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Case Summary and Presenting
Problems
Theories Of Counseling (Liberty University)
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CASE SUMMARY AND PRESENT PROBLEMS OF MR. STARK 1
CASE SUMMARY AND PRESENTING PROBLEMS OF MR. STARK
Maame P. Afrifa
Counselor Education and Family Studies, Liberty University
Author Note
Maame Afrifa
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
Maame Afrifa
Email: mpafrifa@liberty.edu
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CASE SUMMARY 2
Client History
In this case summary, the client I will be interviewing is the renowned Anthony Edward
Stark. He is otherwise known Tony Stark, but he is well known “Iron Man” the superhero. Tony
Stark can be found in several movies in the marvel cinematic universe. This includes an Iron
Man trilogy series, and all of the Avenger movies. The data collected previous to this client
assessment can be find on the Marvel studios main website, and Iron Man Fan Club websites
(Marvel, n.d.). Tony Stark is the son of Howard Stark, the primary founder of Stark Industries,
and his spouse, Maria Stark (Marvel, n.d.). As a child, Tony was blessed with a brilliant mind
for inventions and mathematics, therefore having a father as an inventor, became easy Tony to
grasp knowledge at an existential rate. Mr. Stark grew up in a wealthy family was taken care by
nannies, butlers, and assistants. On the other hand, Tony’s relationship with his parents became
very strained as his parents would consistently travel and spent little amounts of time with their
son. Tony has no siblings so he would spend many holidays alone. This occurred throughout
Tony’s childhood. At the age of seventeen, Tony Stark lost both of his parents in a car accident,
as a result, this event became a trigger for Tony to seek counseling services.
Mr. Stark was known as a prodigy or a genius. At the age 15, Stark entered the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later graduated with his master’s in physics and
electrical engineering (Marvel, n.d.). As I conversated with Mr. Stark, I noticed he presented
symptoms of anxiety and stress. Initially, he exhibited an angsty demeanor as if he can never find
comfortable position in his chair and he seems to be in a hurry. Mr. Stark expressed to me his
struggles with stress in the past and how it became worsen due to his parent’s death. As far as the
client’s physical health history, Mr. Stark had experienced difficulty with his heart. Due to a car
accident that previously occurred in his career, he was given an artificial heart to sustain his
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CASE SUMMARY 3
body. However, that artificial heart caused Tony to suffer further complications and was then
given a heart transplant that saved his life.
After the death of Mr. Starks parents, he inherited his father’s company, Stark Industries,
which is known for selling weapons or technology to the military (Iron Man, n.d.). Stark
Industries is worth billions of dollars. Tony Stark decided to switch his occupation as a military
contractor to a full-time superhero position under the Strategic Homeland Intervention,
Enforcement and Logistics Division (Iron Man, n.d.). In the beginning, Tony struggled to
cooperate with his fellow colleagues, but learned to develop a sense of trust overtime. His
colleagues include the “Avengers” which includes Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, and
The Incredible Hulk (Iron Man, n.d.). Together the Avengers work as a team to protect the
planet Earth from potential dangers.
At the moment, Tony Stark has a significant other, but finds difficulty in maintaining a
balance between work and home life. The client expressed his moderate consumption of alcohol
during his college years in comparison towards the present (Marvel, n.d.). Nowadays the client
only drinks alcohol during celebrations and has no desire for drug use. The client grew up in a
household with no indication of religious or spiritual beliefs. At the current moment, Mr. Stark
looks to science rather than relying on a higher divine power(Marvel, n.d.). Mr. Stark is aware
that there is a higher power, however, he chooses not to place his faith into that. The client
expresses a lack of cultural factors in life.
Tony Stark exhibits a big personality. He is straightforward and is aware of what he
likes/dislikes and can be witty at times. Based off the first encounter with Mr. Stark, I feel that
he is open to counseling services to help manage his anxiety and stress. If Mr. Stark was hesitant
about counseling services, I would proceed to explain how counseling works to begin the
process
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CASE SUMMARY 4
of establishing rapport. In addition, I would explain that this is collaborative effort to ensure that
Tony’s needs are a priority. Mr. Stark shows signs of severe anxiety, and experiences insomnia
due to work-related issues.
Presenting Problems
Conflicts with Anxiety and Personal Functioning
Mr. Stark expresses a dire need for help to manage his anxiety. This anxiety has become
severe since the death of his parents and has worsen since he has been working full time with
S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony describes the progression of his anxiety as if it was a roller coaster ride.
There are high amounts of anxiety and low amounts (Iron Man, n.d.). Mr. Stark conveys that his
severe anxiety has translated into moments of panic attacks and suddenly feels the weight of the
world on his shoulders. During the initial Avengers, Mr. Stark expressed that after winning
battles with the villains whom tried to invade New York City, he felt an immense rise of stress
levels (Iron Man, n.d.). He felt his stress and anxiety was unmanageable. The best method he
could to help with stress was to get back in his office and create more inventions to distract
himself from reality.
Depression and Relationships
After his battle in Sokovia, in the second Avengers film, Mr. Stark conveyed more signs
of depression which translated into his relationship with Ms. Pepper Potts. Start explained the
brief history between himself and his girlfriend. When Stark assumed the role as the owner of
Stark Industries, he hired Ms. Potts to become his personal assistant (Iron Man, n.d.). They
became extremely close and formed a bond with each other. Tony did not have many real
friends which attributed to his depression. Overtime, Ms. Potts quit employment at Stark
Industries and is in relationship with my client. The growing depression Mr. Stark has acquired
from his past
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CASE SUMMARY 5
work experiences has translated in this relationship. Mr. Stark describes that he feels a bit distant
within his relationship, however, he believes that his symptoms are the cause for it.
Struggles with Occupational Functioning
Mr. Stark also expresses conflict with occupational functioning, in regard to confliction
amongst coworkers. Tony Stark conveyed to his difficulty to work with Steve Rodgers,
otherwise, known as Captain America (Iron Man, n.d.). Tony’s father Howard Stark was
acquainted with Stever Rodgers before his passing and spoke highly of him. Whenever Howard
Stark was around Tony, he always fixated his attention to Rodgers rather than Tony Stark
himself (Iron Man n.d.). Tony Stark felt that Rodgers attributed to negative relationship he
experienced with his father. My client expresses his need for counseling services and is aware
that is presenting symptoms has a major effect on his personal relationships.
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CASE SUMMARY 6
References
Iron Man: Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki. Fandom. (n.d.).
https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Iron_Man#:~:text=Anthony%20Edward
%20%22Tony%22%20Stark%20was,former%20CEO%20of%20Stark
%20Industries.&text=With%20his%20life%20on%20the,used%20to%20escape%20his
%20captors.
Iron Man (Tony Stark) In Comics Powers, Villains, History: Marvel. Marvel Entertainment.
(n.d.). https://www.marvel.com/characters/iron-man-tony-stark/in-comics.
