Fictional Clients for Psychology Diagnoses

Lucy is a 45 year old Caucasian woman and she is a grocery store clerk for 5 years. Lucy has no self-confidence and has low self-esteem. She does not think she is capable of being more than a grocery store clerk. Also, she was in a relationship for 2 years, but she became too dependent on him to make everyday decisions for her, and she needed excessive advice and reassurance. She also fears abandonment and feels uncomfortable and helpless when alone. She also stated that she is preoccupied with the fear of being left to care for herself. Also, she has gone to great lengths to obtain relationships with others, by using exemplification by providing help and emphasizing her efforts and sacrifices in order to exploit their guilt. She also threatened to commit suicide so that her boyfriend would not abandon her.
According to the DSM-IV TR Lucy’s symptoms reflect that she has Dependent Personality Disorder. She has displayed these symptoms for most of her childhood, especially after her mother passed away when she was 12. Her mother was very protective in which enabled Lucy to become dependent on her Mother and after she passed Lucy then sought out others to take care of her well into her adulthood.
I would recommend Cognitive and Behavioral therapy approach for Lucy. This approach is best for those dealing with personality, anxiety, mood, etc. disorders (Stangor, 2010). They both are short-term and is preferred over long-term because it can lead to dependence on a therapist (Psych Central, 2013). The idea of cognitive therapy is that changing thoughts will change emotions, and that the new emotions will then influence behavior. The goal of cognitive therapy is not necessarily to get people to think more positively but rather to think more accurately (Stangor, 2010). The Behavioral approach is the Psychological treatment that is based on principles of learning. With both approaches suggestions I would make would be assertiveness training to help