Vanessa Baxter Case Interview Paper
Vanessa Baxter is a character from the television series titled “Last Man Standing.” She is a wife, mother, full time career woman, and at the time she comes in for counseling is going through multiple transitions (Adelstein & Allen, 2011). She is really invested in her family and loves them deeply. As her children grow up and move on, Vanessa struggles with her satisfaction and clarity in life. Vanessa was the chosen client as she leads a typical life with many stressors. She is interesting because many of the things she says are contradictory. She is passionate about geology, yet as become dissatisfied with her job. She is so proud of her adult children, yet wishes they still needed her and were in the home. She loves her husband, yet feels
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very lonely and misunderstood. These are things common in many people’s lives, which make Vanessa a great client choice. Vanessa will likely be very open in the counseling process, especially as a therapeutic relationship grows. A way to build rapport will be by validating Vanessa’s thoughts and feelings. She struggles to feel understood, so when a counselor can communicate that she is understood and valued it is likely she will open and share her emotions and challenges. Also, Vanessa is a very driven woman, and is seeking guidance through counseling. Therefore, it can be assumed Vanessa would be engaged in the process. It is possible that Vanessa’s family would not support her decision to attend counseling, which would be the biggest source of resistance to overcome.
Therefore, it would be important to reassure Vanessa that everything within counseling is a confidential relationship, and to fully explain the counseling process and bring clarity to any false assumptions about the counseling relationship. It would also be beneficial to normalize Vanessa's struggles, and remind her that seeking counseling does not reflect negatively on her ability to be a quality wife, mother, and professional. Reassuring this is important as she is coming in to counseling due to struggles with maintaining her identity in these …show more content…
roles.
Presenting Problems
Overview
Vanessa is a mother of three girls: Kristen (23), Mandy (21), and Eve (16) (Adelstein & Allen, 2011). Vanessa also has a grandson, Boyd (5). Kristen had Boyd at the age of sixteen. Vanessa was a primary caretaker during the first three years of Boyd’s life, until his father (Ryan) returned wanting to be involved in Boyd’s life. Kristen and Ryan are now engaged (Adelstein & Allen, 2011). Vanessa is married to her husband, Mike, who is known as the “Outdoor Man.” Mike travelled around the world a lot so much of raising the children was done on her own. Right before Mandy graduated high school Mike stopped traveling to help around the house more, which enabled Vanessa to focus more on advancing her career (Burditt, Russell, Barnes, Barnes, & Pasquin, 2011). Vanessa and her family are upper middle class, and live in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado. Vanessa has been a geologist, for a little over 20 years. She earned her MA in geophysics, and holds a PhD in geology, both degrees she earned from Ohio State (Burditt, Teverbaugh, & Pasquin, 2013). In the past 3 years she has been increasingly ridiculed by increasing concerns with environmental problems. Although she continues to get promoted at her place of work, she feels dissatisfied with her profession. Vanessa has not disclosed information about her childhood or any of her family. Mike’s father has recently moved to the Denver area to open a marijuana shop. This also put some stress on Vanessa as Mike is helping with advertising and she is worried about the influence it will have on her daughters. (Adelstein & Allen, 2011). Recently her two oldest daughters have become independent and are developing their own lives and are not needing Vanessa as much. Vanessa feels she does not connect with Eve has much as she did the others, and is feeling not as needed or appreciated in her own home. As multiple roles in Vanessa’s life are changing she is increasingly dissatisfied and feeling depressed. Vanessa is unsure about what this next phase of her life is going to look like.
Personal
Vanessa shared that she is feeling depressed about the perceived losses of her daughters, her youth, and her purpose in life. She is struggling with her identity as she goes through the transition of approaching an empty nest and a potential job change. Her role changes in life are increasing her confusion and insecurities.
Relationships
Vanessa says she has a very strong relationship with her husband, although she often feels misunderstood because he is very outspoken and stubborn in his worldview. Her youngest daughter is also very much like Mike, so she has a difficult time communicating and connecting with Eve. Since Eve is the only child still living at home, she is not feeling as understood and valued in her family. She observes how happy Eve and Mike are connecting with each other, so she feels some guilt about her dissatisfaction and jealousy about how well they get along. Vanessa also realized that she has fallen out of touch with all of her college and neighborhood friends. She is feeling very lonely and worried she is not going to have anyone to hang out with in her next phase of life. This pressure to make friends is causing some anxiety when interacting with new people, and increasing new insecurities about her role in life.
Occupational
In the past 4 years Vanessa has received two promotions. She genuinely has enjoyed being a geologist over the last twenty years, even though she has been receiving increasing disapproval by her surrounding society. Vanessa shared that being a woman in her field has been very difficult as there is only one other women in her office. She fears that one of the promotions she got was only based on her good looks and not on her credentials, even though she is very qualified (Burditt, Teverbaugh, & Pasquin, 2013). She shared that she wants to be valued for more than her looks, and wants to make a difference in the world. She said that quitting her job as been consuming her mind lately. She is nervous about whether or not her husband will support her, especially since it will be a considerable loss in income (Manu, Teverbaugh, Pasquin, 2014). She feels she is in need of a career change but does not know where to turn.
