The document outlines instructions for a 4–6-page case summary project about a fictional character, specifically detailing the required format, sections to include, and limitations regarding disorders and character choice. It emphasizes the need for a historical overview, presenting problems, and treatment goals to be developed in relation to the character's backstory, especially focusing on familial challenges and substance abuse. The example provided features Fiona Gallagher from the TV show 'Shameless,' discussing her turbulent upbringing, the impact of parental alcoholism, and the social issues faced by her family.

1. COUN 510
Counseling Project: Case Summary and Presenting Problems
Instructions
You will develop a 4–6-page (notcounting title page) Case
Summary and Presenting Problems paper about a fictional
character. APA formatted must be followed throughout the
paper, and only third person should be used. Please follow the
rules listed below:
1. The client must not be a real person, but someone portrayed
in television, a movie, literature, etc. No cartoon characters are
acceptable. Real and presently living people WILL NOT be
accepted for grading.
2. The client must be an adult (age 21 or older) since the
theories you will write about are mainly directed towards
adults.
3. The following problems/disorders are not allowed to be used
due to the limitations of the theories as they are being taught in
this course (future courses will go into greater detail on these
topics):
· Suicidal and self-harming thoughts or behaviors
· Bipolar Disorder, schizophrenia, and personality disorders
· Sexual Abuse/Trauma
This paper must be written with the fictional character as the
“client,” and you as the treating therapist (use the Case
Summary of Helen from Module/Week 1 as an example). This
summary will be the basis for your Conceptualization and
Treatment Plans 1 and 2 that you will develop later in the
course. This paper must have 3 sections: Client History,
Presenting Problems, and Treatment Goals (show these as level

2. 1 headings).
Title Page
Refer to your current APA manual for directions on formatting a
title page. Include a running head, page number, paper title,
your name, and the institution name (Liberty University). No
abstract is required for this short paper.
Client History (1–2 pages)
Introduce your client to the reader over several paragraphs:
Where can this client be found (television, movie, book, etc.)?
What makes this client interesting? What does the client “say”
about his/her life? How open do you believe the client will be to
counseling? How can rapport be built with the client if he/she is
hesitant about counseling?
Presenting Problems (1–2 pages)
This section addresses the following questions: What does the
client say his/her problems are? What in the client’s
life/background makes counseling a viable option for him/her?
Use issues that you are aware of in your client’s life, but you
can also fabricate some of the client history if there are not
enough details provided in the fictional storyline.
This section must be at least 3 paragraphs and emphasize at
least 3 problem areas for the client. For example, a client may
have issues in personal functioning (depression, anxiety, etc.),
relationships (spouse, children, parents, significant other, etc.),
occupational functioning (trouble with boss, coworkers,
unemployment, etc.) You may also address any problems the
client may be experiencing with his or her spiritual health/faith.
NOTE: It is okay if 2 of the 3 paragraphs focus on personal
issues (e.g., depression, then anxiety), and the other on
something separate, or even if all 3 paragraphs focus on 3
personal issues. Just be clear about what is going on with this
client.
Separate each problem area (e.g., Personal, Relationships) into

3. a paragraph, using level 2 headings (flush left and bold).
Treatment Goals (1–2 pages)
This section is developed from the issues you wrote about in the
Presenting Problems section. While there is no specific rule
with real clients, for this case you will conceptualize at least 3
total goals in 3 separate paragraphs. For each goal, explain what
it is, why you believe it is important to work on, and what the
outcome(s) should be.
Remember that the goals must be directly related to the
presenting problems you wrote about in the earlier section, and
must be achievable and specific. Examples of goals would be:
“client’s feelings of anxiety when away from home will
reduce”; “client will develop better communication with spouse
when having a disagreement”; “client will learn appropriate
coping strategies to deal with stress at work”; or “client’s faith
will strengthen.” Please ensure goals are client focused. In other
words, what does the client want to accomplish through
counseling? It is also helpful to write goals that are measureable
(and this may be required at your clinical sites). For example,
“Client’s feelings of anxiety when away from home will
decrease from an average of 8/10 to 5/10.”
Do NOT write about what theories (e.g., Adlerian, Person-
Centered, Cognitive-Behavioral, etc.) you will use here to
achieve these goals as this section is about the goals themselves
that serve to guide you through the upcoming theories.
Also, do NOT discuss the techniques/interventions you will use
to achieve the goals in this paper (e.g., journaling,
interpretation, automatic thought log, free association,
transference analysis, guided imagery, etc.). Those will depend
on the theories you choose for the second and third papers.
Clarity is critical here, and you will be graded strictly on that.

