I.

Personal Data

Name: Age: 23
Address: Birthdate:
Tel. No.: Birthplace: Batangas City
Highest Educational Attainment: Civil Status: Single
Parents/Guardian Height: 5' 6 1/2"
Address: Weight:
Tel. No.: Birth order: 2nd
Referred by: Relation to Examinee:

II. Reasons for Referral

The client has expressed the need to come to terms with various personal and

interpersonal issues that she has been experiencing for the past several months. The

client has expressed her desire to be more in control of her emotions, particularly in

managing her anger. She indicates that her failure to control her anger causes strain on

her relationships, especially with her partner. The client has also admitted experiencing

suicide ideation recently, with occasional recurring episodes.

III. Other Assessment Procedures

Social Case History

Behavioral Observation
Intake Form

IV. Tests Administered

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) November 19, 2008

Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) December 4, 2008
NEO Personal Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) December 11, 2008

V. Test Results and Interpretations

A. Quantitative Summary of Test Results and Brief Qualitative Description:

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MBTI
Type: INFP
I 25 Clear Preference Depth of Concentration
N 27 Clear Preference Grasp of Possibilities
F 29 Clear Preference Warmth and Sympathy
P9 Slight Preference Adaptability

Dominant: F (I)
Auxiliary: N (E)
Tertiary: S (E)
Least-preferred: T (E)

EPPS

Need Raw Score Percentile Interpretation

Achievement 16 77 Average
Deference 4 1 Very Low
Order 5 1 Very Low
Exhibition 6 9 Low
Autonomy 16 85 High
Affiliation 20 73 Average
Intraception 14 42 Average
Succorance 18 88 High
Dominance 15 85 High
Abasement 14 29 Average
Nurturance 24 91 High
Change 23 94 High
Endurance 10 11 Low
Heterosexuality 10 66 Average
Aggression 15 87 High
Consistency 14 97

NEO PI-R

Scale Raw Score Interpretation

Neuroticism 139 Very High
Anxiety 26 Very High
Anger Hostility 27 Very High
Depression 20 High
Self-Consciousness 25 Very High
Impulsiveness 27 Very Low
Vulnerability 14 Very Low

Extraversion 117 Average

Warmth 21 Average
Gregariousness 14 Low
Assertiveness 17 Average

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 Activity 16 Average
Excitement-seeking 31 Very High
Positive Emotion 18 Low

Openness 140 Very High

Fantasy 24 Very High
Aesthetics 27 Very High
Feelings 32 Very High
Actions 10 Low
Ideas 24 High
Values 23 Average

Agreeableness 87 Very Low

Trust 14 Very Low
Straightforwardness 6 Very Low
Altruism 22 Low
Compliance 8 Very Low
Modesty 15 Low
Tender-Mindedness 22 Average

Conscientiousness 86 Very Low

Competence 20 Average
Order 12 Very Low
Dutifulness 17 Very Low
Achievement Striving 17 Low
Self-Discipline 13 Very Low
Deliberation 7 Very Low

B. Test Interpretations

1. Intellectual Functioning

The general mental ability of the client appears to be above average, the

best indicator of which is her acceptance into the Graduate School Program of

the Ateneo de Manila University, which entails going through a battery of

psychological tests that measure intellectual ability across various fields. At the

very least, verbal and numerical ability can be deemed as above average, as well

as oral and written communication skills.

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 Based on the clients test results, particularly the NEO PI-R subscales

on Order, Discipline and Deliberation, the client does not seem to deliberate

long in arriving at solutions as well as in making decisions, which can be seen

as advantageous in a sense that she is more likely to possess a good grasp of

possibilities. The client may find it difficult to be with people who deliberate

longer before making a decision. It would be useful for the client to consider

that her preferred method of problem-solving may enable her to grasp

opportunities, but the opposite method of slow deliberation brings with it a

certain degree of caution and certainty as well, advantages that are not evident

in her preferred style.

The clients NEO PI-R results on the subscale of Assertiveness and

Competence seem to indicate that the way the client proposes her views on

solving a problem is achieved in an assertive but not forceful way: she is

prepared to let others have their say on the matter and is willing to defer to

someone elses opinion, at least, in issues that do not violate her own personal

standards.

This preferred style of problem-solving reflects the clients intuitive

stance, that of preferring opportunities to be inventive and move out of the

box, as it were; to go about things in ways that can be deemed as

unconventional. Hunches or intuitive guesses seem to indicate a lessened

degree of deliberation, and the client seems to prefer going by what she feels is

the right thing to do, again highlighting that knack for grasping opportunities,

be it in the workplace or among personal and family relationships.