Treatment Goals
Personal
Goal 1: Reduce feelings of depression by reframing the view of her perceived losses.
This goal is set in efforts to help alter Vanessa perception of her life changes, so that she can embrace the new season, without feeling like all good things in her life are now gone. This is important because if Vanessa continues to perceive her daughters’ independence as losses, she will miss out on the positive parts of this new stage. She also feels like she has lost her purpose in life, so reframing her perception could help her find a different purpose helping her feel less depressed. Decreasing her feelings of worthlessness and depression are the goal, and hopefully she can embrace the positive aspects of her new life
change.
Relationships
Goal 2: Discover one way in which Vanessa can connect with her youngest daughter. This goal is set to ease the tension Vanessa feels as she relates to her youngest daughter, Eve. Vanessa shared that she feels unheard and misunderstood in her relationships. Vanessa cannot change anyone else, so perhaps Vanessa seeking to understand and connect with her daughter will help her feel more connected and needed. This is an important goal to work on, because Vanessa values her role as a mother. She loves her daughter greatly and strengthening this relationship will likely help Vanessa feel purpose in that role again. It is likely that Eve will still connect most strongly with her father, however, having one activity or topic that Vanessa and Eve can connect on will be a measurable success for this goal. Goal 3: Decrease anxiety and insecurities when connecting with other woman. Vanessa as many insecurities about her age, change in appearance, and the amount of quality friends she has. This goal is to help her accept and embrace her stage in life and make a step to developing friendships that are in a similar stage. She mostly works with men, so it is going to take intentionality of her initiating relationships. This type of action comes with anxieties, so the goal is to find ways that Vanessa can develop relationships in a way that is comfortable for her. The desired outcome is that she would connect with one woman that can understand her stage in life, which will aid Vanessa in feeling understood and less alone.
Occupational
Goal 4: Guide Vanessa in discovering her next career path. Vanessa has been considering quitting her job because she feels like she is not making a difference. This goal is about helping Vanessa through the process of purpose and her desire to give back. She went into geology to make the world a better place, but is now dealing with bad publicity and paperwork more than actually making a difference (Manu, Teverbaugh, Pasquin, 2014). There are many avenues for making a difference and Vanessa can explore her skills, interests, and concerns to help her come to a decision. As a part of this goal, Vanessa may need some guidance in good communication skills to use with her husband, as this influences her household as well. This goal is important because it will contribute to Vanessa regaining purpose and forming a new identity now that her children are gaining independence. The ideal outcome of this goal would be that Vanessa would decide on a career path, and have the support of her family.
very lonely and misunderstood. These are things common in many people’s lives, which make Vanessa a great client choice. Vanessa will likely be very open in the counseling process, especially as a therapeutic relationship grows. A way to build rapport will be by validating Vanessa’s thoughts and feelings. She struggles to feel understood, so when a counselor can communicate that she is understood and valued it is likely she will open and share her emotions and challenges. Also, Vanessa is a very driven woman, and is seeking guidance through counseling. Therefore, it can be assumed Vanessa would be engaged in the process. It is possible that Vanessa’s family would not support her decision to attend counseling, which would be the biggest source of resistance to overcome.
Therefore, it would be important to reassure Vanessa that everything within counseling is a confidential relationship, and to fully explain the counseling process and bring clarity to any false assumptions about the counseling relationship. It would also be beneficial to normalize Vanessa's struggles, and remind her that seeking counseling does not reflect negatively on her ability to be a quality wife, mother, and professional. Reassuring this is important as she is coming in to counseling due to struggles with maintaining her identity in these …show more content…
roles.
Presenting Problems
Overview
Vanessa is a mother of three girls: Kristen (23), Mandy (21), and Eve (16) (Adelstein & Allen, 2011). Vanessa also has a grandson, Boyd (5). Kristen had Boyd at the age of sixteen. Vanessa was a primary caretaker during the first three years of Boyd’s life, until his father (Ryan) returned wanting to be involved in Boyd’s life. Kristen and Ryan are now engaged (Adelstein & Allen, 2011). Vanessa is married to her husband, Mike, who is known as the “Outdoor Man.” Mike travelled around the world a lot so much of raising the children was done on her own. Right before Mandy graduated high school Mike stopped traveling to help around the house more, which enabled Vanessa to focus more on advancing her career (Burditt, Russell, Barnes, Barnes, & Pasquin, 2011). Vanessa and her family are upper middle class, and live in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado. Vanessa has been a geologist, for a little over 20 years. She earned her MA in geophysics, and holds a PhD in geology, both degrees she earned from Ohio State (Burditt, Teverbaugh, & Pasquin, 2013). In the past 3 years she has been increasingly ridiculed by increasing concerns with environmental problems. Although she continues to get promoted at her place of work, she feels dissatisfied with her profession. Vanessa has not disclosed information about her childhood or any of her family. Mike’s father has recently moved to the Denver area to open a marijuana shop. This also put some stress on Vanessa as Mike is helping with advertising and she is worried about the influence it will have on her daughters. (Adelstein & Allen, 2011). Recently her two oldest daughters have become independent and are developing their own lives and are not needing Vanessa as much. Vanessa feels she does not connect with Eve has much as she did the others, and is feeling not as needed or appreciated in her own home. As multiple roles in Vanessa’s life are changing she is increasingly dissatisfied and feeling depressed. Vanessa is unsure about what this next phase of her life is going to look like.
