy due to uncertainty about his direction in life.
Video Length: 38:03
During this consultation hour, a student in the master's program asks about clinical application of Adlerian concepts in a forensic setting. Dr. Colker facilitates a discussion about applying Adlerian theory within systems that are not always aligned with Adlerian approaches. The basic principles of establishing a relationship is also explored.
Video Length: 54:45
During this consultation hour, forensic students present a complex criminal case and Dr. Jay Colker discusses the application of Adlerian concepts to it.
Video Length: 54:53
During this consultation hour, a student in Dr. Colker's introductory Adlerian course presents a case and seeks to gain a better understanding of the change process and counseling techniques in Adlerian therapy.
Video length:42:38
During this consultation hour, a student presents the case of a mock female client with interpersonal difficulties at work. In a previous consultation hour, the student was encouraged to role play with the client. Dr. Colker provides consultation regarding the challenges the student faced when trying to implement the intervention with the client. Specifically, the student and Dr. colker revisit the client's lifestyle in order to conceptualize the client and inform the intervention approach. Role play is used in this consultaiton hour to demonstrate different approaches to working with the client.
Video Length: 52:35
During this consultation hour, a student presents the case of a 12-year-old female child, who is being treated within the context of family therapy. Dr. Colker assists the student in gaining a deeper understanding of the family and provides a conceptual framework to guide treatment. Dr. Colker encourages the student to assume a positive approach in which the family takes a "vacation" from the fighting in order to create positive engagement.
The student's reactions as the therapist were also processed as a means to better understand the dynamics that play out in session.
Video Length: 47:01
During this consultation hour, Dr. Colker discusses a case, "The Hostile Teenager," by Dr. Ray Corsini with a group of students. A line-by-line approach to interpretation is taken to understand the case. Focus is placed on understanding the effects of a pampered child. The use of consequences is also discussed.
Time length: 41:33
During this consultation hour, Dr. Jon Carlson presents the case of Archie, a 31-year-old male client, who he finds particularly challenging. Archie is currently married and has a 12-month-old son. He sought therapy after having memories of when he was working in a factory and a machine ‘ate up’ one of his friends. Dr. Carlson had him complete an inventory that indicated he scored very high on depression, anxiety, and somatic complains. Dr. Carlson presents and discusses the life style assessment he conducted with Archie.
The Individual Psychology case formulation is Individual Psychology theory in action. It is co-created with the client over the course of treatment and guides the therapist and client in their decisions about treatment. The core construct of movement leads to a consideration of the direction, force, rhythm, and level of activity evident in the psychological movement of the client, and hypotheses about the fictional final goal guiding this movement.
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