INITIAL CASE CONCEPTUALIZATION 8 Initial Case Conceptualization Nichole Hairston-Purvis Dr. Stephanie Warren COUN6332 Capella University February 12, 2018 PSYCHOLOGY Part One: Client Information This paper focuses on S. H., a client that the therapist has been speaking with in counselling sessions over a couple of weeks since they met during an internship program in the field. S.H. is 25 years of age. The client resides in Detroit City in Michigan, United States of America as a first generation immigrant, her country of origin being Nigeria in Africa. Having migrated into the U.S with her parents, 2 brothers and a sister when she was 11 years old, she is an African American citizen. She speaks both fluent English and Spanish. The client is a staunch Muslim and her wealthy parents live in New Jersey, U.S. S.H. has been working as a credit officer at a locally based bank until she was dimissed a few months ago .She rarely asks for financial support from her parents despite the fact that she is out of job. The client does not portray any signs of physical disability and appears physically healthy. S.H. did not complete her college education after she got pregnant, arguing that she could not properly manage college, full time job and raising a baby. S.H.’s siblings are graduates having professional careers. The client has a son who is 2 years old and she claims that sometimes she feels ‘overwhelmed’ because of raising him all alone as her husband serves in the military and has been away for nine months. Client reveals that it has now been two years since she saw her family. Furthermore, she states that her relationship with her parents is ‘close’ despite mentioning that her father is an excessive drinker. Her father and mother are a banker and an educator respectively. While presenting her concerns and problems the client said, “I lost my job a few months ago which has brought a feeling of hopelessness. I am having sleepless nights and I have lost my appetite.” Over the past two months, the client reported having lost eight pounds. Despite worrying about being a solo parent, she also fears that she might become homeless. S.H stated, “I am always worried. I am completely stressed out. My husband has been away for nine months serving in the military .I am always worried about him.” During her various appointments, S.H. has been arriving thirty minutes earlier. She also reported that she had never attended any counselling in the past. The client appeared to be suffering from depression and anxiety due to the fact that the client presented with shaky hands and was tearful during while completing her intake paperwork. During the description of her problems and her decision to seek out therapy, she made limited eye contact .She had a halting speech. The client seemed pretty willing and commitment to the nine treatment sessions recommended by her insurance company. Part 2: Theoretical Framework .

1. INITIAL CASE CONCEPTUALIZATION 8
Initial Case Conceptualization
Nichole Hairston-Purvis
Dr. Stephanie Warren
COUN6332
Capella University
February 12, 2018
PSYCHOLOGY
Part One: Client Information
This paper focuses on S. H., a client that the therapist
has been speaking with in counselling sessions over a couple of
weeks since they met during an internship program in the field.
S.H. is 25 years of age. The client resides in Detroit City in
Michigan, United States of America as a first generation
immigrant, her country of origin being Nigeria in Africa.
Having migrated into the U.S with her parents, 2 brothers and a
sister when she was 11 years old, she is an African American
citizen. She speaks both fluent English and Spanish. The client
is a staunch Muslim and her wealthy parents live in New Jersey,
U.S. S.H. has been working as a credit officer at a locally based
bank until she was dimissed a few months ago .She rarely asks
for financial support from her parents despite the fact that she is

2. out of job.
The client does not portray any signs of physical
disability and appears physically healthy. S.H. did not complete
her college education after she got pregnant, arguing that she
could not properly manage college, full time job and raising a
baby. S.H.’s siblings are graduates having professional careers.
The client has a son who is 2 years old and she claims that
sometimes she feels ‘overwhelmed’ because of raising him all
alone as her husband serves in the military and has been away
for nine months. Client reveals that it has now been two years
since she saw her family. Furthermore, she states that her
relationship with her parents is ‘close’ despite mentioning that
her father is an excessive drinker. Her father and mother are a
banker and an educator respectively.
While presenting her concerns and problems the client
said, “I lost my job a few months ago which has brought a
feeling of hopelessness. I am having sleepless nights and I have
lost my appetite.” Over the past two months, the client reported
having lost eight pounds. Despite worrying about being a solo
parent, she also fears that she might become homeless. S.H
stated, “I am always worried. I am completely stressed out. My
husband has been away for nine months serving in the military
.I am always worried about him.” During her various
appointments, S.H. has been arriving thirty minutes earlier. She
also reported that she had never attended any counselling in the
past. The client appeared to be suffering from depression and
anxiety due to the fact that the client presented with shaky
hands and was tearful during while completing her intake
paperwork. During the description of her problems and her
decision to seek out therapy, she made limited eye contact .She
had a halting speech. The client seemed pretty willing and
commitment to the nine treatment sessions recommended by her
insurance company.
Part 2: Theoretical Framework
The counsellor utilizes the Individual Psychology
Theory which asserts that the key motives regarding human

