Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES – SANTA ROSA CAMPUS
PSYC 40063 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOTHERAPY | GROUP WORKSHEET
MID-TERM GROUP EXERCISE PART I: THE CASE OF GWEN (20 Points)
Taken from Corey, G. (2017). Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy (10th ed).
Case of Gwen_Transcript
Dr. Kirksey: Hi, Good day. Please, come in.
Gwen: (Nods as she entered the room, aimed for a couch which she supposed was the seat for
the client, facing another chair near the table of the Counsellor.)
Dr. Kirksey: Do you feel comfortable?
Gwen: Everything's... fine. Thank you.
Gwen: (Shifts her head to get a better look of the room; sees a painting from a familiar artist
hung on the wall by the window.) Duncanson?
Dr. Kirksey: (Is surprised that Gwen knew about the artist of painting.) You have a good eye.
Gwen: A yearning for a place of peace and serenity. He is a person of color too, may I add.
Dr. Kirksey: Yes, he is. A highly-relatable painting, indeed. Do you paint or something?
Gwen: Maybe. Nonetheless, I have no time to do the things I once enjoyed. (Smiles bitterly and
reaches for the counsellor’s hand.) I’m Gwen.
Dr. Kirksey: Dr. Kirksey. (Shakes hands with the client.) I am glad you made it here. It’s nice to
actually meet you in person. Have a seat, please.
Gwen: (Is hesitant what to say next; seats with her hands on her lap, eyes pinned on the floor.)
Dr. Kirksey: (Notices the hesitation, observed Gwen for a couple more seconds.) Is this your
first time in counselling?
Gwen: (Plays with her fingers, pauses for a bit before speaking.) This is uhm, actually my first
time. I haven’t done something like this before and apologise if I ever mess up.
Dr. Kirksey: I see. Well, understand if you’re new to this and you’re not yet aware of the
process, and that’s fine. I would be glad to discuss everything with you. Are you okay with that?
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Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES – SANTA ROSA CAMPUS
PSYC 40063 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOTHERAPY | GROUP WORKSHEET
Gwen: Fine with me… So, how is this done, Dr. Kirksey?
Dr. Kirksey: With you unloading your stressors, it will be expected that you will be sharing
stories and as the counsellor, I will be asking clarifying questions to know more about you and
these conflicts so we can work on them. This talk may be too personal. Don’t worry though, we
will be sticking to details that will be useful for the counselling. By the end of our 1- hour talk,
you will get to decide if this session is helpful for you and if you consider working with me for a
few more sessions. If not then we could probably refer you to someone else who will give you a
more compatible approach based on your situation if you still want to pursue the counselling.
Alright?
Gwen: Okay, Doc.
Dr. Kisksey: So, apart from this exchange, we are also about the paper works, you know?
Counselling is all about jotting down everything because we can’t just rely on what we heard,
right? We have to have a “cheat sheet” to get back on for references so paper works are very
important by the end of the session but I want to introduce to you our informed sheet as early as
possible.
Gwen: What does it say?
Dr. Kisksey: From our counselling policies, we have here the cancellation or changes in
schedule of the session. I can give you at least uhm.. 24 hours to do so but when there are
unexpected situations like you got sick or you can’t leave from work then I can certainly consider
that. And then there’s this, termination... This is very crucial because if I can see that the
approach we are having is not getting us any progress for half a year or so then of course, we
have to refer you to another place that can cater your needs more effectively which is not only
normal in counselling but also necessary. We can’t force something that isn’t meant to be, right?
Gwen: That’s right.
Dr. Kirksey: So if situations happen like I have already discussed the same thing in more than
five sessions and you’re not considering its causes then we have to start doing it or terminate it.
Do we have an agreement on that?
Gwen: Yes, Doc. I understand.
Dr. Kirksey: That’s good to hear. We also have confidentiality. I know this is the first time we
met and I will understand if you’re not still used to talking to me that you feel the need of
phoning up someone else, like your pastor. I can consider that. From then, we can actually
include him as a third party in this counselling, if you will be more comfortable to have him with
us, that’s no problem.
