8 pages (not including references and cover page).
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Case Analysis Paper – Instructions and
Rubric
THE CASE OF STAN*
*Adapted from Corey (2009)
The setting is a community mental health agency where both individual and group counseling are
available. Stan comes to counseling because of his drinking. He was convicted of driving under the
influence, and the judge determined that he needed professional help. Stan recognizes that he does
have problems, but he is not convinced that he is addicted to alcohol. Stan arrives for an intake
interview and provides the counselor with this information:
At the present time I work in construction. I like building houses, but probably won’t stay in
construction for the rest of my life. When it comes to my personal life, I’ve always had difficulty in
getting along with people. I could be called a “loner.” I like people in my life, but I don’t seem to know
how to stay close to people. It probably has a lot to do with why I drink. I’m not very good at making
friends or getting close to people. Probably the reason I sometimes drink a bit too much is because
I’m so scared when it comes to socializing. Even though I hate to admit it, when I drink, things are not
quite so overwhelming. When I look at others, they seem to know the right things to say. Next to them
I feel dumb. I’m afraid that people don’t find me very interesting. I’d like to turn my life around, but I
just don’t know where to begin. That’s why I went back to school. I’m a part-time college student
majoring in psychology. I want to better myself. In one of my classes, Psychology of Personal
Adjustment, we talked about ourselves and how people change. We also had to write an
autobiographical paper.
That is the essence of Stan’s introduction. The counselor says that she would like to read his
autobiography. Stan hopes it will give her a better understanding of where he has been and where he
would like to go. He brings her the autobiography, which reads as follows:
Where am I currently in my life? At 35 I feel that I’ve wasted most of my life. I should be finished with
college and into a career by now, but instead I’m only a junior. I can’t afford to really commit myself to
pursuing college full time because I need to work to support myself. Even though construction work is
hard, I like the satisfaction I get when I look at what I have done.
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I want to get into a profession where I could work with people. Someday, I’m hoping to get a master’s
degree in counseling or in social work and eventually work as a counselor with kids who are in
trouble. I know I was helped by someone who cared about me, and I would like to do the same for
someone else.
I have few friends and feel scared around most people. I feel good with kids. But I wonder if I’m smart
enough to get through all the classes I’ll need to become a counselor. One of my problems is that I
frequently get drunk. This happens when I feel alone and when I’m scared of the intensity of my
feelings. At first drinking seemed to help, but later on I felt awful. I have abused drugs in the past
also.
I feel overwhelmed and intimidated when I’m around attractive women. I feel cold, sweaty, and
terribly nervous. I think they may be judging me and see me as not much of a man. I’m afraid I just
don’t measure up to being a real man. When I am sexually intimate with a woman, I am anxious and
preoccupied with what she is thinking about me. I feel anxiety much of the time. I often feel as if I’m
dying inside. I think about committing suicide, and I wonder who would care. I can see my family
coming to my funeral feeling sorry for me. I feel guilty that I haven’t worked up to my potential, that
I’ve been a failure, that I’ve wasted much of my time, and that I let people down a lot. I get down on
myself and wallow in guilt and feel very depressed. At times like this I feel hopeless and that I’d be
better off dead. For all these reasons, I find it difficult to get close to anyone.
There are a few bright spots. I did put a lot of my shady past behind me, and did get into college. I
like this determination in me—I want to change. I’m tired of feeling the way I do. I know that nobody is
going to change my life for me. It’s up to me to get what I want. Even though I feel scared at times, I
like that I’m willing to take risks.
What was my past like? A major turning point for me was the confidence my supervisor had in me at
the youth camp where I worked the past few summers. He helped me get my job, and he also
encouraged me to go to college. He said he saw a lot of potential in me for being able to work well
with young people. That was hard for me to believe, but his faith inspired me to begin to believe in
myself. Another turning point was my marriage and divorce. This marriage didn’t last long. It made
me wonder about what kind of man I was! Joyce was a strong and dominant woman who kept
repeating how worthless I was and how she did not want to be around me. We had sex only a few
times, and most of the time I was not very good at it. That was hard to take. It made me afraid to get
close to a woman. My parents should have divorced. They fought most of the time. My mother
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(Angie) constantly criticized my father (Frank Sr). I saw him as weak and passive. He would never
stand up to her. There were four of us kids. My parents compared me unfavorably with my older
sister (Judy) and older brother (Frank Jr.). They were “perfect” children, successful honor students.
