The Case of Binh

Task Group 1: Deanna Chaparro, Illianez Ramos-Chaves, Katarina Serrano, Matthew Vallone 

The Case of Binh

Summary 

In this case, of Binh, Binh did not want to terminate with her counselor. She is at her sixth session and her counselor tells her that he must terminate because he is a short-term counselor and does not feel competent to be able to have more sessions. He said that she needed more intense therapy that he is not trained to do. She disagreed and said that she is comfortable with him and does not want to start all over with another counselor. So, if she cannot continue to go with him then she will not go anywhere else.

 Case Study Questions 

1. The counselor’s approach lacked sensitivity. He provided little positivity and appeared to offer no choices. In the intake session, he mentioned that generally they limit sessions to six sessions however was not clear on how he was not competent enough to be able to help the client with more intensive counseling that would go beyond six sessions. I would not have waited until the last session to drop the bombshell on Binh. I would have sought supervision and consultation on how to approach Binh’s unease with expressing emotion. I would have checked in with Binh throughout our session to make sure she was getting the most from our time together. I would have made the referral much sooner and with greater sensitivity.

2. Binh may have lacked the knowledge of the process but it is the counselor’s responsibility to help Binh understand. He should have explained the referral process during intake so that she would not be caught by surprise during the last session. The counselor should be reflecting his experience with Binh back to her. For example, “I notice you aren’t very communicative. Can you tell me what you are experiencing right now?” He should be reminding her of the timeline throughout and preparing her for termination with him and transitions to a new counselor. This should not have been done in the last session.

3. & 4. It appears that the counselor was not clear to the client on the six sessions limit. He should have told the client from the beginning that he is expected to do short term counseling. He also should have told her from the beginning of the limitations he had, reminded her of the number of sessions remaining, (especially after the midpoint) and talked to her about potential further treatment options.

5. Being Binh’s counselor, I would not have waited until the last session to have this conversation. I would tell her that I would speak to my supervisor about the possible options, including the possibility of adding one or two additional sessions with the express purpose of talking about future treatment options, including cultural concerns, as Binh’s hesitations may be due to cultural differences. I would seek a therapist who has experience with her culture to refer her to, as perhaps that would ease her concerns.