3. behavior and though involves individual person’s striving for
power and superiority, that partly compensates inferiority
feeling. From this perspective, every person is considered to be
unique in which his unique goals and methods of achieving
them find expression in his/her life style- a life style that is an
outcome of his/her creativity. Nonetheless, the person is not
considered as separate from the society since all the significant
problems that include problems emanating from general human
relationships, love and occupation are considered to be social.
Individual Psychology theory put more emphasis on three
significant factors which influence the personality of an
individual (Ogdeu & Adler, 2012). The theory emphasizes on
social factors which include; love, occupation as well as
societal factors. It should be noted that people’s personalities
are strongly derived from the said factors. From the issues
presented by S.H. during the interview, it’s clear that she is
encountering societal issues of insufficient support from friends
and family, loneliness, joblessness among others. The theory
also posits that people usually derive their individual character
through their response towards the influence of external factors
(Fall & Holden, 2013).
The rationale behind the application of individual
psychology theory in S.H.’s case is her that she portrays an
underdeveloped interest in social matters, for example her
failure to meet her family for two years even though they are
living in the same country. As a matter of fact, she has an
uncooperative and exaggerated superiority complex as she
neither explains her financial crisis to her wealthy parents nor
asks for their financial support. The mixed feelings of
superiority and inferiority are manifested through anxiety and
aggression. This has prompted the client into solving her
problems through a private and self-centered fashion as opposed
to a common sense task centered fashion. This has resulted to
her failure to the extent that she is worried that she might soon
become homeless.
The individual psychology theory saves her situation

4. effectively since the therapy and counselling will involve the
provision of the patient with insight particularly on her
mistaken style of life through the use of the material or
information presented during the interview. Since this theory
focuses more on social economic factors and their influence on
an individual’s personality, it was imperative to gather
information relating to the client’s family background; social-
economic status, job status, occupations and relationships. The
application of the theory significantly influenced the type of the
questions that the therapist posed with the aim of obtaining the
information that would be used throughout the therapy treatment
sessions.
Part 3: Assessment and Diagnosis
In the U.S., ICD-10-CM is used as a coding for
diagnosis. As for S.H.’s case, the diagnosis results revealed that
suffering from; stress, depression, behavioral and mental
disorders.
The ICD-10 code for the S.H.’s problems would be defined by
chapter V, blocks F00-F99.Under DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, the
client problems fall under the depressive disorders and anxiety
disorders categories. The reason behind such diagnosis is that;
first of all, the client seems to panic because of the possibility
of becoming homeless and difficulty in raising her son alone.
The fact that S.H. recognizes her fears and worries especially
when she confesses that she is worried about her husband in
addition to the possibility of becoming homeless is a clear
justification that her case could easily be diagnosed as an
anxiety disorder under DSM-5.
The process used in the formulation of assessment and
diagnosis involved the application of simple interview-type
questions. The questions used were intended to gather
information of education background, religion, social-economic
status, family background, health status and other relevant
materials for assessment and diagnosis. After the collection of
information, an analysis was done followed by an evaluation.
Consequently, the counsellor applied the DM-5 specifically to

5. arrive at an accurate diagnosis. The diagnosis was formulated
through the utilization of self-report instruments e.g. symptom
and signs checklist alongside depression and anxiety scales
(Davis, Miller, & Dowd, 2015). The counsellor applied DSM-5
diagnostic procedure in achieving the diagnostic outcomes. The
degree of depression, anxiety and the severity of the symptoms
were the basis on which the DSM-5 was employed. With the
consent of S.H., the therapist was able to consult her younger
sister as well as her elder brother in an attempt to discover more
relevant information about the client. The DSM-5 diagnostic
procedure applied, significantly contributed to the effectiveness
of individual psychology theory employed in the counselling.
This is because the diagnostic results assisted the counsellor in
coming up with the most effective treatment.
Part 4: Counselling goals
One of the counselling goals that the counsellor has
formulated is the reduction of loneliness. S.H. is lonely with her
husband in the military, raising her son alone alongside her
unwillingness to meet her family. This reduction will be
assessed through extension of the client social circle of friends
in addition to seeking out her family members. Another goal
involves the eradication of hopelessness which will be measured
through the client’s commitment in attending the therapy
sessions and her attempts to secure another job to boost her
independence. She could also be measured through her efforts in
recovering her appetite and sleep. The third goal entails the
improvement of the physical health which will be realized
through addition of the nine pounds lost since the problems
started.
The above goals were set after a thorough assessment
of the information and the resultant diagnosis. The formulation
of the goals was done in a way that the information presented
would be sufficient to achieve them without the need for further
investigation. In other words, the choice of the goals was purely
based on the honesty and quality of information. The counsellor
was certain that the material could be used effectively in

