Clinical Case Studies current issue

Skills-Based Group Intervention for Adolescent Girls With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Hayutin, L. G., Blount, R. L., Lewis, J. D., Simons, L. E., McCormick, M. L. — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:53:13 PDT

In this study we describe the responses of six adolescent girls with inflammatory bowel disease and their parents to a 10-session, manualized intervention program focusing on decreasing pain and functional disability in adolescents with a chronic illness, and increasing coping and sense of competency for their parents. Measures of adolescent physical symptoms and parenting sense of competence and coping were collected at pretreatment, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up. Improvements were observed post-treatment and at 6 month follow-up on measures of adolescents’ pain and functional disability, as well as parents’ sense of competency and use of adaptive coping strategies.The potential effectiveness of this type of program and implications for its use are discussed.

Multisystemic Therapy Applied to the Assessment and Treatment of Poorly Controlled Type-1 Diabetes: A Case Study in the U.K. National Health Service

Martin, C., Southall, A., Liveley, K., Shea, E., Whitehead, K. — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:53:13 PDT

The objective of this article is to describe the case of a twelve-year-old girl with Type-1 Diabetes, who had a history of hospitalisation due to Diabetes Ketoacidosis (DKA) and had been placed into the child protection register. The report advocates an Understanding of the Social Ecological Model (Bronfenbrenner, 1976) in relation to assessing poor metabolic control, and examines the use of Multisystemic Therapy (MST) in treatment adherence. The assessment explores the beliefs within the child’s systems and subsystems. Formulating from a Systemic Perspective allowed for integrated Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Family Therapy and Systems Oriented intervention applied to the Microsystems’ beliefs. After treatment and at follow-up the child was removed from the Child Protection register and has remained to date without admission to hospital experiencing DKA. MST has the possibility of offering a new perspective for treatment in complex cases of children with diabetes and severe treatment adherence problems.

Culturally Sensitive Treatment of Anger in African American Women: A Single Case Study

Gonzalez-Prendes, A. A., Thomas, S. A. — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:53:13 PDT

Culturally sensitive clinical practice challenges practitioners to recognize the cultural significance and importance of clients’ behaviors and belief systems.This article reports a case study of the treatment of anger in an African American woman. Presented within a framework of cognitive-behavioral theory, the case illuminates three important issues that influence experience and expression of anger in African American women: the influence of gender role socialization on the mode of anger expression; the experience of powerlessness, rooted in historical and contemporary discriminatory and oppressive realities; and culture-related messages that create unrealistic expectations of strength.The article addresses conceptualization, assessment, treatment processes,and clinical strategies,as well as limitations of a single case study, implications for practice and recommendations for future research.