GROUP ACTIVITY NO.

Case No. 1

Jocelyn works as a Human Resources Manager for a large international

organisation. She is becoming more and more stressed at work as the
company is constantly changing and evolving. It is a requirement of her job
that she keeps up with this change by implementing new strategies as well as
ensuring focus is kept on her main role of headhunting new employees.

She finds that she is working twelve-hour days, six days a week and doesn’t
have time for her friends and family. She has started yelling at staff members
when they ask her questions and when making small mistakes in their work.
Concerned about her stress levels, Jocelyn decided to attend a counselling
session.

Case No. 2

Leah is a 24 year old woman who was recently discharged from the Army on
medical grounds. During her four years in the Army, Leah experienced high
levels of stress and anxiety which she coped with by drinking heavily. When
she presented for counselling, Leah had been sober for 55 days and was
seeking strategies to cope with her anxiety that didn’t involve drinking.

Leah was an only child whose parents separated during her teen years. She
felt isolated and was often bored at school. Her love of art was the only thing
that gave her any enjoyment and she expressed this by covering the school
buildings with graffiti after dark. Already in conflict with her mother due to her
poor school performance, the involvement of the police after she was reported
for vandalising public property further worsened their relationship. Her father
had moved away and was no longer involved in Leah’s life.

Leah left school intending to train as an ambulance medic. On being told she
lacked the life experience required for this work, Leah joined the Army on a
four year contract hoping to address this requirement. However the Army
turned out to be a repeat of the constrictive structure within which she had
struggled both at school and at home.
Being obligated to complete the full four years, she began to feel increasingly
trapped and was often anxious and depressed. She was introduced to alcohol
by her fellow recruits and began using this as a means of deadening her
overwhelmingly negative feelings about the course her life was taking. After
three years in the Army, Leah was discharged on medical grounds, having
become dependent on alcohol and unable to control her intake.

Case No. 3

Elizabeth Perez, 30 years old, came to counselling because she was

experiencing intense anger, and was not coping with her life. She complained
of failed relationships with her ex-husband, and with another man whom she
left her husband to be with. Elizabeth cannot move on from the anger she
feels about her failed relationships and she is feeling isolated from her family
and friends. This had an effect on her ability to cope with her work. As a
consequence, Elizabeth has sold her successful business.

Elizabeth is a mother of two; she has a son aged 18 and a daughter aged 15.
She shares custody of the children with her ex-husband, Jodi, whom the
children spend a lot of time with. Jodi lives with another woman and they are
engaged to be married. The children have a close relationship with their father
and get along well with his new partner.

Despite the separation, Elizabeth’s ex-husband is still very much a part of her
life through his relationship with the children. He has retained good
relationships with her family and their mutual friends, who are very
sympathetic towards him, due to the fact that Elizabeth ended the relationship
to be with another man. Elizabeth was resentful of this sympathy and of the
strong relationship that the children had with their father.

Elizabeth described her ex-husband as manipulative and verbally abusive.

She felt that he was not supportive of the needs or her career. She finally
ended this difficult relationship by leaving Jodi to be with someone who was
more supportive of her at the time.