Case study assignment

PYH402 Case Study Assignment
“The case of ________: A critical analysis using_______”
3000-4500 words Weighting: 50% Final Grade
This assignment allows you to select and show the application of one of the counselling
orientations by developing an imaginary therapy with a client (client scenario supplied on
Blackboard). You are asked to choose one of the counselling orientations covered in the unit
and then outline and critically examine how it might be specifically applied to the hypothetical
client scenario provided to you. You will be given some initial information about a client and
asked to describe an imaginary therapy that you might conduct with this client using a
counselling orientation chosen from one of the three studied in the unit. You are also asked
to explain and argue a case for using your chosen counselling orientation for working with
this client by critically comparing its application with one of the others covered in the unit
(either interpersonal therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or solution focused therapy).
Based on the information in the hypothetical client scenario provided, you are asked to
imagine how both your work and the therapeutic process with this client might unfold across
3-6 sessions using your chosen approach. You will “fill in the gaps” and add information as
you write your account of the way you applied your selected therapeutic approach with this
client across the imaginary sessions. While there is obviously no one correct direction that
any of the models would take, you must base your ongoing strategy on the client information
given or any additional information that you supply. You are then asked to critically reflect
upon the approach you have taken and compare it with how you imagine the employment of
one of the other counselling orientation might have worked out in clinical practice with this
client.
Though the assignment allows a degree of freedom in terms of what is emphasised, and how
it is organised within sections, your assignment must be organised under the following
headings:
1. Major concepts and practices of (your selected orientation)
2. Application of (your selected orientation) to the case
3. Strengths and limitations of (your selected orientation) in relation to the case
4. Critical comparison of your chosen approach with… (one other orientation)
You will notice that these headings align with a criteria sheet, which is available on
Blackboard. Please use the criteria sheet as a guide to help inform the structure and scope
of your paper.
Please note that the primary orientation applied to this case analysis cannot be the
orientation you choose to use in the final counselling demonstration at the end of
semester.
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When writing the essay, it will also be helpful to pay some attention to the questions/issues
below. You might not answer all of these, but make sure you consider each of the
headings, and use the questions as prompts to guide you when thinking about the
case.
Theoretical/philosophical ideas
What are the key ideas and assumptions underlying your chosen orientation? How were
they applied in this particular case? How did the approach conceptualize the issue? What
issues of power, ethics or values might have been relevant in these conceptualizations?
Relevant Skills and Techniques
What were the major skills and techniques used in your approach? How did they produce
change? What was the contribution of the specific methods to the overall impact of the
approach?
Approach to assessment and intervention
What kind of emphasis does your chosen orientation place on assessment? Based on the
information available, what kind of questions and procedures seemed most appropriate?
How were these implemented and what emerged? How did what emerged and the evolving
therapeutic process influence your ongoing intervention strategies? How did you decide on a
direction for the therapy? Identify other directions that could have been taken within the
same model.
Working Alliance with the Client
What principles and approaches characterised your counselling relationship and interactions
with the client?
Progress and Outcome
What could be expected to be achieved in 3-6 sessions using your chosen orientation? What
actually happened? Were there any significant turning points or unexpected events? At the
conclusion of therapy, what progress had been made, and what would you recommend for
the future? What direction would future work need to take to enable the client to progress
further?
Relevant Research
Based on your reading and experience, what would be the most relevant way to evaluate the
efficacy of the approach in your situation? To what extent was your approach based in
sound research? How significant was this for you, as a practitioner?
Ethical dilemmas
What are the most typical ethical dilemmas that arise in using your chosen orientation or with
the particular kind of issue you are working with? To what extent did these arise in your work
with the client, and how were they addressed?
Possible Limitations
What might be missing from the therapeutic orientation that informed your approach to work
with this client? Under what circumstances would you consider trying another approach,
either within the same model or beyond it? Facing a similar situation in the future, would you
recommend anything different?
Critical Comparison and Basis for Choice
When you imagine using one of the other orientations for your work with this client, what
factors most influence your choice of a preferred orientation? What criteria were of most
personal significance for you? Critically compare your chosen approach with one of the others
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covered in the unit, briefly setting out how it would have approached the case differently, and
indicating the basis of your preference.
Style and Formatting
Write your assignment in the past tense, as though you were looking back on the case and
describing how you proceeded from the first session of this imagined therapy. Refer to yourself
in the third person either using your own name (e.g., “Jane”) or “the therapist”.

When submitting your assignment, clearly indicate on the title page the name of the orientation
you have selected for your main analysis (i.e., cognitive-behavioural therapy, interpersonal
psychotherapy or solution focused therapy). Although this paper is based partly on your
personal responses, preferences, constructions and reflections – it is also an academic paper
and relevant literature should be cited and must be referenced in APA (7th edition) format.