Personal
Vanessa shared that she is feeling depressed about the perceived losses of her daughters, her youth, and her purpose in life. She is struggling with her identity as she goes through the transition of approaching an empty nest and a potential job change. Her role changes in life are increasing her confusion and insecurities.
Relationships
Vanessa says she has a very strong relationship with her husband, although she often feels misunderstood because he is very outspoken and stubborn in his worldview. Her youngest daughter is also very much like Mike, so she has a difficult time communicating and connecting with Eve. Since Eve is the only child still living at home, she is not feeling as understood and valued in her family. She observes how happy Eve and Mike are connecting with each other, so she feels some guilt about her dissatisfaction and jealousy about how well they get along. Vanessa also realized that she has fallen out of touch with all of her college and neighborhood friends. She is feeling very lonely and worried she is not going to have anyone to hang out with in her next phase of life. This pressure to make friends is causing some anxiety when interacting with new people, and increasing new insecurities about her role in life.
Occupational
In the past 4 years Vanessa has received two promotions. She genuinely has enjoyed being a geologist over the last twenty years, even though she has been receiving increasing disapproval by her surrounding society. Vanessa shared that being a woman in her field has been very difficult as there is only one other women in her office. She fears that one of the promotions she got was only based on her good looks and not on her credentials, even though she is very qualified (Burditt, Teverbaugh, & Pasquin, 2013). She shared that she wants to be valued for more than her looks, and wants to make a difference in the world. She said that quitting her job as been consuming her mind lately. She is nervous about whether or not her husband will support her, especially since it will be a considerable loss in income (Manu, Teverbaugh, Pasquin, 2014). She feels she is in need of a career change but does not know where to turn.
Treatment Goals
Personal
Goal 1: Reduce feelings of depression by reframing the view of her perceived losses.
This goal is set in efforts to help alter Vanessa perception of her life changes, so that she can embrace the new season, without feeling like all good things in her life are now gone. This is important because if Vanessa continues to perceive her daughters’ independence as losses, she will miss out on the positive parts of this new stage. She also feels like she has lost her purpose in life, so reframing her perception could help her find a different purpose helping her feel less depressed. Decreasing her feelings of worthlessness and depression are the goal, and hopefully she can embrace the positive aspects of her new life
change.
Relationships
Goal 2: Discover one way in which Vanessa can connect with her youngest daughter. This goal is set to ease the tension Vanessa feels as she relates to her youngest daughter, Eve. Vanessa shared that she feels unheard and misunderstood in her relationships. Vanessa cannot change anyone else, so perhaps Vanessa seeking to understand and connect with her daughter will help her feel more connected and needed. This is an important goal to work on, because Vanessa values her role as a mother. She loves her daughter greatly and strengthening this relationship will likely help Vanessa feel purpose in that role again. It is likely that Eve will still connect most strongly with her father, however, having one activity or topic that Vanessa and Eve can connect on will be a measurable success for this goal. Goal 3: Decrease anxiety and insecurities when connecting with other woman. Vanessa as many insecurities about her age, change in appearance, and the amount of quality friends she has. This goal is to help her accept and embrace her stage in life and make a step to developing friendships that are in a similar stage. She mostly works with men, so it is going to take intentionality of her initiating relationships. This type of action comes with anxieties, so the goal is to find ways that Vanessa can develop relationships in a way that is comfortable for her. The desired outcome is that she would connect with one woman that can understand her stage in life, which will aid Vanessa in feeling understood and less alone.
Occupational
Goal 4: Guide Vanessa in discovering her next career path. Vanessa has been considering quitting her job because she feels like she is not making a difference. This goal is about helping Vanessa through the process of purpose and her desire to give back. She went into geology to make the world a better place, but is now dealing with bad publicity and paperwork more than actually making a difference (Manu, Teverbaugh, Pasquin, 2014). There are many avenues for making a difference and Vanessa can explore her skills, interests, and concerns to help her come to a decision. As a part of this goal, Vanessa may need some guidance in good communication skills to use with her husband, as this influences her household as well. This goal is important because it will contribute to Vanessa regaining purpose and forming a new identity now that her children are gaining independence. The ideal outcome of this goal would be that Vanessa would decide on a career path, and have the support of her family.