4. Separate each goal (Goal 1, Goal 2, etc.) into a paragraph, using
level 2 headings (flush left and bold).
References
If you use a fictional television, movie, or literature character,
then you are allowed to use a website for this paper only.
However, all citations and references must follow current APA
format. NOTE: many students get the website citation format
wrong, so make sure you look in the current APA manual to
properly do these if you use them. It is your responsibility to
have this manual and use it.
Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) by Sunday of
Module/Week 2.
Page 1 of 2
Running head: Case Summary 1
Case Summary 7
Case summary of Fiona
Joslynn McNeish-Edgerton
Liberty University

5. Client History
Fiona Gallagher is the eldest child to a low-class family
residing within the Southside of Chicago. Fiona is currently 24
years old. Her parents, Monica and Frank Gallagher, are both
alcoholics struggling with their own mental health illness. The
mother of the family is mentally ill thus abandoning her
children leaving the father who consequentially neglects his
fatherly role. Monica has been clinically diagnosed with Bipolar
Disorder; she spent most of Fiona’s childhood in mental
hospitalized and refuses to take her medication. Frank, who has
been involved in the legal system several times for fraud,
continues to drink, even after obtaining a new liver. Monica and
Frank had six children: Fiona, Lip, Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam.
The relationships between the children and the parents are
estranged due to the long history of substance abuse. The family
is poor and believes it’s only through alcohol that their pressure
can be relieved. All the member of the family has their
individual flaws all presumably, as a result of large quantity
alcohol consumption.
At the age of 6, Fiona was left in a car for several days with her
siblings; Fiona is typically left with most of the responsibilities.
This caused her to become a foster child. Throughout her
childhood, Fiona and her siblings were removed from the home
several times. She has to quit school and do manual jobs to
ensure that her brothers and sister do not lack food on the table.
Fiona’s family has survived with both parents and six siblings.
In a closer reference to Fiona, following her father’s drunkard
nature, Fiona is left in position of child-rearing for her younger
siblings. Frank Gallagher doesn’t have any responsible over the
family, rendering Fiona the guardian role. Fiona struggling to
make ends meet for herself and the family through her jobs.
This is due to Fiona’s lack of education. By assuming the
parental role, she makes sure everyone has eaten; the siblings
attend schools and are out of the troubles in their upbringing.
She shifted from job to job in an attempt to raise adequate

6. money for herself and the family.
Later on, Fiona is depicted as making out with her high school
friend, Craig, who married to Lucy. She slept with Craig and
hen Lucy learnt of it, she is angered and chases Fiona through
the streets while carrying her baby in a basket. Fiona is however
an unapologetic most so on an occasion when Lucy threw a
chocolate at her when she was with Debbie shopping.
She is again depicted as a family lady who moves in to rescue
her siblings who were at the social services office even though
her boss was only willing to let her a day off in exchange for
sex. She maneuvers out a way and later on listens to the tape at
the offices just to realize it was her father ,Frank, who had
made the call. She decided to take a legal action against her
father for his deeds
Fiona later on met Mike, her boss, but again ruins their
relationship despite cautious talks by Mike as being against
likes that comes in relationships. Fiona jeopardizes this
agreement when she repeatedly sleeps with Robbie, Mike’s
brother. Robbie against all odds informed Mike of the secret
affair between him and his wife, Fiona. Fiona is angered and
doesn’t accept Robbie’s gift of cocaine when Fiona as
celebrating her birthday. Fiona however left the coffee on the
table leading to its consumption by Liam who is hospitalized.
This led to Fiona’s arrest and a bail of cash set to let her free.
It’s Mike who settled the fine to rescue Fiona.
After several months outside relationship, Fiona is getting her
ups together and leading a happy life, she however messes up
again. She decided to date Gus, ho as a friend to the real guy,
the musician that Fiona had set out to meet after realizing the
guy as actually having a girlfriend. The to, Fiona and Gus,
decided to wed within one week of meeting a subject that makes
Fiona keep the marriage a secret for the first few days.
When Jimmy returns, again Fiona sleeps with him though she
confesses to Gus; their relationship is not okay further
weakening it. At this point, her flirting nature with the boss is
growing into love and she actually can’t make up her mind on

