Kristina Martinez

(Author’s name)

(Institutional Affiliation)

Kristina Martinez is a twenty three year old white woman who is experiencing depression and anxiety. She is a student, and from what I saw, she is well grounded. However, she came to me with complains that she is experiencing anxiety and depression which seemed to stem from the fact that she had recently delivered a baby, with a father who was not helpful at all. She is still in school and she struggles to be an excellent mother and student. When she is at school, her boyfriend sometimes looks after her daughter, but other times her parents are forced to do it. She worries when she lives the baby with the father, and she is worried about overburdening her parents.

Kristina came to the clinic with a number of problems she needed help addressing. One of the main problems that seemed prominent, however, was the fact that she was suffering from depression and anxiety, as a result, of the numerous duties and responsibilities she had to deal with since the birth of her child. My patient implied that she was anxious about the behavior of her boyfriend and father of her child who was not showing enough initiative towards taking care of their baby. From what she implied, it was clear that she was anxious about her future and that of her baby, in addition to the relationship she has with the father of her child.

To manage Kristina’s depression and anxiety, or to eliminate it, I sought to develop two categories of goals, both short and long term. I was going to reduce her depression and anxiety by helping her cope with the stress she was experiencing at school and, to improve her relationship with the father of her child, who now will be in her life for a long time. These two form the short and long-term goals I planned for the patient. The goals will help direct the therapy and treatment plan. One of the main long-term goals the treatment should establish is to make sure that Kristina is able to develop and improve relationships that are meaningful with those around her. The short-term goal of her treatment is that these long-term goals will be broken into smaller goals and steps that are manageable. The goals that Kristina and I develop must be achieved through breaking them into smaller and manageable steps.

After establishing these goals, it is essential to come up with manageable intervention plans for Kristina. To help her realize these goals, I explained to her that she was an excellent mom and there was no reason why she would not be in future because she had taken excellent care of her baby since her birth. I also pointed out that she had enough family support to help her with the baby. I also pointed out that she was the one in control of her relationship with her boyfriend, although she had to make sure that the relationship was a healthy one. I applauded her strength for taking care of the baby and for going on with her education. One of the things that I pointed out to her is that she is capable and strong and has already surpassed her major obstacles. The encouragement and applauding of her efforts seemed to be working on her, as she was extremely receptive. However, just to make sure that she was managing her condition well, I showed her how to do some breathing exercises that she can use whenever she feels overwhelmed. I explained that these would help her relax, for her to attain both her long and short- term goals.