ABSTRACT
Trainees sometimes tell us that they mostly find it easier to choose to present client case studies from within the client-centred or cognitive behavioural therapeutic approaches. This may, in part, be due to the perception that the core skills required appear straightforward and that there is a standard literature and series of references available to support the trainees’ interpretations. This is not always the case. Amanda Evans describes her therapy with a client, using a cognitive behavioural approach, but gives due consideration to three issues that make this a more complex case. First, the therapy takes place within a medical setting. Second, the therapy is required to be brief or time-limited. Third, the client has HIV infection. This case study provides extensive insight into the ‘mind of the therapist’ who must recognise and address her own feelings and conflicts when working with this client. It also demonstrates that our ability to recall what actually happened in sessions is seldom an objective or neutral account of the process. When preparing case studies, the description of what the therapist believed was transacted in the therapy sessions is usually the less contentious section for trainees. The appraisal of the effectiveness of the interventions used and outcomes invites the trainees to reflect on their confidence and competence as a therapists. In this case, Amanda gives an enlightening account of her therapy with this client which, in turn, makes the reader think, ‘I wonder how I would have dealt with a similar case or reacted to this situation?’
