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Examine this case from a Cognitive Behaivoral perspective …
Examine this case from a Cognitive Behaivoral perspective
EXAMINING A CASE FROM A PERSPECTIVE- Case
Sonya is a 28 year old college freshman in her second semester of college. She is of average height and above average weight with long dark hair. She presented in clothing typical for college women her age. Sonya reports no previous history of psychological disorders or treatment.
Sonya’s initial complaint centers on feeling that during the past semester her life is “spiraling out of control” which she expressed through sobbing tears. She states that recent stressors including the ongoing pressure of returning to school again, and conflict with her boyfriend of the past 9 months have left her feeling worthless, frightened, and crying all the time. These feelings have begun to affect her school performance, as she went from a Dean’s List placement her first semester to being near to failing 2 classes this semester. She is frightened about how this will affect her progress and career outlook.
Sonya reports that due to a slow deterioration in vision, she recently had to get glasses for the first time and she says, “I look stupid with glasses.” Combined with feeling she is also “getting fatter by the minute” based on her weight gain of 20 pounds since she started back to school, she sees herself as worthless and unattractive. She says she often eats when she is stressed. She would like to get contact lenses and join a gym to help improve this, but feels financially unable to do that and says, “It probably wouldn’t help anyway.” She believes that these changes may have also contributed to her conflict with her boyfriend.
Sonya reports that she started dating her boyfriend soon after school started. She states that it was great that first semester and that she didn’t really meet any other people or make many connections, preferring to spend time with her boyfriend. As he has begun to express a need for more space and time with his friends in recent months, she is left feeling very “alone” and socially isolated. She is convinced that “he thinks I’m too fat now” and that he is really going out with his friends to “find someone better.” Her constant jealousy and demands for his time have fueled their recent conflicts. This is her first long-term relationship in 4 years. Previously she dated but “never really found Mr. Right.”
Sonya is an only child. Her parents divorced when she was 10 and she was placed with her mother, who is a manager for a retail marketing company. Sonya states she and her mom are “like best friends” though admits that “she’s been even more critical lately, particularly of my weight.” Sonya states that her mother has always pushed her to be successful with such criticism. She notes her mother has not dated preferring to throw her energy into her career. Sonya describes her father, a successful carpenter, as “loving” and “there for me” but notes that he often canceled visitations at the last minute and then would “buy me something big” the next time to make up for it. She states that initially the divorce really “bummed him out.” Currently, she only sees him for the Christmas holiday break when she visits him and her step-mother, a “warm”, “friendly” woman who Sonya states is disabled because of her weight. Sonya reports no official family history of psychological disorders, though she thinks that maybe her dad drank a bit too much initially after the divorce.
