Family: The client is a single mother of 4 children ages 8-23. She also has a 19 year old daughter that she placed for adoption. Her mother passed away from cancer in 2010 and her father is in poor health and living in her home town of Oregon. The client has 5 brothers and sisters (2 deceased) and no living grandparents.
Significant others: The client has been divorced twice and is single at the present time. Her 17 year old daughter lives with her full time and her 8 year old daughter lives with her part time. Her 16 year old son and 23 year old daughter live out of state. The client was very close to her mother but not her father. Her relationship with her 17 year old daughter is difficult because of her daughter’s mental illness (bipolar). The relationships with her other children is good.
Childhood and Adolescent History: The client grew up with both parents and 2 other siblings in the household until she was 14 at which time she moved out of state with her sister. Her parents divorced and she moved back to Oregon to live with her mom. As a child, she reports 3 cases of molestation by different perpetrators and emotional and physical abuse by her father. The client had problems in school due to behavioral and emotional issues and dropped out at the age of 16. The client ran away from home frequently and associated with other teenage dropouts. Her mother worked full time and as a result, frequently unsupervised.
Social Relationships: The client has a small social group which she says is strong. She doesn’t have much family support as they all live out of state but she speaks with her sister on a regular basis. The client has no romantic relationships.
Cultural/Ethnic: The client is Caucasian and is interested in her heritage which is predominately Italian/Irish/Polish/English. Her great grandfather on her father’s side was an Italian immigrant who abandoned the family and her grandfather who was a polish immigrant on her father’s side abandoned his family as well.
Spiritual/Religious: The client was raised Catholic, although her religious upbringing was inconsistent. Her mother was Catholic and her father was agnostic. She attended Catholic school for two years but transferred to public school because of disciplinary issues. She has explored different types of Christianity but hasn’t committed to a religious organization. She reports attending a church for a short time and then she stops going.
The client reports no legal issues at this time.
The client dropped out of high school and obtained her G.E.D. in 2011. She reports waiting so long because she was afraid to fail it but finally did it because she wanted to go to college. The client started working at age 16 and had many jobs that never lasted more than a few months. At the age of 24 she was employed at a bank, where she worked for 7 years. Since then, she has had 3 other jobs and has been at her current place of employment for the last 6 years.
The client has no military experience.
The client reports that she doesn’t have much time or energy for recreational activities but enjoys reading and outdoor activities. She likes camping, swimming and bargain hunting.
The client doesn’t report any major health issues. She has a family history of heart disease (father), diabetes (father), high cholesterol (father), cancer (mother), and thyroid disease (mother). She reports a poor diet and sporadic exercise. She also reports that she feels fatigued often.
The client reports that she does not use drugs although she experimented with them as a teen. She uses alcohol socially between 2-4 times a month and on average consumes 1-3 drinks per occasion.
The client has extensive counseling/ treatment history although inconsistent. She reports that she was admitted into a residential mental health center at age 16. She does not recall receiving any follow up treatment. The client has received other mental health services throughout her adult life and is currently in therapy.