The client
A 44-year-old with a history of substance abuse and depression presents for individual
psychotherapy. The Client reports depression and substance abuse since she was a teenager and
states "it all started when my parents divorced and my mother remarried, she only cared for her
husband and neglected me and my brother." The Client reports the depression and alcohol have
affected her relationships; she has been married 3 times. She states "my current husband is
threatening to leave me." The Client says she is taking her medications but still drinks alcohol on
the weekends. Safety concerns discussed and emotional support given.
Therapeutic Approach Used and Perceived Effectiveness
Humanistic-Existential therapy
The humanistic and existential approach entails a situation where an individual makes choices
and that he is responsible for decisions taken. Human beings believe in a self-actualizing
propensity and the notion that a person will naturally evolve in positive ways and find meaning
when provided with suitable conditions (Wheeler, 2014).
Wheeler (2014) also noted that humanist existential therapists do not interpret or suggest but use
reflective and experimental techniques. Experiential approaches offer the client an opportunity to
check modifications in existing conduct in the comfort of the clinical environment.
Experiential strategies differ depending on the client’s readiness for growth, the stage of
therapeutic relationships, and the latest therapeutics style and imagination (Wheeler, 2014).
