Termination summary -- Human Services Field

Case Manager: Good morning, have a seat please.

Client: Good morning, sorry that I am late. I couldn't find a parking spot.

Case Manager: That's fine. Don't you worry about that. I was going to wait for you for fifteen minutes. That is what we do with clients usually.

Client: Thank you, this is not who I am. I try to be punctual.

Case Manager: Go on. What are your other personal traits?

Client: Well, I love to take care of other people. I pride myself in being a hardworking guy. I think that I am a funny person.

Case Manager: So far you have listed a couple of positive characteristics of yourself. You are usually punctual, caring, hardworking, and funny. Is this right?

Client: Well, yes. For the most majority of time, I am that person.

Case Manager: Thank you for that. May you please tell me what your negative characteristics are?

Client: Well, I don't know if they can be considered as negative, but... Sometimes I get these episodes of depression and feel like I am not worth anything. Sometimes I get a great idea regarding a personal project, and then I become too lazy, and do not do anything about it.

Case Manager: Is this the mere criticism of oneself, or do you think that other people perceive you in that same way?

Client: Well, I think that other people see me as this bright man, who always finds time for them, and who does not fail to keep the image of perfection.

Case Manager: Why the image of perfection? Do you think that you might be putting so much pressure on yourself to appear perfectly, just because other people recognize you as that kind of person?

Client: That might be the case. For example, I don't even like my job. But I can't make myself find another, because that would mean that I must engage with so many new people, and I usually don't feel like leaving the house. Sometimes I feel that people do not see my true personality. They are caught up in this image of an ideal person who always finds time for them.

Case Manager: So far, you have mentioned that you are dissatisfied with your job, and that you don't feel like finding a new one because you don't want other people to form new opinions about you. Is the fear of judgment the only reason why you don't want to find a new job?

Client: Well, not the only one, actually. I would have to buy some new clothes, even undergo a makeover, but I don't have the money for that.

Case Manager: I see that you are anxious about the way you appear to other people. May I ask you, how is your love life going?

Client: That is probably the main thing that makes me so unhappy with myself. I had a girlfriend for a year, and then I found out that he was catfishing me. She had a fiancée the whole entire time.

Case Manager: Would you like to meet a new person, and have a relationship?

Client: I think that I have this potential to be the best boyfriend in the world. But I don't have the chance to prove myself.

Case Manager: Jamarr, we are almost done with this introductory session. Here are a couple of things that I have for you. First, I think that you have been programmed to put yourself on the last place in your life. You seem to find so much time for your friends, but still you feel anxious about what the other people may think about you. This indicates that you need an external approval to find some worth in yourself. Please know that you can make new priorities and become free of any judgment. Half the times you think that those external validations matter, they don't even take you in account. You seem as a kind person who likes to help other people. You can also navigate that power and help yourself. Feeling comfortable in one's own skin is possible. I propose that we work on the issue of self-perception, as well as means of motivating you to make significant changes in your life. How that sounds to you?

Client: Thank you. That surely sounds promising.

Case Manager: Then I will see you next week. Thank you for coming.