My younger brother (Karl) and I fought a lot. They spoiled him. It was all very hard for me.
In high school, I started using drugs. I was thrown into a youth rehabilitation for stealing. Later I was
expelled from regular school for fighting, and I landed in a continuation high school, where I went to
school in the mornings and had afternoons for on-the-job training. I got into auto mechanics, was
fairly successful, and even managed to keep myself employed for 3 years as a mechanic. I can still
remember my father asking me: “Why can’t you be like your sister and brother? Why can’t you do
anything right?” And my mother treated me much the way she treated my father. She would say:
“Why do you do so many things to hurt me? Why can’t you grow up and be a man? Things are so
much
better around here when you’re gone.” I recall crying myself to sleep many nights, feeling terribly
alone. There was no talk of religion in my house, nor was there any talk of sex. In fact, I find it hard to
imagine my folks ever having sex.
Where would I like to be 5 years from now? What kind of person do I want to become? Most of all, I
would like to start feeling better about myself. I would like to be able to stop drinking altogether and
still feel good. I want to like myself much more than I do now. I hope I can learn to love at least a few
other people, most of all, a woman. I want to lose my fear of women. I would like to feel equal with
others and not always have to feel apologetic for my existence. I want to let go of my anxiety and
guilt. I want to become a good counselor for kids. I’m not certain how I’ll change or even what all the
changes are I hope for. I do know that I want to be free of my self-destructive tendencies and learn
how to trust people more. Perhaps when I begin to like myself more, I’ll be able to trust that others
will find something about me to like.
SOME KEY THEMES IN STAN’S LIFE
A number of themes (quotes) appear to represent core struggles in Stan’s life that could be the focus
of your paper. Of course, you don’t have to cover them all in your paper, or even any of them.
Although I’d like to have people in my life, I just don’t seem to know how to go about making
friends or getting close to people.
I’d like to turn my life around, but I have no sense of direction.
I want to make a difference.
I am afraid of failure.
I know when I feel alone, scared, and overwhelmed, I drink heavily to feel better.
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I am afraid of women.
Sometimes at night I feel a terrible anxiety and feel as if I’m dying.
I often feel guilty that I’ve wasted my life, that I’ve failed, and that I’ve let people down. At times
like this, I get depressed.
Theoretical Case Analysis Guidelines
Assignment Goal: Using the provided case example of Stan, apply your knowledge of the theories
covered in class through a case analysis/conceptualization and basic treatment plan. Critically
analyze the benefits and challenges of this approach.
Assignment Directions:
Overview
After reading the case example above. Select ONE[1] theory that we have already covered in lecture
(e.g., person-centered). Apply the theory to the case in both conceptualization and treatment plan. I
expect you to cite material from our textbook and my lectures in your case analysis
appropriately.
To cite lecture slides, use the following format:
Ajayi, A. (2023). Lecture on Existential Therapy. Personal Collection of A. Ajayi, University of
Minnesota, Twin Cities.
General Outline
First, analyze the case in the language of the theory. In other words, how would a therapist from
your chosen theoretical orientation describe the client and his/her presenting issues, including
description of the client (e.g., demographics, important biographical information), the nature of the
issues and how they are maintained, and hypotheses about their origin. Be sure to provide evidence
from the person’s life that suits this type of conceptualization (using details from the Case Example or
hypothesizing about the client’s life). Also, consider what additional information/evidence you would
want to gather, given the theory that you have chosen.
Second, provide a basic treatment plan for this client and his/her presenting concerns from this
theoretical orientation. According to your chosen theory, what is the counselor’s role? How might this
role be helpful, of little use, or even harmful in this situation? Outline some approaches to treatment.
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When you provide a treatment plan, consider the reasons why each intervention, strategy, or
technique might produce change. When and how might you employ each technique or strategy?
Third, address the strengths and limitations of your conceptualization and treatment plan. You
should discuss this with respect to ways in which the conceptualization may be appropriate or
inappropriate for this particular client or this particular presenting problem. For example, how might
this conceptualization ignore important aspects of the case? What are the cultural considerations in
using this theory/therapy with this client? (The key in this section is to make your discussion specific
to the case, rather than a general commentary on the strengths and limitations of the theory).