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 The clients work style jives well with her chosen profession, that of a

guidance counselor, focusing her attention on the myriad possibilities for her

clients, and handling them with personal warmth. The client seems to be

well-suited to this profession, and while understanding and communicating

well with people are essential for almost every occupation, these are integral

in counseling. It seems that the client, with her intuitive and feeling

preferences, will find her work in counseling as rewarding and satisfying; her

abilities are best suited in the helping professions, particularly as a guidance

counselor. Intuitive types like the client prefer exploring new things, and the

counseling profession is indeed apt for her, what with the constant influx of

her clients personal stories, which can be a source of her need for novelty

and originality. That these clients present their problems uniquely, the client

may find it very satisfying to try to work out these issues in original ways,

satisfying her need for the new and the novel.

This combination of intuition and feeling preferences seem to mesh

well with the clients high need for nurturance and change as reflected in her

EPPS scores. The need for nurturance refers to a persons inclination

towards helping other people, in particular with their personal problems,

involving confiding personal issues as well treating other people with

kindness and sympathy, which are essential to any counselor or therapist.

2. Socio-emotional Functioning

In terms of socio-emotional functioning, it seems that certain test

results jive and complement with each other, in terms of the clients presenting

problems and in attempting to understand the client. Indeed, these results can

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best be understood when taken together, for they complement and bolster

each other. The first cluster of test interpretations that have been grouped

together are the following: high anxiety, anger hostility as well as low

conscientiousness and agreeableness according to the NEO PI-R; high need

for aggression and dominance coupled with low need for endurance and

deference on the EPPS. This can be seen as a cluster of descriptions about the

client which can refer to her expressed issues on extreme emotion and their

management. Her presenting problems can be viewed under this combination

of descriptions, which can give the client not necessarily a better understanding

of herself that will be brought about only through deep reflection as well as

consultation with other people, but perhaps a more specific and delineated

range of characteristics about her and her problems.

The client admits to feeling a sense of shamefulness and immorality

with regard to her feelings about herself; attributing these feelings to issues

regarding her sexuality and the way her familys and society in generals

acceptance of her homosexuality. She indicates that these feelings were

brought about ever since she couldnt come out or make known her

homosexuality which she sees as part and parcel of her whole being to

other members of her family. For the client, her sexuality is inextricably linked

with her identity, and being unable to be herself in front of some family

members family being an important part of her life as well creates conflicts

and flows back into her self-concept. Being unable to be herself, she may see

this repression as an indication of her immorality, and thus she experiences

shame and other negative emotions such as guilt and sadness. This may very

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well explain why the client has been experiencing problems regarding anger

management; this may also be an important factor in her recent thoughts of

suicide. Not only is the client angry at people who may not be as accepting of

homosexuals as herself, it is also clear that the client is angry at herself, perhaps

as a direct result of other peoples intolerance for homosexuality.

This anger which the client readily accepts is echoed in her high

need for aggression coupled with low need for endurance according to her

EPPS scores, as well as her high scores on the anger hostility and anxiety

subscales on the NEO PI-R. A high need for autonomy underscores these

feelings of anger and hostility, which refers to the clients need for the freedom

to be what one wants to be regardless of what other people may think and to

readily express them. Thus her self-concept may be threatened by what the

client perceives to be as the narrow-mindedness of some people, which is

amplified by the fact that the people she deems as intolerant of her sexuality

being members of her own family. She expresses a degree of positive emotions

for her father, who she says is bisexual, in that he is not shackled by what other

people think of him. While this is definitely a positive force that is helping the

client cope the client expresses pride in her fathers acceptance and

understanding the fact that her father works abroad may be doubly

distressing for the client: her source of consolation and understanding being

physically absent at home, where she experiences majority of conflict in her

life. This conflict can appear to be particularly distressing for the client, for

individuals with her INFP type tend to avoid conflict in favor of receiving

praise and positive affirmation.

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 It seems clear that the client values her sense of identity strongly, and

needs to assert it when she feels threatened. In particular, perceives her

sexuality as integral to her sense of self, and thus intolerance or narrow-

mindedness with regard to sexual preferences seem to distress her. This import

placed on her sexuality seems to be rooted in her deep-seated need for love

and commitment, characteristic of individuals with her particular MBTI type,

and bolstered by her EPPS and NEO PI-R test scores. It seems as if the

clients love and care for another partner is threatened by members of her own

family and society in general, and several coping mechanisms such as anger and

hostility as well as shame and perceptions of immorality result, often in

maladaptive ways that hurt or damage her relationships with the persons she

values most. Her sense of self is also negatively affected by these coping

strategies.

