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APA Psychotherapy Training Videos are intended solely for educational purposes for mental health professionals. Viewers are expected to treat confidential material found herein according to strict professional guidelines. Unauthorized viewing is prohibited.
In Client-Centered Therapy, Dr. Nathaniel J. Raskin demonstrates this Rogerian style of therapy. This empathic approach is based on the empirically proven fact that a safe, accepting relationship between the therapist and client is key to the process of client self-discovery and actualization. In this video, Dr. Raskin works with a 30-year-old woman, named Cynthia, who is trying to understand why she seems to be drawn into relationships with violent men. This video features a client portrayed by an actor on the basis of actual case material. Precipitating Event Last weekend, Cynthia's boyfriend, Ken, invited some of his friends over to their apartment to watch a ball game. After the game, Ken and his friends were talking about politics, and although Cynthia was not really involved in the discussion, she listened and occasionally made comments. At one point, Ken said something that was "really out of line," according to Cynthia, and she contradicted his point. Ken continued to argue his point, and Cynthia added another comment. At this point, Ken got really loud, and yelled at her to "shut up, fool, you don't know what the hell you're talking about." Cynthia left the room and went in the bedroom. She was hurt and angry, but she felt it was best to button her lip until his friends left. Maybe he was right, she thought, even though she was upset with him. She figured she could talk with him after his friends left. When Ken's friends left, Cynthia went out into the living room to talk to Ken. She wanted to ask him how he could embarrass her so much in front of other people. But before she could say a word, he started screaming and accusing her of embarrassing him in front of his friends. Cynthia was so angry at Ken's reaction that she threw the glass she had in her hand at the wall and the glass shattered. Ken responded by slapping her on the face, telling her she was "unpredictable" and "out of control." Now furious, Cynthia lunged at Ken and hit him. After that, Ken slugged her, and he knocked her to the ground. Hurt, angry, and crying, Cynthia wondered, "What's wrong with me? Am I to blame? Is he right? Maybe I need help." In thinking through this event, Cynthia recalled that she had been in situations like this before. Two or three of her previous boyfriends had been abusive to her. She recalled one who seemed sweet—almost like a "puppy dog"—but he would get angry with her and would scream at her and call her an idiot. Another boyfriend actually got physically violent; he knocked her around a few times, but she stayed with him for about 2 years. After these events, Cynthia was always left wondering whether she was to blame. She asked herself, "Why am I drawn to these men? Why do I cause these things to happen? Is it all my fault?" Preceding Sessions In the two previous sessions, the client takes the initiative in the exploration of her problems by presenting her "story" about the events that precipitated her visit to Dr. Raskin and developing her family background for Dr. Raskin. Dr. Raskin helped Cynthia develop this material in her own way by responding to her empathically. |
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