as attached

Date of Recording

04/01/2022

Date of Session

04/01/2022

Student

Jesse Nunez

Field Instructor

Deidre Summers

Initials or Fictitious Name of Person (People) Served:

A.S

Gender Identity, Ethnic Identity, and Age:

48-year-old white female

Source and Reason for Referral:

Writer scheduled session with A.S because she stated that she is in dire need of a job.

Family Background

A.S is from a Jewish Orthodox family who currently lives in White Plains NY, and is originally from Flatbush, Brooklyn N,Y.

Setting and Who is Present:

Writer and A.S met in writer’s office.

Brief Summary of Work with Person (People) to Date:

This was our first one on one session to date.

Dialogue

Your feelings

Analysis

Field Instructor’s comments

Jesse: A.S. good morning, how are you feeling?

A.S.: Not good, I need a job and I was told that you’re the person to help me with that. .

Okay, he wants to get right into it

Jesse: Okay, have you worked before, and what type of job are you looking for?

A.S.: Yes, I currently work at Marshalls, it’s only 4 hours. I don’t like the job, and it’s not doing anything for me. I was a peer advocate for 17 years at Rockland psychiatric. I’d like to do something more meaningful.

He talks very fast

Clients speech was pressured, and tone was loud.

Jesse: Okay, I know I can help you. Do you have a resume?

J.D.: We have this system she cooks and then after dinner I end up loading the dishes in the dishwasher, wipe down the table, and sweep up the floor. Yesterday I ate my lunch at 4:30pm so I considered it my dinner. Then when I get home I got into an argument with her about it and she said she would be up all night doing it but she was up anyway and she finished at 9:30pm so not late for her. I am upset that she said “do you not want to live here” I feel that it was wrong of her to say, I am living there because of my financial situation at the moment and I do want to be there but it felt like an unnecessary statement.

Wow he gives a lot of unnecessary details

Writer did not have any issues understanding the words, but he occasionally went off into too much unnecessary detail. Client’s face occasionally became red and he appeared to run out of breath on a couple of occasions.

Louis: so, your mother became upset that you did not call her and tell her you ate dinner?

D.J.: No, I called her and told her I wasn’t eating at home.

He gave all the details except the important one

Writer was initially confused as to what the clients mother was upset about. Writer should have asked “what was your mother upset about” instead of making an assumption here.

Louis okay, so because you didn’t eat dinner you did not clean up afterward like you usually do?

D.J.: no I don’t think that I should have had to clean up plus it didn’t take her long to do so I feel like she was out of line, and I told her that she needs to think before she says something. Why would she say that?

He takes things very literally.

Client believed that doing his chore was predicated on whether or not he ate dinner that his mother cooked. Since he did not eat dinner that evening the conditions for doing the chores were not met and he believed that he did not need to do the chore.

Louis: Do you do the chores daily?

D.J.: Yes every day.

He doesn’t get it

Client did not understand why his mother said what she said.

Louis: but only because you also eat?

D.J.: Yes.

He believes that the chores are conditional to him also eating dinner

Client believes the chores are a condition of eating and did not understand why his mother would become upset that she had to do it.

Louis: Does your mother know that you completing the chores are conditional on whether you ate dinner that night?

D.J.: No, I did not say that to her.

Of course, he wouldn’t have told her because he is so literal minded. It is obvious to him that he only does the chores because he also ate.

Writer made an assumption here about the client’s diagnosis of being on the autism spectrum.

Louis: How do you think your mother would see the situation from her perspective? Do you think she believes the chores should be done only if you eat?

D.J.: When you put it that way, I think maybe I can see why she would become upset. I will speak with her about it when I get home.

Wow, he had poor insight initially but picked that up fast.

Writer was surprised that the client was able to understand his mother’s perspective on the situation so quickly.

Louis: Okay, is there anything else you would like to talk about?

D.J.: Yes, I also seem to be having a problem with my little brother. He called me up and we got into an argument. I try to teach him respect but he does not want to listen. This happened after a get together at his house over the weekend. He is mad at me because of a funny joke I told and is angry over Chinese food. His wife’s sister is pregnant, and we were supposed to go over there for a gender reveal but because of covid they rescheduled, and I couldn’t make it on the changed day. My brother told me that the Chinese food that they served wasn’t that good and so I suggested to my brothers mother in law another Chinese place that they should use in the future and then after my brother calls me and is upset with me about it, it’s just Chinese food and I was trying to be helpful.

