COUN222 COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY 2019
Assignment 2 – Case Study: “Peter”
Peter is a 45-year-old man. Since completing Year 12, he has completed a number of industry
certificates but has not completed any other postgraduate studies. He is 180 cm tall and weighs 81
kg. Peter has been ma
ied to his wife, Julie, for 12 years. Julie completed Year 10 before
completing a certificate of secretarial studies and working in the reception of a busy General Practice
office. Julie has worked part-time since the birth of their first child. They have two sons; Peter Junior
(‘PJ’) aged 9 years and Thomas (‘Tom’) aged 6 years.
During the initial interview, Peter was casually dressed, generally co-operative and polite.
Nevertheless, he struggled to make eye contact and seemed to have difficulty answering some of
the questions. His speech was slow and laboured. Peter reports feeling sad almost constantly and
general low mood.
Three years ago, Peter was fired from his previous position of employment with a Real Estate agency
due to a decline in his sales. At this time, he was unemployed for nearly 12-months. This was
devastating to Peter as he sees himself as the “
ead winner” for his family. Peter reported that
“during that time they struggled to make ends meet”. Julie was a great support to him throughout
this period and always remained optimistic and encouraging. Peter finally found a position as a sales
ep for a nation-wide company. For the first 18 months, Peter was extremely successful in this
position and was consistently ranked within the top 10% of sales reps for the company, earning
lucrative bonuses. When the opportunity for promotion came up in the company, Peter was
confident he would be successful. However, he missed the promotion and his confidence
“plummeted”. Subsequently, his sales figures dropped substantially.
Since missing the promotion approximately 5 months ago, Peter has struggled with having the
motivation to work. His employer is placing more and more pressure on him to return to his previous
ate of sales and he feels guilty for letting his boss down. His concentration is poor and he is having
difficulty keeping up with the paperwork at work, as well as managing bills and accounts at home.
He sets his standards high and is ashamed that his performance has deteriorated.
Peter describes himself as “completely worthless” and says that he feels there is no point trying
anymore because he will only “continue to fail at everything”. As he explains “I never knew why I
never got promotions at work. Now I know, it’s because I’m useless and can’t handle the pressure.”
Peter does not sleep well. He lies in bed wo
ying about the things that have happened that day and
wo
ying about whether his position will be terminated. When he does fall asleep he wakes after a
short time. He dreads the morning and facing the day ahead. At other times he can sleep for long
periods but feels no more rested. His appetite is poor and he has lost weight. Peter denies thoughts
of self-harm or suicide.
Background (e.g., demographic details, family and/ or employment circumstances) : Superior level and description of information. Includes key demographic details relevant to the client and the client’s family. No i
elevant information included.
Details of problem and Formulation(30 marks): Co
ectly identifies the presenting problem.
High level assessment and integrative description of the details of the problem.
Includes key information relevant to the duration of the problem, environmental
triggering factors, physiological reactions, problem behaviours and maladaptive cognitions.
Clear and concise description of relevant precipitating, predisposing, perpetuating, and protective factors and information is co
ectly assigned to these factors. Cognitive formulation presented. Sophisticated links made between model and the client. No i
elevant information included.
Treatment plan (20 marks) :Treatment plan is clearly linked to
target the problem areas identified in the assessment.
Treatment plan demonstrates an advanced level of integration and insight. High level of critical thinking evident in outlined treatment plan. Evaluation is supported by references to relevant literature.
Proposed treatment sessions (25 marks) Superior level and description of treatment sessions. Includes description of key session details including number of sessions, specific therapy skills in each session, and homework assigned for each session. Logic of order of sessions made clear. No i
elevant information included.