Bob
Crisis Intervention
What about Bob?:
A psychological overview
"I have...problems" the patient Bob Wylie whines, in his first session with his psychiatrist in the film What about Bob? The film details the near-traumatizing experience of the psychiatrist in treating Bob over the course of the film. Bob is a white, middle-class, middle-aged divorced man who has multiple phobias and is also highly manipulative in terms of how he interacts with the psychiatrist's family. Bob's lack of social connections in terms of friends and family become particularly manifest in the film as he strives to be 'adopted' by his therapist, whom he follows (stalks) when the therapist is on vacation. Bob is afraid of most social interactions (yet is pathetically needy), is germ-o-phobic (he is afraid to touch anything directly) and is a hypochondriac (he fears everything from having a heart attack to having his organs explode unexpectedly).
The crisis Bob experiences during the film is immediately touched off by his divorce, which he seems unable to explain in a coherent fashion (he blames it on his difference of opinion with his wife on the subject of Neil Diamond). However, clearly his crisis has long-standing, deeper roots that a single relationship. In a more conventional therapeutic setting (in other words, when being seen by a more competent therapist than his on-screen psychologist) Bob would be diagnosed as having a personality disorder, rather than a mood disorder such as depression.
According to the DSM, a personality disorder is an appropriate diagnosis when a patient exhibits "an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual's culture. This pattern is manifested in two (or more) of the following areas," namely of cognition or "ways of perceiving and interpreting self, other people, and events;" affectivity, "the range, intensity, lability, and appropriateness of emotional response;" "interpersonal functioning;" and "impulse control" (Personality disorder, 2011, Behave Net). Bob clearly displays deficits in all of these areas, as is manifested by the fact that he 'follows' his therapist on vacation. Bob's hysterical fears of abandonment, sickness, and contamination deviate markedly from the expectations of a culture that expects him to be able to tolerate separation...
Let's just talk here at the beginning about doing things differently. How about this -- are you right-handed? Gina: No, I'm left-handed, why? Therapist: What if I asked you to start brushing your teeth with your right hand. Tonight, after your dinner, use your right hand. Gina: Okay but that will seem weird and I might not be very good. Therapist: Once you do it for a while, how would that seem to
Crisis Intervention A Biblical Perspective of Crisis Intervention Crisis strikes every single person at one time or another during their lifetimes. It is usually beyond the individual to control the circumstances that lead to a specific event, or at least it seems that way. Modern day psychology has many answers which more often than not take the onus of the blame for any situation away from the recipient of the crisis. Though
However, counselors must be careful not to take advantage of a suffering individual" in their moment of need (Monroe, 2007). In fact, recent developments in the world of counseling seem to suggest a merging of secular science (psychology, etc.), postmodern world-views, humanism, and Biblical therapy. While there are always definitive characteristics that set Biblical therapy apart (reliance on a higher power, goals towards spirituality, etc.) one of the most important
Failing that, clients will be offered temporary shelter, housing assistance, and pro bono legal services where appropriate. Referrals may be made to homelessness service agencies and charities, providers of pro bono legal services, and home improvement charities. Regarding the mentally ill and suicidal clients, select police officers will be trained and organized into crisis intervention teams, based on the Memphis model, to ensure that the mentally ill are recognized and
Triggers are abandonment, child rearing, responsibilities of motherhood, fear of abandonment, lonlieness. Overall Issue Seems to pick inappropriate partners; in long-term, one must ask, are there issues Mary engenders over time with romantic relationships? Substantive emotional stability; lack of intimacy; feelings of rejection. Initial Steps Clearly -- initial steps are to work through the feelings of suicide and find a way to get Mary on a treatment program with a professional. Mary needs to either seek
, 2001 cited in van den Brink, van Ree, 2003). Detoxification and relapse prevention are important in planning the intervention and are both gradual processes. In the detoxification phase the patient has to reduce and finally stop the consumption of cocaine and become abstinent, and the relapse prevention phase is targeted at preserving abstinence. Counseling is recommended all throughout the process. Behavioral techniques are very important as well as the therapist'
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