Applying Research to a case study

Case Study 4

Jared is a 37-year-old African American male who is referred to counseling by his girlfriend, Sheila. Sheila is worried about Jared because he is short-tempered and on edge, shouts at his girlfriend, and loses his cool with his kids, ages 13 and 15. Jared was served with divorce papers upon his return from deployment and now only sees his children every other weekend. Jared reports that he “can’t think straight.” He describes wanting to lock himself away and draw the curtains. Jared cries openly when describing that he served four years in Operation Iraqi Freedom as a marine. He also expresses reluctance to enter into counseling because he fears being labeled.

In the 12 years since returning home from his deployment, Jared has struggled with his divorce and homelessness. He reports believing that people with mental problems are wimps or fakers. Jared also explains that when he was a medic, he coped with the horrors that he had seen in war by having a few beers or smoking marijuana to try and block out the horrific memories. Jared then describes one event that plays over and over in his head. He became emotional when he described the scene of a young child who had been mutilated but left alive. Jared’s daily thoughts are filled with images of homes being burned, or people screaming with bloody injuries, or people in anguish over the dead bodies of their loved ones. These memories have impacted his daily functioning and interpersonal relationships because of the feelings and thoughts that are triggered. Neither his girlfriend nor his kids want to be around him, and he is worried that he is losing his mind