Counseling: Case Conceptualization and Treatment Plan

This article discusses a case conceptualization and treatment plan for a client experiencing loneliness, depression, anxiety, and adjustment disorders. It explores the use of SMART goals and group counseling as evidence-based treatments.

Running head: COUNSELING 1
Counseling
Student name
Institutional Affiliation
Date

COUNSELING 2
Counseling
Case conceptualization summary statement
Jennifer symptoms of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and adjustment disorders (presentation)
have begun because she is alone with her husband most of the time (Precipitant) her children left
for college (Predisposition) and the desire to be around them (Perpetuant) (Sommers-Flanagan &
Sommers-Flanagan, 2018). It is because of these factors that Jennifer is having issues with her
occupation and social relationship with her husband (pattern) (Bjerke & Renger, 2017).
Theoretical orientation and evidence-based or research treatment
I would suggest that Jennifer and I use SMART goals for her to achieve her goal. Smart goals are
beneficial in similar situations. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Relevance, and Timely (Krist et al., 2016). In this treatment, Jennifer and I will come
up with specific medication that will handle the anxiety disorder, measure the anxiety level
during a four-hour-long visit, attain a specific goal, find a relevant social circle for to interact
with and obtain treatment as soon as possible (Kress, V. E., Haiyasoso, Zoldan, Headley &
Trepal, 2018). Further details are outlined below:
S Specific Medication to handle the anxiety
disorder
M Measurable To keep a check on the anxiety
levels during her four hours long
"Supervised visits."
A Attainable To introduce her to certain social
groups where she can share some
time with like-minded people
facing similar kind of problems
R Relevance At her age, she is still forming a
world view and gaining bittersweet
experiences from life. A social
circle where she can have some
pleasant experiences is a relevant

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intervention because of her age.
T Timely The treatment of post-traumatic
stress disorder has a higher success
ratio if the subject is relatively
young.
Treatment plan
A. Goal. The primary goal for Jennifer is to decrease the feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and
depression. She is also looking to rebuild her relationship with her husband and make
new and happy memories (Kolbert, Williams, Morgan, Crothers & Hughes, 2016).
B. Intervention: The primary treatment will be using SMART goals and group counseling.
Diagnosis/Problem Long term goal Short term goal Evidence-based
treatment
Depression,
loneliness, anxiety,
and worry
Decrease feelings of
anxiety and
depression during
distress
Increase coping
mechanisms
Taking medication to
handle the anxiety
Low self-esteem and
cognitive impairment
Improve self-esteem Focusing on positive
qualities
Introduce Jennifer to
social groups where
she will interact with
like-minded people
who are facing similar
problems
Persistent thoughts of
traumatic events and
psychological stress
Increase positive
thoughts and feelings
of peace
Find an occupation to
keep her busy
Inviting her to a social
circle where she will
create new memories
and find a distraction
to her daily routine.
C. Ethics: Confidentiality is vital to all clients. Jennifer will engage with other clients facing
similar situations, and I will ensure we follow all the regulations in the confidentiality
statement. No information will be released to other people without the consent of the
client. The client and I have both signed a confidentiality statement (Capuzzi & Stauffer,
2016).

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D. Multi-cultural factors: As I continue to counsel Jennifer, I will keep in mind our age,
ethnicity, occupation, education, and socio-economic status difference. Jennifer is an
African American female; therefore, I will not make any assumptions about some of the
challenges or perceptions that she may have because of her ethnicity and gender. If any
issue may arise because of her gender or ethnicity, I will discuss them under supervision.
Further assessment may reveal other problems that may be of concern; I will be aware
and proceed with caution and respect (O'Sullivan, Watts, Xiao & Bates‐Maves, 2016).
Assessment
To assess the client, I conducted a Triage Assessment. Jennifer discussed her current problem,
her counseling and medical history, and a risk assessment. The client was given a Beck Anxiety
Inventory and a Beck Depression inventory. Since Jennifer is in excellent physical condition and
currently not suffering from any known significant illness, there was no further risk assessment
conducted (Day-Vines, Ammah, Steen & Arnold, 2018).
Referrals/Access
Jennifer will benefit a lot from a support group that currently meets at the counseling center. As a
referral, Jennifer can consult during crunch. Crunch is a scenario where the behavior patterns of
the client and overall well-being in handling a post-traumatic stress disorder and depression are
analyzed (Lipp, 2019).
Prognosis
Jennifer’s prognosis is highly dependent on the success of the upcoming behavioral
interventions. Her motivational levels will be checked and occasionally balanced mainly because
depression can progress into a tendency very quickly. Also, problems like post-traumatic stress

COUNSELING 5
disorder tend to be more prominent when the client is going through a tough time or during an
emotional breakdown. The motivation levels together with the client’s mental orientation will be
checked after short intervals initially and then progress to longer intervals further along with the
treatment (Cronin, Lawrence, Taylor, Norton & Kazantzis, 2015).

COUNSELING 6
References
Bjerke, M. B., & Renger, R. (2017). Being smart about writing SMART objectives. Evaluation
and program planning, 61, 125-127.
Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. D. (2016). Counseling and psychotherapy: Theories and
interventions. John Wiley & Sons.
Cronin, T. J., Lawrence, K. A., Taylor, K., Norton, P. J., & Kazantzis, N. (2015). Integrating
between‐session interventions (homework) in therapy: The importance of the therapeutic
relationship and cognitive case conceptualization. Journal of clinical psychology, 71(5),
439-450.
Day-Vines, N. L., Ammah, B. B., Steen, S., & Arnold, K. M. (2018). Getting comfortable with
discomfort: Preparing counselor trainees to broach racial, ethnic, and cultural factors with
clients during counseling. International Journal for the Advancement of
Counselling, 40(2), 89-104.
Kolbert, J. B., Williams, R. L., Morgan, L. M., Crothers, L. M., & Hughes, T. L.
(2016). Introduction to professional school counseling: Advocacy, leadership, and
intervention. Routledge.
Kress, V. E., Haiyasoso, M., Zoldan, C. A., Headley, J. A., & Trepal, H. (2018). The Use of
Relational‐Cultural Theory in Counseling Clients Who Have Traumatic Stress
Disorders. Journal of Counseling & Development, 96(1), 106-114.
Krist, A. H., Glasgow, R. E., Heurtin-Roberts, S., Sabo, R. T., Roby, D. H., Gorin, S. N. S., ... &
Phillips, S. M. (2016). The impact of behavioral and mental health risk assessments on
goal setting in primary care. Translational behavioral medicine, 6(2), 212-219.

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Lipp, S. L. (2019). The Effects of Case Conceptualization Training and Deliberate Practice
Coaching on Counselor Competence (Doctoral dissertation, Florida Atlantic University).
O'Sullivan, D., Watts, J. R., Xiao, Y., & Bates‐Maves, J. (2016). Refusal Self‐Efficacy Among
SMART Recovery Members by Affiliation Length and Meeting Frequency. Journal of
Addictions & Offender Counseling, 37(2), 87-101.
Sommers-Flanagan, J., & Sommers-Flanagan, R. (2018). Counseling and psychotherapy theories
in context and practice: Skills, strategies, and techniques. John Wiley & Sons.