Reply to Gloria McPherson

RE: DB 3.2 - Case Study: Lee

Great post, Gloria. Indeed, Lee is portraying high suicidal risk, and there is a need to

assist her in managing her situation, especially at this challenging. Lee has reported that she lost

her sister four months ago, and hence she has lost hope of living since her sister was denied that

chance. According to the model developed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, there are five main stages

of grief that every people go through after losing someone close to them (Pastan, 2017). These

stages include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (Pastan, 2017). Lee appears

to have not reached the acceptance stage, and there is a need for undergoing the counseling

process to help her in that. She is in the fourth stage of depression, and the grief has entered on a

deeper level than she could have imagined in response to her significant loss. Losing a loved one

can be a very depressing situation that requires the assistance of professional counselors as a

process of healing. If this writer is counseling Lee, she will do contemplative practices to help

the client get through the obstacles she is currently facing due to life events. Wedding and

Corsini (2019) described contemplative psychology as the methods that involve meditation,

mindfulness, and therapy in various developmental phases. It is crucial to help Lee meditate on

her life and restore the purpose for living that she has lost completely. It is also essential to take

Lee through the clinical assessment to mitigate her diabetes, hypertension, and asthmatic

conditions, as it has been reported that she has refused to take her medicines.

References

Pastan, L. (2017). The Five Stages of Grief. Academic Medicine, 92(7), 956.

https://doi.org/10.1097/acm.0000000000001734
Wedding, D. & Corsini, R. J. (Eds.). (2019). Current psychotherapies (11th Ed.). Boston, MA:

Cengage.
 Reply to Kathleen Mulhall

RE: DB 3.2 - Case Study: Lee

Hello Kathleen,

Thanks for sharing your discussion on the application of contemplative methods in Lee’s

situation. The facts presented in this case show that Lee is suffering from depression and has

even lost hope in life. Although Lee has denied having suicidal thoughts, her conditions portray a

high risk for suicide. She has refused to take medication, arguing that she wants to spend the rest

of her life in darkness. Lee has no hope for living because her sister was denied that chance. This

is one of the common reactions faced by individuals after losing their loved ones. I firmly agree

with you that meditation is one of the best approaches applicable to helping Lee get through her

situation. However, it is essential to assess Lee’s cultural and spiritual affiliation to apply the

methods effectively. According to Wedding and Corsini (2019), some clients may feel

uncomfortable with the contemplative practices because they emphasize mindfulness that may

appear religious and spiritual. Meditation can help Lee adjust to the obstacles in their lives but

not improve dysfunctions (Wedding & Corsini, 2019). Providing therapy of mind will promote

positive thinking in the clients who have negative thoughts (Weare, 2019). The approach will

help attain the acceptance phase of grief associated with the significant problems facing Lee.

This writer also agrees with you that losing a loved one does not mean the end of life, and it is

essential to help the clients understand this logic.

References

Weare, K. (2019). Mindfulness and contemplative approaches in education. Current Opinion In

Psychology, 28, 321-326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.06.001

Wedding, D. & Corsini, R. J. (Eds.). (2019). Current psychotherapies (11th Ed.). Boston, MA:

Cengage.