Solution Focused, Narrative, and Feminist Therapy Approaches

A very depressed 36-year-old African American woman named Mindy is referredto outpatient therapy five months after giving birth to her third child. Shestates she has two boys and the newest is a girl. She talks with a flat affectwhen describing her lack of interest in being a mother. She also expressesconcern over recurring thoughts of seeing herself drop her baby and cries asshe discusses it, stating, I would never hurt my baby. Why do I keep havingimages of dropping her down the stairs or in the bathtub? It is sodistressing. It has been difficult for her to get out of bed in the morning,and showering/hygiene has been poor. She presents to the appointment wearingleggings, an oversized shirt, very messy hair, and house slippers. She reportsher husband is upset because he wants things to get back to “normal.”She also expresses fear of letting others hold the baby, as she has similarimages of dropping the baby during transfer to the other person.

She reports no complications during pregnancy or delivery but states shewas much more emotional this pregnancy but is unsure why. She reports she isbreastfeeding and that this is the only piece of motherhood she feels she iscoping well with. She cries more as she discusses missing her life before thethird baby, and how her other two children were such good babies. She states,This one . . . she just never sleeps. I cant get any rest. I am so tired.She struggles a great deal to transition to taking care of three childrenversus two and expresses she is a failure and things are never going to benormal again. She has decided not to return to her job as a financial advisorand, instead, has decided to stay home full time.

Her husband does accompany her to the clinic, but she reports to the sessionalone, leaving him and the baby in the waiting room.

Vitals:
136/78
98.2
20
74
99%
59
178 lbs

Review the .

 Your reflection should address all ofthe following questions. Appropriate spelling, grammar, and punctuation are required.Complete sentences are expected. All writing should be in your own words. UseAPA references as needed to support your ideas; there is no requirement on thenumber of references to include. Be sure to use APA format.

• Which skills did you use in the session? How?
• How did the assigned Corey readings, PowerPoints, handouts, and videos inform your therapy session? Please explain in detail.
• What were your strengths in the interview?
• What were your weaknesses/areas in need of further development in the interview?
• How could you improve your interviewing skills? Are there steps you plan on taking? What are those steps?
• Was there any time when you felt stuck or uncertain how to respond? Describe what was happening then. Were there times you felt more confident in your responses with the client? Times you were less confident? How? Does this come through in the session?
• How were you impacted by the client . . . your emotions, thoughts, physical reactions, transference, and countertransference, body language?
• What was your overall response to the interview? Did you feel connected to the client? Distracted? Disengaged?
• What was the quality of your engagement, your empathy?
• If you were to continue seeing this particular client, what future directions would you take? How would you conceptualize the case and what would be some of your treatment goals? How would you pursue these goals?

Inrelation to your partner:

• What were your partners strengths in the interview?
• What were your partners weaknesses/areas in need of further development in the interview?
• How could your partner improve his/her interviewing skills?

SOAPNote:

• Fill in the SOAP note in the template based on your session visit. This should be a follow-up note, as this session was NOT an initial interview.