ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses diagnosis of the client who has adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood. Ana is a 53-year-old female who was referred to psychology treatment by her general medical practitioner. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, for which she had undergone a double mastectomy and completed one cycle of adjunctive chemotherapy. Several health factors contributed to the perpetuation of Ana's low mood and anxiety, including shock associated with the sudden diagnosis, uncertainty regarding short- and long-term prognosis for remission and recovery, and uncertainty regarding the need for ongoing surgery and testing procedures. A supportive counselling format and cognitive-behavioural framework was central to Ana's treatment. Ana's subjective feedback indicated benefit from engaging in psychological treatment. Internationalisation of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) strategies of identifying and challenging cognitions was apparent. Ana required less prompting from the clinician during later sessions, indicating the skills were becoming automatic.
