Case Study: Laura

Laura is a very successful business woman in the high-stress world of corporate finance. She has been referred to you by the company's employee assistance program. Laura frankly tells you that although she plans on only having one or two glasses of wine each evening, she usually finishes the whole bottle.

Laura drinks at least three or four cups of coffee each morning. Around the time that her 50-year-old father died several years ago, Laura experienced difficulty sleeping and was prescribed Valium to help her sleep.

She takes Redux to control her weight, in addition to regular exercise, and Xanax to control her anxiety. Over the past year, Laura has become more reclusive, struggling to make it to business dinners and after-work functions. Last week, Laura was scheduled to meet the firm's top client for a business luncheon, but she arrived 20 minutes late after struggling to get out of bed and get dressed.

At the meeting, Laura had to excuse herself to take a Xanax to calm her nerves and could not resist ordering three glasses of wine with lunch. As a result, Laura had to be escorted to her car after the lunch, and the client canceled the account the next day. Laura's boss immediately required her to participate in the Employee Assistance Program.

Task: Delineate the best treatment method that would fit with this client's problem. In your answer, describe one research-based evidence approach that you could transform into a best practice for this client.