Respond to shakir)
Conceptualization Week 6
Client and Theory:
Dale and Cognitive Behavioral Theory
Presenting Problem:
Dale, 52 years old, White male, prison guard, ex-police officer, former bouncer, divorced, remarried, estranged father of an adult son, currently married, exhibits racist views and actions. In mandated therapy by the employer. His beliefs and actions are causing extreme hardships for him in both his professional and personal life.
Hypothesis:
(CBT Constructs – Core Beliefs, Maladaptive Beliefs and Behaviors)
The client is facing professional and personal challenges as a result of his core beliefs and behaviors. These core beliefs were adopted due to the existential ideology during his childhood. People’s behaviors are greatly influenced by their environment (Shaw and Green, 2022). His role as the oldest child forced him to take on the family core beliefs, as well as their perceived social constructs, which has him living incongruently. One’s birth order affects their development and provides a blueprint for their beliefs, thoughts and behaviors (Dufrene and Clark, 2022). The client is experiencing tremendous hardships as a result of his instilled core beliefs.
The client’s core beliefs have allowed him to develop intermediate beliefs, which has caused him hardships in every aspect of his life. His maladaptive beliefs have and continues to sabotage his professional and personal relationships. Maladaptive beliefs generally result in negative emotional and behavioral outcomes (Shaw and Green, 2022). Dale was fired from his position as a police officer due to racial profiling and currently being reprimanded at his current employment for racist actions, all caused by his maladaptive beliefs.
Goal:
(Overarching Constructs – Change Client Thinking)
The goal for the client is to assist him with changing his thinking regarding other cultural and ethnic groups. In working with the client, it would be beneficial to outline the experienced hardships he has faced as a result of his maladaptive behaviors. By discussing a client’s maladaptive patterns, can assist the client with becoming more aware of them and provide a pathway towards treatment (Shaw and Green, 2022).
As the therapeutic relationship strengthens and progresses, I would work with the client in deeply addressing his core beliefs, by collectively developing a cognitive case conceptualization for his sessions. From a cognitive perspective, CBT counselors can collaborate with a client to develop a cognitive case conceptualization (Shaw and Green, 2022). This collective plan would allow the sessions to focus on his main problems, beliefs, relevant history, current situations, strengths and treatment plan.
Interventions/Techniques:
The intervention methods used in this case conceptualization will be aligned with the Cognitive Behavioral Theory.
Intervention 1: Cognitive Reframing
I have chosen an intervention strategy which focuses on cognitive reframing, through exploring cognitive defusion. Dale’s core belief framework was established as a child, both directly and indirectly, by his parents. The framework in which he inherited has created turbulence for him throughout most of personal and professional life. Since he possesses a negative cognitive framework, we have to address his oftentimes self-sabotaging, racist and biased behaviors, which would lead to cognitive reframing as part of his treatment plan. Through cognitive defusion, clients are able to view their thoughts more openly and are able to accept the existence of negative thoughts (Shaw and Green, 2022).
Intervention 2: Self-Monitoring Thought Record
The second CBT intervention strategy I would use is self-monitoring thought record. Self-monitoring thought record teaches clients a model for assessing and developing an awareness of their automatic thoughts and how these relate to their emotions and behaviors (Shaw and Green, 2022). This intervention strategy would work well, and even assist with the implementation of cognitive reframing. In working to reshape the client’s core beliefs and framework, this strategy would serve as a tool to assess and monitor his thoughts in his daily lifestyle and interactions.
This strategy will further assist the client with developing skills and awareness that would allow him to self-analyze his thoughts and behaviors in real time. Unlike, sharing feelings and thoughts within a session, the self-monitoring thought record strategy will allow him to confront his attitude, thoughts and behavior while his emotions are present.
Expected Outcome:
After implementing the above interventional steps, I believe the client will begin analyzing his thoughts, beliefs, emotions and actions without the immediate involvement of a counselor. He will begin to explore the root causes of the feelings and thoughts, and how they are affecting his life.
The client will begin to cognitively challenge the ideas he has closely held onto since his childhood. With him becoming more aware of his thoughts, the use of suggested social interactions with other cultural groups he opposes, would further assist him in the reframing. These cultural interactions would be geared towards the idea of behavioral activation. Behavioral activation involves counselors giving clients daily challenging activities that are designed to positively reinforce improved the client’s mood and well-being (Shaw and Green, 2022). These challenging processes and lessons will begin to assist him in leaning into new cognitive patterns and behavioral choices. And as changes begin to occur, he would find himself moving more towards a self-actualizing state.
References:
Dufrene, R. L. & Clark, L. B. (2022). Existential theory. In D. Capuzzi & M. D. Stauffer (Eds.), Counseling and psychotherapy: Theories and interventions (7th ed., pp. 95-112). American Counseling Association.
Shaw, S. L., & Green, J. W. (2022). Existential theory. In D. Capuzzi & M. D. Stauffer (Eds.), Counseling and psychotherapy: Theories and interventions (7th ed., pp. 193-213). American Counseling Association.
