Couple Paper

Couple Paper

  • Submitted By: sja876
  • Date Submitted: 03/09/2009 10:39 AM
  • Category: Psychology
  • Words: 1621
  • Page: 7
  • Views: 349

My Couple

Theoretical Orientation

As a therapist in training, I am trying to develop my own personal style of doing therapy. Some theoretic approaches I use are psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral theories. I really like depth psychotherapy in which the client really gets to know themselves on a deep personal level.
I believe change occurs when the client finds out why the behaviors are occurring in the first place and once they realize the behaviors we work together to try to change them. I believe change can happen only if the client really wants change and the first step is coming into therapy. It takes a lot of guts to come into therapy and each client that does want to work on themselves gets praise from me for, at the minimum, coming into therapy.
I believe I am a directive therapist. Some of the time I will push the client against his or her resistance. I believe this allows for the unconscious to become conscious and only then can change occur. This can only happen if the client is ready to do the work. I believe this is a fragile process, and I am in the midst of learning when to push and when to back off. The client can only go as fast as they can; some of the time this is done at a real slow pace and this is a process I am working on in order for me to be the best therapist I can for each particular client.

Background and Identifying Information

Melissa and Lee have been together for about a year and a half. They have been engaged for six months. They have been living together for the last nine months. They came into see me and my co therapist since December saying they wanted six months of therapy before they get married. We have seen them for a total of twelve sessions due to vacations and busy work schedules of this couple.
Melissa is a twenty four year old Asian American born in Northern California. She stands 5’4’’ and is sort of athletically built. She believes she is over weight and wants to lose a few...

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