Gwen: Okay, I will keep that in mind.
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Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES – SANTA ROSA CAMPUS
PSYC 40063 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOTHERAPY | GROUP WORKSHEET
Dr. Kirksey: Do you have some questions or clarifications about the counselling policies?
Violent reactions? (Chuckles.)
Gwen: No, I have understood the policies. (Smiles at the counsellor’s laugh.)
Dr. Kirksey: Sounds good to me. We can now proceed to the financial policies. For the billing,
we can just settle that later on with your insurance provider, depending on their commitment to
you of course— you brought your card with you, right?
Gwen: Yes, yes I did.
Dr. Kirksey: That’s good, well then you just have to settle if the insurance company does have
them as your benefits so we can avoid the conflict in billing which will get back on you if they
don’t pay the fees. Sometimes, clients thought that their insurances do cover the session fee but
they weren’t so financial conflicts arose and we don’t want that to happen, right?
Gwen: Yes.
Dr. Kirksey: Finally, the privacy policies. As I’ve said, the session might be too personal but rest
assured that the information you will be providing will be secured and will only be accessed by
third parties unless you sign an authorization letter. Is that good?
Gwen: Yes, that’s perfectly fine.
Dr. Kirksey: Do you have any questions about this form?
Gwen: I think I’m good.
Dr. Kirksey: Alright! You think we can proceed to signing this sheet? Just to formally complete
our agreement.
Gwen: Sure, no problem at all. (Reaches the pen from dr. Kirksey and signs the paper.)
Dr. Kirksey: Alright… (Sets aside the paperwork; leans a bit forward and crosses her legs, puts
her hands on her lap to show camaraderie to Gwen.) So, you are referred to me by your
pastor… Can you share your relationship with him?
Gwen: Ah, yes. Actually, it’s the church where I usually run to whenever I feel down, and the
Pastor knows about it. He has been helping me— praying for me to conquer this heavy feeling
in my chest.
Dr. Kirksey: Hmmm, I see that you have a strong faith. Well, your pastor also shared some
information about you upon referral. He disclosed about your difficulty of staying focused at work
and, there’s also this feeling of sadness and overwhelm. Can you tell me more about that?
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Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES – SANTA ROSA CAMPUS
PSYC 40063 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOTHERAPY | GROUP WORKSHEET
Gwen: Y-yes… of course (Pauses; hesitates to continue.)
Dr. Kirksey: On your own pace, Gwen. Take your time.
Gwen: (Breathes a sigh and relaxes her shoulders.) I think I’m ready to unload the stressors I've
been holding inside… I’ve been holding everything together for everyone far too long…
(Breathes heavily.) I feel a heaviness in my heart, which is associated with all that is expected
from me at work and with my family, what I haven't accomplished, and where I am heading.
Dr. Kirksey: Now I can see where all the heaviness is coming from. It’s from the external
pressure from your both environments. Can you tell me more about them? You can start
wherever you want.
Gwen: I haven’t felt carefree since I was a young child before my parents’ divorce…
Dr. Kirksey: Can you share a bit more about that point of your life?
Gwen: My parents moved to the North from Georgia for work when I was 8 years old. They
were teachers and they value education so much that we had to move for it.
Dr. Kirksey: How was the neighborhood where you moved with your parents?
Gwen: My neighborhood and school were predominantly African American, and the community
was close. However in highschool, where I attended a predominately white school, I felt different
and excluded and this was reinforced by occasional name calling and subtle slights. That was
one of the first times I remember feeling like I had to work twice as hard to get ahead and to be
accepted in life. Throughout college I worked hard to be successful by pushing myself to
achieve what people said I couldn’t, but it seems that all my hard work has just worn me down”.
Dr. Kirksey: So, at that young age, you have experienced to moved to a place you’re not
familiar with, with a community that wasn’t acceptant of people of color and got bullied for being
one and now you feel like to prove them wrong, you just got to work double but felt fatigue from
it because, apparently you’re not doing it for yourself anymore but for others. Is that right?
Gwen: Yes. Definitely. I’ve been like that since I was very young, and I’m in my 50’s now.