6. providing treatment to the client.
When selecting the goals, the social-cultural background
of the client as well as her personal history was considered
through the enquiry into her family social-economic status, her
job status, her religion, race, age, family relationships,
educational background, marriage among others (Schwartz &
Waldo, 2014). The goals formulated reflect the concepts and
assumptions of the individual psychology theory in that all of
them will be achieved by making recommendations which are
related to increasing the interaction of the client with the
society. This is to deal with any superiority and inferiority
issues that are present in the life of the client.
References
Davis, T., Miller, J., & Dowd, T. (2015). Adlerian psychology
and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy:Convergencies. J Individ
Psychol, 36(2),119-135.
Fall, K., & Holden, J. (2013). Theorretical Models of
Counselling and Psychotherapy. New York,NY: Brunner-
Routledge.
Ogdeu, C., & Adler, A. (2012). The Practice and Theory of
Individual Psychology. New Jersey.
Schwartz, J., & Waldo, M. (2014). Interpersonal Manifestations
of Lifestyle: Individual Psychology Integrated With

7. Interpersonal Theory. Journal of Mental Health Counselling
Vol.25,No.3, 35-57.
· Case Conceptualization: Interventions and Evaluation
In this assignment, you will continue to discuss your work with
the client you presented in your Unit 5 Case Conceptualization
paper.
Complete this assignment by addressing the following topics in
four-part format.
Part 1: Interventions
List the three goals you formulated for this client and presented
in your Unit 5 paper. (If your instructor provided feedback or
comments about your goals on that assignment, you can include
revised goals here.)
For each goal, list one specific counseling intervention you used
during your work with this client to help him or her make
progress towards that goal. Each intervention must be
"evidence-based." You will need to support your choice of
intervention with reference to the current professional literature
and research showing its effectiveness.
For each intervention you list, include the following:
· Discuss how you introduced this intervention into the
counseling session, and how the client responded.
· Describe how the intervention is reflective of your specific
theoretical approach, drawing from the key concepts and
assumptions of that theory.
· Discuss your rationale for selecting the intervention, in terms
of its appropriateness for your specific client and his or her
presenting issues. Address all social-cultural issues that you
considered when introducing this intervention into your work
with the client.
· Include at least one reference to a current article in the
professional literature that supports the use of the intervention
as being effective with this type of client and/or presenting

8. issues.
Part 2: Ethical and Legal Issues
Discuss any ethical or legal issues that emerged during your
work with this client. (If no such issues arose, then discuss the
types of ethical or legal issues that might emerge when working
with this type of client and/or these presenting issues.)
Discuss the steps you took to address the ethical or legal issues.
Refer to the specific standard from the ACA Code of Ethics that
relates to any ethical issue that you describe. Include reference
to specific laws or regulations that apply to these types of
situations.
Part 3: Client Progress and Counseling Outcome
For each of the goals you developed, describe the ways in which
the client demonstrated progress during the time you worked
with him or her. Include specific changes that the client
reported to you, changes that you observed during sessions,
and/or information that you gathered from other sources (such
as self-report measures or assessments or reports from third
parties that you gathered with the client's written consent).
· If the client showed progress toward a goal, what do you
believe led to this change? For example, was a specific
intervention particularly effective? Did the relationship you
formed with the client, or some interaction between you and the
client during a session, have an impact on how the client
changed?
· If the client did not show the progress you anticipated for the
goal, what is your understanding of this? Would you consider a
different theoretical approach, or different types of
interventions, based on your review of the work you have done
with the client?
What is your overall evaluation of the work you did with this
client? If you were going to make recommendations to the next
therapist who works with this client (or with a client similar to
this one), what would you suggest, in terms of the main
approach, goals, and interventions that the therapist might
consider?

9. Support your ideas with reference to the current professional
literature.
Part 4: Future Development
Discuss the progress you have made as a counselor during your
fieldwork experience.
· What are your main strengths?
· What specific areas of knowledge and self-awareness have you
developed?
· What has been particularly challenging for you?
Thinking ahead to the work you will be doing in gaining your
post-degree hours towards licensure, what are 3 specific skills
or areas of knowledge that you would like to focus on?
· Discuss how you will select an internship or clinical
experience that will assist you in meeting these goals.
· Based on what you have experienced during supervision so
far, how do you plan to maximize your supervision experience
in your post-degree internship?
· What specific license, certification and/or credentials will you
be seeking after graduation?
As you move forward in your career, how will you align your
continued professional development and your clinical practice
with the standards we have for mental health counselors?
· Refer to special standards from the ACA Code of Ethics, as
well as to other national and state standards that guide the work
counselors do.
· Include a description of the professional organizations to
which you'll belong and how this membership will be important
to your professional and career development.
· List 3 specific areas of professional development that you will
be exploring in the future.
Assignment Specifications
Your Unit 8 assignment should be between 5–8 pages long and
include a minimum of four references from current articles (no
more than 10 years old) in professional journals. You can also
include books and Web sites from professional organizations in
your references. Please use direct quotations sparingly; you

10. should paraphrase most of the information drawn from outside
sources and present ideas in your own words. Remember to
follow APA format for your citations.