The client attests to feeling extreme emotions such as anger, guilt,

jealousy and sadness. At first glance, individuals with the INFP type present a

calm and soothing demeanor to the world, seemingly peaceful and serene. In

reality, underneath this veneer of calm and peace lies an intensity that is deeply

felt by persons with this type. INFPs reserve the deepest love and caring for a

select few who are closest to them, which does not seem apparent initially. As

can be seen in the client, she is fiercely loyal, especially to her partner, in the

face of social intolerance and adversity regarding their relationship. An

interesting facet of INFPs is their stubborn defense of their own core values

should they be violated, perhaps as can be seen in the clients anger and

hostility towards people who she feels she has to pretend to because they are

8
not as open or accepting of other peoples identity. INFPs value authenticity

and depth in their personal relationships, and they are usually quite perceptive

about other peoples feelings and motives, often hidden under the veneer of

calm and peacefulness. Indeed, the clients perception of other people who are

abrasive towards her sexuality is natural for INFPs, who may feel threatened by

people with strong judging and thinking preferences.

With the recognition and apparent acceptance of her own anger, the

client is distressed at how this anger, in her own terms, messes up her

relationships with her friends, and most especially her long-time relationship

with her partner. This anxiety at the repercussions of her own anger and her

failure to control it can be seen in the high anxiety scores the client garnered in

her NEO PI-R. This anger, turned toward herself, can be one of the reasons

behind the clients fairly recent suicide ideation episode. While no overt acts

have been indicated by the client, these thoughts are a cause for concern. That

her anger and hostility, coupled with anxiety, leading to shame and a sense of

immorality in her very being, lead the client to entertain thoughts of suicide, is

a fact that cannot be ignored. It would be best that social support be bolstered

at this point in the clients life, especially care and love from her significant

other as well as from her immediate family.

The clients type indicates tremendous loyalty and commitment to her

relationships. INFPs generally exhibit a need to be in a committed relationship.

This is echoed in her high scores with regard to the need for succorance as well

as the need for nurturance, both of which can be easily seen in a committed

loving relationship. Succorance and nurturance refer to a need to be cared for

9
as well as to care for others, respectively; the clients combination of scores

from the EPPS as well as from the MBTI generally agree with each other, in

that the client prefers a mutual loving relationship, fostered by deep care and

loyalty to ones partner. This stance or inclination towards a committed

relationship can also be seen as a major driving force in the clients life, often

feeling the need to defend her choice of lifestyle from other people. This

selfsame need for a committed relationship and its maintenance may be the

main motivation for the client to become aggressive and hostile towards other

people who she perceives does not understand her, even at the cost of hurting

the very people she desires to protect.

The clients INFP type is indicative of an individual who needs a career

which is more than a particular job or occupation. People with this particular

MBTI type feel that everything they do must be in accordance with their

strongly-felt value systems, moving them and others in a positive, growth-

oriented direction. Service-oriented and deeply loyal, the clients current

occupation can be viewed along the lines of a vocation, which is typical of

individuals with this particular type according to the MBTI; they are driven to

do something purposeful and meaningful in their lives.

3. Summary

Areas of Strength

It is clear from the clients test results and subsequent interpretations

that she has several strength areas that should be fostered and maintained.

First, the client possesses a warm and caring outlook towards other people.

While this is clearest in her close personal relationships, a general outlook of

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concern is still evident. This may prove extremely beneficial in any field of

work, but this is ever more important in her chosen field of counseling. Her

warmth may be seen as authenticity towards people she herself

competently perceives this in other people and will enable them to open up

to her. This strength is also bolstered by the clients high need to care for

other people. In other words, while the client possesses the initial warmth for

people to open up to her and seek her for help, she also has within herself

the capacity to establish deep personal relationships with people, and to

nurture and maintain these relationships.

The client can also be seen to be flexible and diverse, preferring

inventive ways of going about a problem and desiring excitement in her life.

The fact that she is a counselor makes perfect sense: encountering new

people and devising new ways of helping them makes this career path very

viable and highly productive for the client and her needs. This knack for

understanding people in an immersive rather than analytical way is bolstered

by the clients ability to express herself well and to do so creatively, making

her an effective counselor by any standards.

Areas of Improvement

On the other hand, several areas for improvement arise from her test

results and interpretations. First and foremost perhaps are her issues

regarding her extreme emotions. This can be rooted in the clients strong

need to receive praise and positive affirmation. When this need is not met,

especially by people who are close to her, the clients inner world is troubled,

often resulting in extreme emotions. Nasa loob ang kulo is a Filipino term

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that is very apt for the client, both positively and negatively, as beneath the

facade of shyness and reservation lies a roaring beast, should it be sufficiently

aroused. Introverted though the client may be, her inner workings are her

source of energy, from the depth of her relationships to the barely contained

anger and hostility simmering underneath.

