User:Firefox929

Christian Nazario

Mock Therapy session 2/24/11 Partner: Alexandra Mulhearn

Disorder:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Type of Therapy:Behavioral

Agreement:

[18:12] alexxniicolee: well..I was thinking we could do OCD with behavioral therapy

[18:12] saix92: Sure thing

[18:13] alexxniicolee: I chose behavioral because

[18:13] alexxniicolee: it says something about breaking habits

[18:13] alexxniicolee: and as you already know, OCD is an extreme habit lol

[18:13] alexxniicolee: so are you okay with doing the therapist part?

[18:14] saix92: sure let me get myself familiarized with the role a bit

[18:14] alexxniicolee: okay

Dialogue:

Client: Good evening, Dr. Nazario. Therapist: Well hello Alex. How are you?

Client: I am very concerned about myself. I believe that I may have a problem due to my compulsive behavior along with stress and anxiety that I exhibit on a daily basis. I have come to you for help.

Therapist: You say you are having problems concerning stress and anxiety? During which daily activities affect you by this?

Client: Every day when I come home from work, or anytime I enter my home my obsession haunts me.

Therapist: Are these anxiety episodes facilitated with certain rituals at all?

Client: Yes. Every day before I come into my house I feel compelled to lock my car five times in a row, check all the doors twice, lock it again five times, and then precede to take ten steps to the door.

Therapist: What usually occurs if this process is done incorrectly?

Client: If I fail to do each of these steps, I have no choice but to start over completely.

Therapist: Is there any specific reason at all why you would perform these rituals before arriving at your own home? Or rather, is there any underlying cause for these compulsions?

Client: I feel that if I do not perform this ritual, someone will steal my car or break into my home. This fear is constantly on my mind. It is like I cannot get rid of it.

Therapist: You see Alex, with the way technology is these days, there is virtually no need to be locking doors more than one or even twice. Surely you are aware of this. Is there by any chance a point in which you started performing these rituals? Perhaps a certain event startled you enough to have you start these rituals?

Client: Yes. When I was younger, around the age of 10, my grandmother's house was broken into and robbed. Every last memory and possession were taken away from her. I will never forget that day. Since then, I have had overwhelming and fearful thoughts that this might happen again to me or to someone I know.

Therapist: Are rituals a way of protection?

Client: Yes. I feel as though by performing these specific rituals, I am keeping family and myself from harm. If I stop, the robbing incident will occur again. Also, by doing these acts, my anxiety is lowered.

Therapist: Well Alex, I do believe you may have what is called OCD, or an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Client: What does this mean for me?

Therapist: What OCD is that you perform these small rituals due to anxiety caused by what happened when you were still very young. You perform these rituals to fortify your sense of security. Otherwise, you are left with great amounts of stress and fears of being robbed. Because of these rituals, you now believe that the rituals protect you from these irrational yet justified dangers.

Client: What can I do to stop my OCD from intruding on my daily life and creating anxiety for myself?

Therapist: What I want you to try is to little by little eliminate one of the rituals. Say, instead of locking your car five times in row, you lock it only twice. Or instead of walking ten steps to the door, pay no mind to how many steps, or even just walk causally.

Client: I don’t know if that is possible, Dr. Nazario.

Therapist: To help you do this, I advice that you listen to your favorite song via any mp3 player. This is to distract you a bit and help you continue without these rituals. Every week or so, try to shorten or even eliminate each ritual.

Client: But if I fail to fulfill this persistent impulse, I cannot sleep, eat, or drink. I feel very uneasy and anxious.

Therapist: Just try it out. I strongly recommend the mp3 player. If not, then your favorite snack food may suffice as well.

Client: Okay. I will take your advice and try my best.

Therapist: I want you to come back bi-weekly and tell me your progress. If these impulses prove too strong, we will find alternatives. This is a very common thing, so the first thing you should do is not worry about it at all. It is a step-by-step process.

Client: You are right. I need to help myself, and work through it mentally. Thank you so much for your efforts, Dr. Nazario.

Reflective Questions: Generally, how did this collaboration assignment go?

I think it was a huge success personally! I could not have had a better partner honestly.

Did you and your partner participate equally?

Why of course. There was equal input on both sides as well as active participation. Again, fantastic partner.

Did you enjoy the wiki mock-therapy session format?

I will admit I was a bit confused at first. But it was easier than the options. So yes I did enjoy this format.

Why this type of therapy is the best for the disorder?

I believe that a systematic step by step way is the best way to deal with those who have OCD. Because it is best used to habits that need to be broken. And since habits are not easily broken, a method that involves little steps at a time over time would seem the most effective.