Case Conceptualization

Brooke Morin

Jill is a 20-year-old Caucasian female attending Emmanuel College

and majoring in Political science. Jill lives in an apartment off-campus

with three of her friends. Jill gets along with her roommates and has an

active social life; however, Jill hasnt had a great experience with her

past relationship. She has a mother and a father, who are divorced , and

an older sister. Her older sister has a significant history with substance

abuse and has been to rehab. This has put pressure on finances within

the family and Jill finds herself overwhelmed with the amount of

responsibility she has. Heavy responsibility and lack of

acknowledgement result in Jill experiencing anxiety. Jill also has been

hospitalized for alcohol consumption and uses alcohol on a consistent

basis. Because of Jills anxiety, she seeks relief through the use of

substances. Substance abuse may also be a presenting problem.

Jills anxiety originates from her cognitive distortions about herself

and her family. Jill believes that her parents love her sister more because

they have provided financial support for her and not Jill. This is an

example of selective abstraction. Jill also overgeneralizes; she believes

that because her parents are unable to see her worth, the rest of the

world is also incapable.