Case study clinical example: First session with a client with symptoms of depression (CBT model)

Case study example for use in teaching, aiming to demonstrate some of the triggers, thoughts, feelings and responses linked with problematic low mood. This section here represents the first 13 minutes of an initial therapy session, but in order to try and outline the vicious cycle, it moves faster than an average session might. The video features an actor playing the character of Gabriella, but the dialogue is not scripted, and as such represents a natural therapeutic exchange. I myself am a qualified Clinical Psychologist, but would definitely not suggest that this is a perfect example of therapy!

This video was produced as a collaboration between the University of Leeds and Leeds Trinity University (Ricardo Barker).

[natet]

Seeing her, pulling her sleeves both further and farther over herself.. I get that so much. Regardless of if she is an actor/actress or not, showcasing this stuff is important. It is so so so important. Thank you to the both of you.

[JudithJohnsonphd]

Thanks for your comment Margie, great to know that you have found them useful! I'm afraid that I have only filmed these initial openings so far, but your feedback is leading me to consider future projects!

[barbiedoll]

I'm an RN Care Coordinator and am learning more interview/therapy techniques such as MI, CBT, PST, etc. Your therapeutic style really encourages me as I reach out to patients of all walks of life. Thank you Judith for sharing this!

[alexandranunez]

I really like how you used mostly listening responses. Love your counseling style.

[chengkahhoe]

Hi I am a Malaysian student of Clinical Psychology. This video has helped me. Thank you.

[WhimsicalPorpoise]

I chose this video out of a list from my professor to complete a case study for my senior level Social Work class. This was SO sad. As someone who struggles with depression, I know the feeling. And it's even worse when people around us don't understand or realize that it is a physical problem. In our class, we learned that depression can be just as debilitating as RRMS. I have RRMS, and I would definitely compare the feeling of my legs feeling heavy, brain fog, and fatigue with depression. I sometimes can't tell the difference between whether I'm having an MS flair or a depressive episode until I have a defining symptom. For example, I know it's MS if my legs completely lose function, and I know it's depression if I start feeling suicidal. But there's a fine line at times, especially since they're rarely mutually exclusive. I hope this girl is doing okay now!

[margienielsen]

These are very helpful videos. Is it possible to show us sessions two and three?

[Doubrelle]

i liked the response of the therapist which was very human and not over medicalised which is a common complaint of clients using the CAMHS service for example - One key thing that is misunderstood; There is no evidence to suggest that CBT is any better than any other modality of therapy - The body of evidence is not comparetive - It is rather like Jeremy Clarkson announcing the Vauxhall Corsa as the best small car by testing it against other Vauxhall Corsas - However that is not to say that CBT is not effective because it is, but so are other ways of working such as Person Centred Approach, Psychodynamic, Gestalt, Existential, Transactional Analysis etc...and when comparetive studies are done all modalities tend to be as effective as one another - The key finding of the research meta analysis identifies the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist as the magic ingredient.

[sekanwajiabdul]

i am an occupational therapist from uganda
am greatful for the videos as they touch every aspect a therapist would be interested in while using a cognitive behavioural in providing therapy.
keep going on with the great work.

[indiaweston]

This is how i would want my therapy sessions to go.

[chrisnamaste]

I understand the use of actors but allowing someone to consent to the use of a real session would be very useful. The reason for this is the the person in the session is demonstrating emotional, physical, and cognitive issues that can not be demonstrated by most actors. It is not just linguistic content that needs responding to. I think many therapists are just robotic in their application. Frankly the utility of therapy is questionable if the therapist is just looking to apply a script they have been taught. The smarter the client the less effective a script will be.

[RD-qgzs]

I'm currently finishing up my degree in Social Work and Psychology and this is extremely helpful! More videos please???

[laurentepfer]

these are so helpful! Im a newly licensed mental health counselor and I'm new to the process of diagnosis. I'm trying yo prepare myself for my new job at a private practice and just watching sessions is helping me get back in the groove of therapy (I've taken three months off since my last counseling job). Keep posting!!

[vanodiate]

My Affective Communication teacher from Foundation Degree in Science in Health and Social Care suggested us to watch this in preparation for Role play on Wednesday. This is really a good video, but I am a bit nervous. From Northern Ireland.

[psicologadaubydominiquedec]

Hi! I'm a Brazilian student. I learning a lot with your cases. Thank you! <3

[ashleythetherapist]

New subie. Currently doing Practicum in my master’s of clinical and mental health counseling program. This was very helpful. Thank you!

[robertbecerra]

Hi Dr. Johnson, I'm in my second year of my Psychology MA an I love your videos to practice MSEs and differential diagnoses. I also love your hairstyle!

[corallaroc]

Right at the start of the video she said 'It's just another thing that's making me stand out for the wrong reasons'. I would have explored this further, such as, what other things does she think are making her stand out for the wrong reasons? Poor kid. I hope she's feeling better now. As for waitressing-that's going to be hard on the first day. Any job you've not done before is going to require learning/making mistakes etc. She's very hard on herself. She feels like a failure. I'm not surprised she'd depressed. Hopefully, the therapy made her see she's not a failure.

[tylerclarke]

Great videos Dr. Johnson, really enjoy the content during my SSW studies. One thing I am curious about is if you offer transcripts or may provide closed captions. I like to read along with transcripts when doing an analysis to really understand the client/counsellor relationship and pick out certain language worth revisiting. All and all, fantastic resources that have helped my learning tremendously. Thank you!

[BJ-qirp]

I love the video, t'was very timely too! I learned a lot. Thank you so much!! I will certainly look out for more of your videos!