7. the three guys.
Fiona’s youngest brother, Carl, who had started selling cocaine
realized that most of his friends died from using it and another
one is shot in the neighborhood. He decided to quit. He stopped
peddling the cocaine from the leader of the cartel and started
attending school. He needed to get away from the drugs and
substance abuse.
Debbie, younger sister, who was now pregnant from his school
boyfriend learns to be responsible. She realizes that life is not
easy with an extra mouth to feed. She looks for a job and this is
supposed to distract her from abusing drugs. The drug abuse
subsides and she comfortably takes care of the child. Though
young, she gets married to ensure she does not do any ill.
Fiona bought a Laundromat with a loan and later sold it making
numerous profits. Her mother, Monica, died and Fiona is
resistant to shed a tear for her mother abandoned them at an
early age.
Ian, second oldest brother, realized that he is gay after having
an encounter with one of the friends and starts sleeping with
other men too. He becomes a stripper in order to earn money.
Due to his erractic behavior, kidnapping a neighbor’s child, and
being hospitalized, he was eventually diagnosed with Bipolar
Disorder, like his mother. Fiona is often in charge of making
sure Ian takes his medication and stays out of trouble.
Presenting Problems
With reference to the TV series, Shameless, the society is faced
with the challenge of addiction and alcoholism both the parents
and children. Major causes of these ills are genetic inheritance,
family history, the environment, sociocultural beliefs and
behavior, among other factors. The family is faced with poverty
and they all believe drug abuse is the only way out of the mess.
The society, particularly the family, has been implicated as
being faced by several social vices. These vices, to some extent,
have consequentially resulted into family break ups and largely
disintegration of the society. Among the major social ills that
pose threat to the family and the society at large are drug and

8. substance abuse, prostitution, theft, and burglary.
Fiona is depicted as a lady who enjoys dancing and drinking
with her friend, Veronica her neighbor. She was at one time
busted by her younger sibling in possession of cocaine. This
lifestyle of drinking was adopted by Fiona following the
pressure mounted on her from the responsibilities and her
personal relationship life. Being jarred into in possession of
cocaine resulted into her house arrest.
Despite the struggles Fiona makes to provide for the family, she
is also a drug addict. This is probably due to too much pressure
she is undergoing after assuming the fatherly role of their
siblings as well as battling with her personal relationship. Her
younger brother bumped into her stash of cocaine leading to her
house arrest.
Fiona in order to quit drinking and immoral sexual
behavior she starts a washing machine business which she
bought from an old woman. She is doing the job together with
waiting in a hotel in the same street. This keeps her busy and
the drinking and the sleeping around subside. She asks everyone
in the family to be more responsible and get some money every
morning which they have to use for their daily need and
savings.
Lip goes to rehab where he is supposed to change his
drinking and drug taking habits. He goes there with the help one
of his professors who he helped in class work with students. He
goes to rehab and comes back a changed man. He applies for a
job at the University where he had earlier been dismissed. He
does not get the position but does not give up. He goes and asks
Fiona to employ him since she is now the manager of the hotel
where was waiting.
The siblings begin to do the right things and the drinking
and drug abuse subsides. Each of them gets a stable partner.
Where Fiona starts dating one man and this stops her from
sleeping around which is caused by the drugs that she takes. She
quits smoking for some time, now that she has a responsible
man who she planned to marry. Lip on the other hand quit

9. alcohol too. He is occupied with helping the sister in the hotel.
They start a normal life free of drugs all over again. But for
how long?
Alcohol has kept the society in a situation that the elder
could not mold the younger siblings into sensible behavior.
Drug abuse has blindfolded the Gallaghers into believing that
it’s the only way out of their poverty. They have reached a point
that they can’t resort to other ways of rectifying their poverty
states. They are presented as having no thoughts of other people
who are poorer than they are. To them, alcoholism is the only
way out.
In conclusion, alcoholism as a vice has brought about
disentanglement in the Gallagher family with each member of
the family leading a destructive life. This ranges from neglect
of the primary responsibilities of the parents, siblings’ personal
lives most so affairs. This scenario leads to a poorly raised
society with people who cannot perfectly perform simple tasks
as required. Some members of the family are portrayed as
engaging in prostitution which is entirely a consequence of the
drug abuse.
References
Cristiana, F. (2014). Offensive Epithets. Shameless, 7-16.
Cristiana, F. (2014). Prologue. Shameless, 1-6.
doi:10.1525/california/9780520273405.003.0001