Being an idealist, while initially viewed as positive, does have its

negative side as well. In the case of the client, her idealism can lead her to

blame herself for all her problems, that it is failure on her part that is the

source of all her issues and anxieties. Perfectionistic tendencies as inherent in

idealists may produce a tendency on the clients part to not give herself

enough credit, as it were, and may sell herself short, without reaping their

well-deserved rewards. Also, the client being intuitive and perceptive can lead

her to become detached from reality, preferring to remain in lofty heights of

ideas and abstractions and dreams rather than work on what is there, on what

is realistic.

Perhaps another area for improvement with regard to the client is her

dislike for routine and monotony. It can be argued that routine and

monotony is more the rule than the exception in the workplace, especially in

the Philippines, and thus the client may be hard-put to find the constant

excitement and novelty that she needs, perhaps leading towards job

dissatisfaction. Coupled with the fact that the client prefers a career over

profession, this lack of novelty can potentially become a maladaptive

experience for the client.

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4. Diagnostic Impression

Client seems to be undergoing minor episodes of depression,

culminating in occasional suicide ideation. No overt actions pertaining to

physical self-hurting has been expressed or discovered. Client expresses

feelings of extreme emotions, particularly anger and hostility towards certain

members of her family, and towards her partner and other friends. Client also

experiences feelings of shame and immorality, the cause of which is the

interaction between her homosexuality and societal norms pertaining to

sexuality. It appears that her sexual preference is at odds with the expectations

of her family, leading the client to lash out at her family and friends, after

which feelings of shame and immorality set in. Suicide ideation is in part due to

these negative feelings about herself. The client cannot be diagnosed with any

particular personality disorder because the instruments used in the assessment

of the client do not indicate psychological and personality disorders.

5. Recommendations

First and foremost, the client needs to realize that other people are

getting hurt from the very methods she employs in trying to defend or protect

them. The fact that the client uses anger and hostility which then reverts

back to her in the form of shame and guilt should be seen by the client as a

sign that this resolution strategy is clearly not working. While the intent is

definitely there the client has deep-set loyalties to the people she deems

important in her life the method, it seems, appears maladaptive to her

relationships. Perhaps in her attempts to protect and defend her loved ones

especially her significant other from societal discrimination and other forms

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of attack, she may turn a blind eye to the effects this protection brings about.

Indeed, this protection may not by definition be any sort of protection at all,

for it hurts the ones being protected. What use is it then, if even the defender

hurts the protected ones?

This is perhaps one of the most important realizations that the client

should have, if any change in handling her emotions should take place. The

client should take stock not only of her emotions which she should do with

ease given her personality preferences but also of the effects of these

feelings. This is a critical problem area perhaps because the client is focused on

the subjective side of things, on her own personal travails while the intention

is for others and it is easy for her to overlook the objective consequences

these emotions may have on other people. Perhaps it would be best if the

client puts the subjectivity aside for a while and attempt to look at things from

another, more objective perspective. While this may seem like a hard task for

the client, it is suggested that she consult with another friend, perhaps an

individual with a more thinking and sensing preference, in order to assess her

situation in a more realistic, more objective way. If this other individual is a

close friend of the client, then all the better, for the client can easily relate and

share with this thinking and sensing person, and together they can map out the

causes and the effects of the clients problems, particularly with her emotions.

Consequences can be mapped out, solutions and strategies to old and new

problems can be addressed, new frames of reference can be introduced. The

rational and logical faculties of the client can be improved upon and reinforced

by another individual who possesses these faculties. There may be a clash of

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personalities at some point, between intuitive feeling and thinking sensing

individuals, but it should be underscored that the need is deemed greater than

differing styles. Indeed, it is this differing styles that will help the client imagine

other possibilities aided by an individual with a different way of looking at

things. It is in the clients preference to seek out the novel, the new and fresh;

perhaps the insight of a person on the other side of the personality spectrum

will be of benefit for the client in this sense because the other person may

present new ways of doing and coping, new ways of seeing and being.