Tip: Demonstrate your knowledge of the theory in your application to the case example, rather than
simply stating the principles of the theory or the general limitations of the theory.
Formatting Guidelines:
Each paper should be approximately 8-10 pages of content (excluding reference and cover
pages), double-spaced, 1-inch margins and in a 12-point Times New Roman. Feel free to use
first (i.e., pretending you are the therapist) or third person. These should be written in the general
format of an essay in APA format (i.e., headings, cover page & relevant citations in proper format);
however, you will not have an abstract, results, methods, or discussion sections.
Late Policy
If no prior arrangement is made, all late assignments will be marked down.
Grading Philosophy
Assignments will be graded with attention to both content and overall quality, which includes writing
clarity and adherence to assignment guidelines. Please follow the assignment directions and take
the time to edit your papers. If the papers’ mechanical issues detract from the content, your grade
will reflect this. If you have any questions about this assignment, please feel free to email me as soon
as possible.
General Tips for Successful Papers
1. Develop a theme.
1. State your message clearly and concisely in your opening paragraph.
2. Conclude with a paragraph that restates the main point(s) you hope to convey.
3. The theme should be clear, concise, and specific – rather than global and generalized. If you
write in an overly general manner, your essays will lack a clear focus.
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4. Develop your thoughts fully, concretely, and logically. Both vagueness and verbosity often
demonstrate a lack of familiarity with the theory.
5. In terms of form and organization, your paper should flow well, and your points should relate
to one another. The reader should not have to struggle to discover your intended meaning.
6. Give reasons for your views, rather than making unsupported statements. When you take a
position, provide reasons for your position.
2. Use examples. In developing your ideas, use clear examples to illustrate your point. Tie your
examples into the point you are making, but avoid giving too many details that are irrelevant to the
point.
3. Creativity and depth of thinking. Write a paper that reflects your own uniqueness and ideas,
rather than merely giving a summary of the material in the texts.
1. Focus on a clear position that you take on a specific question or issue.
2. Approach the material in an original way.
3. Focus on a particular issue or topic that you find personally significant. Since you have choice
in what aspect to focus on, select an aspect of a problem that will allow you to express your
beliefs.
4. Show depth in expanding on your thoughts.
4. Application of the theory to the client and his presenting concerns. Many students in the
past have had trouble writing papers that effectively apply the theory to their specific client and his
presenting problem. This should be done at each appropriate point in the paper – for the
conceptualization, the treatment plan, and the advantages and disadvantages of this theory.
Again, the point of the paper is to demonstrate your knowledge through critical application of the
theory, not just regurgitation. Please consult the grading rubric below.
Theoretical Case Analysis – Grading Rubric
Conceptualization ____ / 20 points· Discussion of relevant demographic and background
information. Discussion of pertinent client’s life history is sufficiently broad. · Discussion of the
client’s presenting problems and concerns relevant to treatment.· Analysis of the presenting
problem according to the theory (including how and why the issues are manifesting). · Theoretical
viewpoint is well described ·
Proposed Course of Treatment ____ / 20 points· Discussion of the goals of treatment relevant
to the client’s issue· Discussion of plan for treatment follows from case conceptualization and is
“true to theory”· Detailed and appropriate interventions are described· A rationale for treatment
is provided· Discussion of role of counselor and the therapeutic relationship
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Strengths & Limitations ____ / 10 points· Discussion of strengths of theory and treatment. Be
sure be specific to the case. · Discussion of limitations of theory and treatment. Be sure be
specific to the case.
Mechanics and Overall Quality____ /10 points
APA style formatting, and citing textbook and lecture material appropriately.
· Effectively completion of all components of the assignment, including following formatting
guidelines.
Writing contains a clear structure that makes it easy to follow. There effective use of introductions,
transitions, and conclusions?
How persuasive is your writing? Does your writing provide support for its conclusions? Are the
examples and arguments relevant to the point you are trying to make?
Does your writing reflect adequate skill in areas such as grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word
choice?
Were all components of the assignments submitted on time
TOTAL: _____ / 60
[1] You can technically use more than one theory but be sure to discuss how distinct theories are
being integrated. Keep in mind, the more theories you have, the more complex the analysis—which
can result is great paper in the best case scenario, but runs the risk of being fragmented and
disjointed.
