After selecting one of the major theories of psychotherapy that we have studied this semester (e.g., psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, humanistic, existential, systemic, community, etc.), please write a 6-8 page (1500-2000 word) paper in which you:

1. Introduce yourself or an imaginary client (if you prefer not to write about yourself). As part of your Introduction, please write in the third person and make sure to describe:

• Your (or your client’s) basic demographic information (e.g., “The client is a 19 year-old Caucasian woman in her senior year of college majoring in psychology.”).
• The chief concerns or major areas of struggle in your life (or the life of your imaginary client) right now in one sentence (e.g., “The client struggles primarily with self-esteem, feelings of depression, and distress regarding her interactions with others”).
• The maladaptive patterns or tendencies you (or your imaginary client) have with regard to the following: a) interpersonal patterns: (e.g. “The client struggles to establish strong relationships with other people and tends to withdraw from others when feeling uncertain about their care.”), b) intrapersonal patterns: (e.g., “The client often doesn’t feel worthy of care and feels that others will reject her if they really knew her”), c) cognitive patterns: (e.g., “The client will often think that she is not a good person and tends to think that she must be perfect in order to be acceptable”), d) behavioral patterns (e.g., “The client struggles to manage her stress well and often has trouble with sleep), and e) systemic patterns (e.g., “The client will often feel lost in her family system and her family tends to view her as the problem whenever there is conflict”).
• Your (or your imaginary client’s) goals with regard to the chief concerns (i.e., What changes would you or your imaginary client like to make in life?). Please do not list more than 3 goals for yourself (or your imaginary client). Again, please write in the third person.
• The theory of psychotherapy you chose to apply to yourself (or the imaginary client) and the reasons why you chose this theory (e.g., “Cognitive therapy was chosen for this client because it is likely to be helpful in addressing some of the client’s negative thinking and it has been demonstrated within the literature to be an effective treatment for depression.”).

2. Describe some of the major experiences that have shaped your life (or the life of your imaginary client). As part of this Background Summary, please make sure to write in the third person and provide a brief description of your (or your imaginary client’s):

• Family History (i.e., family structure, marital problems/divorce, relationships with parents and/or siblings, impact of family on chief concerns, etc.).
• School/Social History (i.e., relational experiences in friendship and/or romantic relationship, presence of current social support network, academic achievement or lack thereof, experiences with teachers, counselors, or academic administrators, etc.).
• Spiritual/Religious History (i.e., religious background, impact of church community, your view of God, relational experiences with God, faith experiences, other spiritual experiences, etc.).
• Cultural History (i.e., cultural background, impact of cultural experiences or various cultural groups on your worldview, impact of privilege, prejudice, and/or discrimination in your life, etc.).
• Other Relevant History (i.e., previous counseling experiences, medical issues, athletic experiences, other important accomplishments or failures, etc.)

3. Summarize one theory of psychotherapy. As part of your Theory of Psychotherapy Summary, please make sure to describe the theory’s view of:

• Human Nature (i.e., What does this theory of psychotherapy say about our dispositions, motivations, behavioral tendencies, cognitive tendencies, social tendencies, and/or intrapersonal tendencies?).
• Suffering (i.e., How does this theory of psychotherapy define and explain human suffering? Why causes psychopathology and psychological problems to emerge? Why do people suffer and continue to suffer according to this perspective?)
• Healing (i.e., How is healing/health defined from this psychological point of view? What is the end goal of treatment according to this perspective? What are counselors working within this theory trying to accomplish?)
• Change (i.e., How do we change, grow, and develop according to this perspective? How to we move away from psychopathology and toward health from this perspective? What interventions are used within this perspective and how to these interventions promote change?)

4. Apply it to your personal life (or the life of an imaginary client). As part of your Application Summary, please make sure to:

• Describe your Case Conceptualization of yourself (or your imaginary client): How would a therapist from this theoretical orientation explain your (or your imaginary client’s) maladaptive patterns or tendencies? If you (or your client) were meeting with a counselor, how would you (or your client) interact with the therapist and how would they interpret/understand your behavior? What terms/principles from this theoretical perspective would most likely apply to you (or your imaginary client)?
• Describe the Interventions (at least 3) that would most likely be utilized to treat you (or your imaginary client: What interventions might be used by a therapist practicing from this perspective to help you (or your imaginary client)? How might these interventions be used? What would the therapist do or say to help you (or your client)?
• Describe the potential Effectiveness of Therapy: Would therapy be successful in this case? Do you think these interventions would help you (or your client)? If so, why? If not, why not?
• Describe the potential Outcome of Therapy: What do you imagine your future (or your client’s future) would look like if you (or your client) successfully completed a course of therapy from this perspective? How would therapy impact your (or your client’s) life moving forward and your (or your client’s) relationships moving forward? What would you (or your client) need to do to maintain the gains made in treatment?

5. Finally, please remember to edit your paper. As part of your editing process, please make sure to:

• Organize your paper in a logical manner and use proper grammar.
• Write the paper entirely in the third person.
• Write your paper double spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman, 1” margins, referenced using APA style. This means providing a list of references in APA style at the end of your paper.
• Use multiple resources. Please utilize at least 2 other outside academic references in addition to the course lectures and materials provided in class.