Assignment: Vignette Analysis III:
This assignment focuses on vignette analysis and direct application of course concepts to the persons and situations presented in the vignette. All discussions must take into account the legal and ethical considerations, as well as cross-cultural issues that pertain to the situations presented below.
Use the reading assignments thoroughly in an integrative discussion. All assignments MUST be typed, double-spaced, in APA style, and written at graduate level English. Be sure to cite your work according to APA format. Please keep your responses focused on what is presented in the vignette. Do not add information but use your creativity to support what you see in the vignette as written. Avoid elaborations and assumptions.
The course text is the primary resource for this assignment. You should be citing the text often to support your discussion (along with the DSM-5). Outside references should be minimal, except for culture.
Note: Cultural information can be found in the DSM-5. You are also encouraged to use outside Cross Cultural sources as needed, but please reference if doing so.
Discussion must be 6-7 pages plus a title and reference page.
Vignette Analysis III
Vignette Analysis III will be covering Chapters 7 and 8 in the course text and the relevant DSM-5 disorders.
Your discussion must include the relevance of the following areas covered in the text, directly and specifically to the persons and situations presented in the vignette:
• Group, couple and family therapy
• Inner emptiness
• Working in the breach
• Unresolved trauma and loss
Vignette Three: Virginia is a 45 year old African-American woman who was referred by her medical doctor. Her doctor is concerned about Virginia's suicidal gestures and weight loss. Virginia tells you that her doctor is, "overreacting. I've always been afraid of being fat, so I like to be on the thin side. Where I come from, a woman's looks were her ticket to freedom. My dad left mom and I when I was 8 because he found a young skinny woman. I begged him not to leave, but he just laughed at me. I never saw him again." Virginia has memories of her dad beating her mom, "it seemed like every day, but it was probably not that often. He never touched me. If my mom would only have taken better care of herself, stayed thin and pretty, my dad would have never left." Virginia tells you that her mom remarried when she was age 13, "to some jerk with a teenage son who thought I was a sex toy for him and his friends. I tried telling my mom but she told me to be quiet, that I had it good and to just put up with it. So, I learned that if I cut myself, the pain would go away. My mom and I are very close today, and she is worried about me."
Virginia is currently married to her second husband of 6 years. The couple has a 5 year old son who she describes as a "miracle baby given my age and history." She admits to having a history of several tumultuous, abusive relationships. She describes her current husband as "sweet and patient. I don't know why he puts up with me. He's a great father, like the one I wish I had." She knows that she deserves to love and be loved, but she is afraid to allow her husband to get close, "I just know he is going to walk out on me. I feel like I'm lost in some time warp. The only way to protect myself is to start screaming and cussing, while at the same time, begging him to never leave me." Virginia denies suicidal ideation at present, though she does admit to some, "not serious attempts as a teenager." Your diagnosis for Virginia is PTSD.
References: Courtois, C.A. & Ford, J.D. (2015). Treatment of Complex Trauma: A Sequenced, Relationship-Based Approach. The Guilford Press. ISBN 978-1462524600