Penny, one of the heroines in Yalom’s Love’s Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy, conceived and gave birth to twin girls, yet, unfortunately, the welfare took them since she could not provide for them. The guilt of losing them to welfare tormented her soul. She did not talk to her daughter, Chrissie, about her condition, leukemia, and her limited time to live; this haunted Penny after her death. Penny’s style of mourning distanced her from her family since she valued Chrissie more (Yalom, 1989). Guilt started to haunt her after this habit disintegrated her family. Therefore, the problem of the deep internal feeling of guilt and the mental health implications that it entails representing the key issues in the matter at hand.
Overall, my attitude toward the issue can be described as empathetic. I deeply sympathize with the patient and believe that she needs sufficient support and assistance in order to overcome her struggle.
The ethical concern, in this case, is the conflict of interest. Yalom was seeking information for his research proposal from people battling grief without the intention of offering therapy. Although it involved a volunteer, Yalom was the only one to benefit from the interview. The Social Workers Code of Ethics prohibits taking advantage of clients or exploiting them for personal interests and gains (National Association of Social Workers, n.d.). The specified issue is likely to represent a major source of concern. Social work must focus on the client’s interests and not self.
Psychoanalytic counseling theory would appropriately and effectively work for Penny. Since she has problems with her past, this technique acknowledges the unconscious thoughts, memories, desires, and feelings, thus making it easy to address her issues. The psychoanalyst will use talk therapy to inspect the client’s thinking patterns, feelings, and reactions. This will help to bring unconscious thoughts into discussion and ease the ability to control emotions and behavior (Cherry, 2020). The effectiveness of this method depends on the client’s commitment.
This case describes the essence of the virtue of patience when handling clients. Yalom had planned to carry out a two-hour interview session but it ended up being a series of therapy sessions. It is important to be flexible and ready to adjust pre-planned schedules depending on the client’s response and the therapy progress. The case defines the importance of commitment to ensuring clients’ well-being. Yalom organized more therapy as he had vowed to work with her until she was fine. The client may also benefit from the cognitive behavioral therapy approach as a means of changing her attitude toward the issue. Overall, the case teaches one about the necessity to be cognizant of one’s emotions and their nature in order to prevent mental health issues from developing.
References
Cherry, K. (2020). How psychoanalysis influenced the field of psychology. Verywell Mind. Web.
National Association of Social Workers. (n.d.). Social Workers’ Ethical Responsibilities to Clients. National Association of Social Workers. Web.
Yalom, I. D. (1989). The wrong one died. In Love’s executioner and other tales of psychotherapy. Short Story, Basic Books.