Dr. Kirksey: Okay, so what exactly brings you to seek counselling? We can use that to have an
overview of our goals here.
Gwen: A few of my concerns relate to my work. There’s this mounting tension on the job and,
when I assert my opinions about racial issues, being I am the only woman of color in the
workplace, I am labeled as emotional and angry.
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Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES – SANTA ROSA CAMPUS
PSYC 40063 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOTHERAPY | GROUP WORKSHEET
Dr. Kirksey: That’s pretty tiring, not gonna lie, when the workplace is as tiring as the people you
work with. The fact that you’re just going toward what’s right when it comes to racial issues and
they seem to be going all over you for reacting the normal way about it.
Gwen: Yeah and the more tension I experience at work, the less I engage at home. Apart from
work conflicts, I also am very worried about my mother who’s suffering from dementia. (Shooks
her head.) I don’t know, I am feeling terrible about myself and not even wanting to be around
people anymore. Everything irritates me and I prefer to spend time by myself.
Dr. Kirksey: Have you been having thoughts of suicide or self-harm?
Gwen: I feel like a shell of a person. I am not depressed where I am wanting to kill myself. I just
feel numb. There is no real point to doing this daily routine of waking, suffering through the day,
and going to bed just to get up and do it all over again. My life is like a flat note with little joy. I
don’t go out; I don’t have sex; and I am too tired to do anything. Nothing I do is good enough.
Dr. Kirksey: Do you find these situations the same with your past experiences where all your
hard work has just worn you down and everything feels repetitive but nonsense?
Gwen: Yes. That’s pretty much it.
Dr. Kirksey: Well, it is really tiring to work on something over and over again but not getting any
result from it and from then, you will know that you have to repeat everything with that hope to
finish something, right? Especially when it is you and only you who is expected to do it.
Gwen: I start projects, and then it’s like they disappear. Nothing ever gets finished, and then I
feel worse about myself. Sometimes I feel like I want to go into a cave and never come out. I
feel like I will lose everything if I don’t make some changes in my life. Everything looks good on
the outside, but inside of me, I am on edge and need to do something different. My pastor and
mentor tell me I am sabotaging myself. Usually, I get defensive and withdrawn, but this time, I
want to get better and I am ready to do what it takes.
Dr. Kirksey: So you feel like wanting to have an escape from all the expectations from your
family and work. (Shifts position and puts a hand on her arm, all still resting on her lap.) Though,
I am hearing that you are acknowledging the observations of your pastor and mentor after being
defensive and withdrawn about it, which is normal. We can be in denial when we cannot see the
conflict within yet, but that's pretty good progress right there! (Smiles at Gwen.) And you’re
eager to make changes in your life, too. That’s a really good headstart. It is good that you have
that goal in your awareness and that will result in better commitment in our session.
Gwen: (Nods.) I am done with feeling tired all the time and hiding from people. My
goal is to live a more balanced life and to learn how to reduce my stress level. Do you
think you can help me with that?
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Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES – SANTA ROSA CAMPUS
PSYC 40063 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOTHERAPY | GROUP WORKSHEET
Dr. Kirksey: I can totally give you some recommendations but in terms of deciding and figuring
out what approach will be more effective for your situation, it should come from you.
Gwen: Well, I am willing to do what it takes. As long as I can make it, then I’ll do it.
Dr. Kirksey: That’s very good to hear, Gwen. Well, we already completed the intake session.
The next thing we have to build is a working alliance based on mutual respect and this is your
time to use as you please, and that it is a safe and confidential space. I hope this is a good
experience for you as your first counselling session.
Gwen: It is, Dr. Kirksey. And I look forward to coming back for the next steps of the
counselling.
Dr. Kirksey: Me too. It’s nice working with you. You did a really good job today and I appreciate
your cooperation.
Gwen: Thank you. (Stands and gives her hand for a handshake.)
Dr. Kirksey: I’ll see you next month. (Stands and reaches for Gwen’s hand.)
Gwen: Fine with me. See you, Dr. Kirksey. (Nods.)
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