Case Studies

David – Depression, Perfectionism, Insomnia and Work Stress

The following examples are real cases but the details and names have been changed to protect client’s identity. The clients in these case studies have given their permission for this information to be used.

David was a 36 year old man who worked in the City for a finance company. He was married with a young baby. He came to me with symptoms of depression, sleep problems and stress. His symptoms meant he had to take time off work. We explored how his long-standing negative view of himself and his high standard were contributing to his low mood. We looked at the evidence against his self-criticism and explored how perfectionism can lead to exhaustion and a lack of joy. We also looked at strategies to improve his sleep, stress levels and increase relaxation. He started to exercise on a more regularly basis.

It became clear that because he wanted others to like him he would rarely challenge others if they behaved badly, were unreasonable or if a situation did not work for him. We looked at ways of building his confidence and communication at home and at work. As a result his depression went, his sleep improved and he gained a promotion which made his job more secure in the company. He was delighted with the outcome.

Amy- Post Natal Depression (PND)

The following examples are real cases but the details and names have been changed to protect client’s identity. The clients in these case studies have given their permission for this information to be used.

Amy came to see me with Post Natal Depression (PND) after having her first child who was now 3 months old. She was tearful and exhausted. She brought her infant to sessions and explain to me that she felt she had failed as a mother and was inadequate compared to other mothers. In summary, she hated herself. She was also concerned about her lack of attachment to her infant. She felt confused by all the baby literature and as a result felt there was something wrong with her baby as she did not seem to fit the description in the books. She was not enjoying her maternity leave and feared she would be unable to cope with her work when she returned. She was angry with her partner for the easy way he could leave the home in morning. She was convinced she was a useless mother and that her baby would be better off with another mother and worried she would never have a close bond with her baby.

She had always had extremely high standards for herself and was struggling to apply them to motherhood. The birth of her baby also reawakened some difficult feelings about her own relationship with her mother and how she was parented.

We worked in sessions to normalise her feelings, to look at how her life was balanced and to challenge the high expectations she had of herself and of others, such thoughts had left her feeling inadequate, exhausted and alienated from her support networks. She learned to be more compassionate and caring for herself. We explored the difficult birth she had had and how she had found that her feelings had been numbed from the trauma of the birth experience. We used mindfulness strategies to help her settle with her anxious thought and worked to improve communication with her partner to help build intimacy and mobilise the help she needed.

Over time she was able to realise how exhaustion, trauma and isolation had affected her, and that bonding with her baby was indeed possible and this started to happen through her time in therapy. She understood that it was not possible to be a perfect mother and that good enough parenting would not harm her baby and would allow her to start enjoying motherhood.

Ravinder – Anxiety, Panic Attack and Trauma.

​The following examples are real cases but the details and names have been changed to protect client’s identity. The clients in these case studies have given their permission for this information to be used.

Ravinder was a 43 year old woman with two grown children and a part time job. She had a car accident which affected her confidence and resulted in depression, agoraphobia (a fear of going outside), panic attacks and a phobia about cars and driving.

Due to these symptoms she was unable to get to work so lost her job, she also experienced problems in her relationships and she began questioning whether it was worth living. Together we slowly worked on getting her out of the house in small gradual steps which made her feel more hopeful about the future. I taught her strategies to prevent panic attacks and she gradually re-learnt that she could cope with the outside world again and over time she considered driving again. She retook driving lessons and is now able to go out and drive as before the accident. She believed that after the accident things would never be the same again and that her life was over, thankfully this was not the case.

John- an child with anxiety, insomnia with a history of dyslexia and school bullying. 

The following examples are real cases but the details and names have been changed to protect client’s identity. The clients in these case studies have given their permission for this information to be used.

John was a 12 years old boy referred by his mum for anxiety and insomnia issues. He was diagnosed with dyslexia in primary school,and had experienced a difficulty in learning at secondary school along with some bullying. He was suffering with panic attacks and was becoming reluctant to go to school. In sessions I was able to explore with him ways to improve his sleep and manage his anxiety. In sessions he learnt to control his panic attacks with controlled breathing and mindfulness strategies. We explored in impact of bullying on his confidence and how to effectively deal with ongoing bullies. At the end of treatment he no longer feared going to school and developed some close and supportive friendships.

Zoe – A young lady with perfectionism, self-harm and failing school grades.

The following examples are real cases but the details and names have been changed to protect client’s identity. The clients in these case studies have given their permission for this information to be used.

Zoe was 14 years old and a straight A* student. She had elements of perfectionism coupled with low self-esteem and had recently started self harming and controlling her eating. Her grades were dropping and she was becoming more rebellious at home. Her mum would find her crying in her bedroom and the whole family were very worried about the changes in her behaviour. Her parents joined the first session. I went on to work with her to address her low self esteem and perfectionism. The therapy gave her the space to challenge unhelpful belief she had develop about her studies and own self view. She was gradually able to address long standing unhelpful beliefs, to stop some of the destructive behaviours by increasing her self-compassion and get her studies back on track in a more balanced way. She completed her school year in a calmer and happier place while maintaining her academic achievements.