Case Studies and Interventions

1. Case of Oliver (3 pgs.)
Oliver, a 4 and a half-year-old Caucasian male, lived with his mother and his 3-year-old sister. Olivers mother requested counseling services due to growing concerns surrounding Olivers medical condition, cerebral palsy (CP). She requested you as the therapist to provide emotional support for Oliver. She also wants your assistance in helping Oliver understand his disability and the limitations CP would present on his life. The family is generationally and currently of lower socioeconomic status, making acquisition of health care, therapeutic services, and disability education a struggle. Oliver had also not been educated regarding his disability, which began to cause social and emotional difficulties for him. Additionally, it would be imperative that Olivers mother, medical team, therapeutic service providers, and schoolwork together to create an environment of consistent care and education. The school diagnosed Oliver via early intervention services with only a mild impairment of cognitive functioning. Olivers preschool reported that although his early intervention assessments showed that he tested in the below average range of intelligence, he understood and practiced new concepts well, and he seemed able to assimilate information with visual examples and repetition. Also, the school diagnosed him with a mild speech impairment; and Oliver received speech and language services at home and, subsequently, at his preschool program. Oliver s teachers noted that when Oliver began school, he seemed attentive and cooperative, displayed a good sense of humor, got along well with peers. Over the past few months, he seemed to experience more frequent down or sad moods during which he refused to interact with other kids at gaming and free play times. He cried frequently during the day. He became more and more inattentive during lessons and appeared to get frustrated easily. Oliver commented to the school nurse that he found it difficult to play with the other kids because his legs didnt work like theirs and he failed to understand why. Oliver seemed to view his physical differences as bad and wrong as though others saw him as defective in some way. He began to make negative comments about himself such as: Im dumb; I have stupid legs; the other kids dont like me; I dont have any friends and I cant play right, which the school staff feared to be signs of low self-esteem and possible depression.
Give a brief one paragraph case conceptualization and then answer the following questions:
Using Play Therapy techniques, what are the goals and target for client change?
What are goals and strategies for yourself as a therapist?
Using Play Therapy techniques, what would your therapy session look and sound like?
Would you use directive play therapy or non-directive play therapy?
Would you include the parent? How?
Would you include the school? How?

2. Case of William (2 pgs.)
William is a 7th grader. His grades are suffering due to his lack of starting his work, completing his work, and turning it in. His teachers are frustrated with his attitude and lack of work because they know he has the potential to do the work. He is showing signs of depression and anxiety though he does not have a diagnosis of either. He has somewhat of a poor me attitude with almost every aspect of his life. His parents are still together, and he has a younger sister who is successful at school. He is very competitive at sports and will start arguments with other people during PE classes. He does have friends and acts like the class clown. However, he would also be the first person to tell his school counselor that his teachers dont like him and that he has no friends.
If you were to use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, what would it look/sound like in a session with him?

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