Help Needed

Therapy Session Notes

The client, Liz, is portraying emotional confusion after moving from her marital home to her mother’s house. The notion is based on her direct approach to what she perceives as her problem, the inability to know her next step in life. She stated, “I’ve been, I just don’t have the energy to do things anymore, and I’m just looking for answers.” With the continuation of the therapy, she unveils that her husband has been, from her perspective, a little abusive, and it has resulted in her opting to stay with her mother where she views as a safe environment. She has also moved with her two children. Nevertheless, the abuse she received is described as occasional pushing, verbal abuse, and physical attacks in the form of slaps. She states that her act of leaving her marital home was after her husband’s actions escalated.

The move was further instigated by her husband’s physical attacks in front of the children, who are not yet in their teens. Though the husband has never attacked the children, he has attempted to reconcile with Liz. The client states the situation has left her helpless as she is also not supported by her mother. She says, “My mom thinks I should go back home. She feels that my kids would be missing out on there, a good parenting home if I didn’t go back.” The outcome is the previously stated conflict on whether to return to the abusive home or not. In Mexican culture, the action of her mother is understood. However, it brings about her childhood experience. When asked about her mother’s life, she states that her mother also experienced physical and verbal abuse before her father left the family. She says, “There were times when she wouldn’t even come out of the room because she was bruised or because she didn’t want us to see her that way.”

Therefore, Liz witnessed the attacks, and it may have had a role in her current predicament as she does not want her children to have a similar experience. He mother and children are her main strengths, whereas she is conflicted about her husband. The notion is viewed in the statement, “I think I love my husband.” Her support system comprises only one friend, Karen, who has been there for her during the trying times though they have known each other for approximately one year. Liz describes her as “…crazy; I guess like normal women are. But she listens to me, and she doesn’t judge me. She accepts me for who I am. I think she cares about me.” Also, considering Karen suggested counseling for Liz, she is a good friend and support system.

Further, it was also identified that the client is experiencing anxiety; her statements, mental confusion, and physical attributes supported the notion. Liz has the assumption that she is not pleasing everyone in her life and hurting her children by not allowing them to see their father. She also accepted the notion of anxiety after affirming that she experiences racing thoughts, sleepless nights, difficulty breathing, and heart-pounding sensations. She states, “I’m exhausted, and I just don’t feel like I have the energy to do anything, I don’t have, I don’t want to do anything.” Thus, she is unable to sleep and tired during the day. The problem also affects the children as she occasionally oversleeps, resulting in her children getting late for school. Another issue affecting the client is the children’s constant demand for seeing their father.

The client has a younger sister who lives in Washington and has a successful career but not married. According to Liz, her intentions are not to end up like her mother and suggest that the client and her children move in with her as she attempts to resolve her marital issues. However, Liz assumes she will be a burden considering she is not employed and has no personal financial support. When the client’s husband, Robert, is assessed, he is also Mexican, and from her perspective, the husband is not fully aware of their marital problems. The notion is expressed in the statement, “He apologizes. He apologizes afterward, and it just seems like it’s gotten worse. So I don’t know.” The problem has resulted in physical malnourishment and considerations of partaking in drugs such as smoking. However, she is unable to as her financial position is her main limitation.

Overall, her current objective is for everything to be perfect from her perspective, her husband, who has become and drinker, depicts similar traits to her father, and she opts it would end. She has maintained a good relationship with her mother and younger sister, contributing to her sane actions. The goal is to restore her mental energy to those she states to have been her best years, between the age of 18 and 19 years. Her first step to coming for counseling was the most crucial.