The fact that the client is experiencing problems with handling her

emotions is indicative of her coping strategies, which is related to her

personality type. It makes sense that she is experiencing extreme emotions

such as anger, shame and guilt; her character type focuses on the ideal and not

on the realistic, therefore expectations have a tendency of not being met,

especially with regards to people. In this regard, certain suggestions that play to

the clients strength are given. Since the client is seen to have an intuitive

stance, open to possibilities and able to imagine different outcomes, it is

suggested that she makes use of her imagination to think about certain

situations that cause distress, and imagine herself dealing with the problem in

another way, not through her anger or hostility, but in a realistic, calm and cool

way. In this way this method taps into the clients propensity to imagine

possibilities, and perhaps help her in mapping out possible options when faced

with distressing situations in the future. While it can be argued that the

suggestion remains on the level of ideas and would be hard-pressed to be

translated into action given the clients type, it is nonetheless a fertile starting

15
point for the client to use. Imagining using a sensing stance rather than a

perceptive one is a viable start, rather than immediately jumping into the fray

ill-equipped or without any idea about what to do. When the client is

comfortable with her idea of handling a situation differently, only then can

translation of the method can take place in reality, and even so in an

incremental way.

As for stop-gap measures dealing with anger and hostility, it is

suggested that the client keep a journal or a sketch pad, and channel her

emotions through that medium. This will also play to the clients strengths,

being creative and aesthetically-inclined. In particular, it is suggested that the

client carry in her bag a little notebook and a pen at all times; one can never

anticipate the time nor the hour wherein anger and other extreme emotions

can take hold. In this way the client has an immediate method at alleviating her

extreme emotions, through writing or drawing, and can help quell her feelings

at the moment and to prevent her from acting immediately upon her emotions.

Writing a journal or maintaining a drawing pad can have numerous benefits

aside from quelling emotions at the moment of impact, so to speak. Jotting

down ones thoughts, be it in written or graphical form, can become a kind of

memory keeper, and these can be looked back on in the future. In this way

memories and the emotions attached to these memories can be processed and

understood in a more disengaged way in the future. This enables the writer or

artist to take stock of his or her emotions and try to have a deeper

understanding of them, distanced from the pain and negative affect these

16
memories can recall. In this way keeping a notebook or sketchpad brings about

short-term and long-term benefits, and is strongly suggested for the client.

In the end, it is always in the clients hands, whether she chooses to be

free from the negative effects of her extreme emotions, or to remain shackled

to them. Ultimately it is in our power of choice, not even the grand, dramatic

choices, but in the little ones that we face in our day to day that will determine

who we are. These little choices, little defeats and miniscule victories, make up

the better portion of our existence, and as such it is always, always ours.

Difficulties may arise from other people, from situations, from ourselves, but

in the end, how to overcome these hardships and keep on choosing is what

makes us uniquely human.

Prepared by:

_______________________
_
Pocholo Andrew Velasquez

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VI. Appendices

Social Case History

The client was born in Batangas City, Philippines, and has resided in this area ever

since. The clients father Virgilio is currently working as an overseas worker in Jeddah,

Saudi Arabia, while her mother Ligaya lives with the client. The client is the second in a

brood of 3; an older brother 2 years her senior is deceased and their youngest is 3 years

younger than the client. The client was brought up as a Roman Catholic.

The client is an assistant Guidance counselor in an institution in Batangas, having

been in that position for the past 10 months.

The client earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ateneo de Manila University

in 2006. She is currently on her first semester under the Graduate School Program of the

Ateneo de Manila University, pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Counseling

Psychology.

The client professes to be a homosexual, and is currently involved in a relationship

with a member of the same sex, this fact playing a central role in her expressed issues

and problems as indicated by her intake form. She expresses pride in her father being a

bisexual, noting his strength in not succumbing to narrow-mindedness and bigotry.

Client has admitted to having episodes of suicide ideation, the last occurring episode

happening last May 2008, with recurring thoughts on killing herself occurring

occasionally.

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Behavioral Observations

The client appears calm and collected in class, preferring to listen rather than engage

in discussion other members of the class. The occasional chitchat occurs with old

classmates, but the client seems wary of interacting with other members of the class. Client

seems to pay rapt attention to discussion of other people, contributing only when discussion

impacts on her, particularly on her test scores and interpretation. Often the client can be

seen smiling or laughing quietly should the discussion turn humorous; one can always feel a

certain authenticity to her smile and her eyes. Should an interesting point be raised in class,

one can see a quizzical look on the clients face, intimating a sense of intensity that is seldom

seen in her neutral expressions

Outside of class, the client prefers to stick with old classmates, and would rarely be

seen engaging people, preferring to be quiet and patiently waiting for class to start.

The client finishes answering her psychological tests just a little bit ahead of the

average, after which she will sit quietly and wait for discussions to begin regarding the test.

19