Again, he is over explaining the details

Pressured speech and unnecessary details continued throughout the session

Louis: You’re brother told you that the Chinese food served at his sister-in-laws gender reveal party wasn’t good, and when you were at his house this past weekend with the family you told his mother in law about your brother’s feelings on the Chinese food that was served, am I correct?

He threw his brother under the bus

Client did not understand that he shared information his brother gave him without his brother’s consent. Could be a contributing factor to how his brother spoke with him following the event.

D.J.: Yes.

Louis: And your brother told you this when?

D.J.: A few days before over the phone.

Louis: Why did you speak with your brother’s mother-in-law about the Chinese food?

D.J.: I was just trying to suggest an excellent place for them to use next time so that they don’t serve Chinese food that isn’t good.

He was trying to be helpful but isn’t understanding that is insulting

Client was trying to be helpful by speaking with his brother’s mother-in-law about a good Chinese restaurant he knew of. He did not understand that doing this could be insulting.

Louis: Okay DJ, lets say that you are hosting a party for family and you provide the food then you find out that people at the party were telling other people that you served bad food, how would that make you feel?

I’ll ask how he thinks he would feel if it was him

Asking to look at this from another’s perspective previously helped him understand his mother’s response to him not doing after dinner chores so I used that tactic again.

D.J.: Oh wow not very good. I see where you are going with this, I thought I was being helpful but I can see that would make someone feel bad. Thank you I had not thought about it that way. I can see how it was something I should not have done. But I don’t understand why he was mad at me also that I told a funny joke.

He eventually gets it when perspective is switched

Again he initially showed a lack of insight but is quick to understand when looking at the situation from someone involved with a different perspective.

Louis: Well it depends on the joke and the people who are there what may be funny to you may be considered inappropriate to others depending on where you are?

Oh man how bad is this joke?

D.J.: What do you mean?

Louis: Well for example some jokes are appropriate for mixed company where there are like grand parents and children present and some jokes are appropriate when you are out with your friends at a bar. If you are willing to tell it again, what was the joke?

Hopefully not too bad a joke

D.J.: Okay so two of his sister-in-laws are pregnant and when we were sitting around the table eating with their husbands and children, I made a joke about how Gynecologists have the best job in the world.

Oh boy, bad start

Louis: Uh hmm

Uh oh, where is this going

D.J.: But then after they have the baby it is like going into a cave. (client laughs at his joke)

Wow that is an inappropriate joke to tell in front of anyone let alone your entire family and your sister-in- law’s family, especially with kids there

Client told an inappropriate joke in front of his family his sister-in-law’s family with the children in the family present. Client does not understand that there is a time and a place for certain “jokes” or language.

Louis: DJ remember when I stated that jokes are situational, depending on the company you are with?

D.J.: Yes

Louis: So DJ, where do you think would be a more appropriate place for that joke to be told? At a dinner with your and your sister-in-law’s families around grand parents and children or in a bar?

No initial insight on this one too.

Client again shows issues with reading social situations.

D.J.: That’s what my father said, he was upset with me as well but everybody in my sister-in-laws family laughed at the joke, but I see what you are saying, I will apologize to my brother even though I thought it was funny. Thank you, Louis.

Laughing does not mean they thought it was funny. I almost laughed at how bad and how awkward the joke was.

Writer almost laughed the punchline of the joke due to the absurdity of the joke and the situation. Client believed that it was okay since people laughed. Writer did not want to reinforce to the client that the joke was funny and therefore appropriate. Client had more trouble with this situation because of the laughter to the joke but stated that he would apologize to his brother.

Louis: You’re welcome. Is there anything else that you would like to talk about before we end the session?

D.J.: Not right now I have to go meet a friend in the city for dinner in a little bit.

Louis: Okay enjoy your night out, if there is anything else you would like to talk about come find me.

D.J.: Okay I will.