¶ … Stress Case Study I told the mother that it was no problem whatsoever, and that I was only too happy to meet her that Tuesday morning on such short notice. In truth I had been trying to contact her for the past couple of weeks, and was relieved that she was finally willing to talk about some of the issues she had been going through. Still, the look of worry on her face did not help to ease the sense of instinctive foreboding I got at her sudden call last night. She explained that she had received my previous voice messages, but had just been too busy looking after her daughter and trying to make a home with her new husband.

I asked her how the childcare issues had been going and expressed my surprise that her new husband seemed to be living with her now. Significantly, she chose to address the latter before the former and stated that her husband had been doing the majority of the babysitting. However, instead of seeming relieved about the fact, her brow was wrinkled with care as she denoted this fact. To her credit, she was quick to play up the positives of the situation and mentioned that she had gotten work with one of the local elementary schools as a secretary. She said that for a long time she was convinced that the new working arrangement (her husband working nights, and her working during the day) would finally give her the opportunity to get the sort of financial resources that were so vital to her existence. Instead, she was surprised to say that the situation had brought on issues that she wished they had not.

She mentioned that she was starting to get a little concerned with all of the time her new husband spends with her daughter. The fact that she blames herself for marrying so quickly after her divorce seemed to truly add to the stress that she feels related to her daughter's impending molestation case. Still, she said that she had noticed a change in her daughter's behavior,...

She mentioned that her daughter seemed much more cruel than she had previously been. She noted that the her daughter was still as preoccupied as ever with things that she cannot control -- typically the weather and death -- but that her perspective on both of those subjects was markedly different. Instead of merely thinking about death, she was thinking about the way death affects other people. She also had become preoccupied with rainy, downcast days and stated on a number of occasions that they were her favorite. Prior to the husband having moved in, the client mentioned, her daughter used to prefer sunny days.
Most of all, the mother emphasized that she was afraid her husband was a negative influence on her daughter. One of the reasons she had initially agreed to marry him she admitted, was so that she could have a stable family life for her daughter. However, lately she has noticed the fact that her husband drinks more than his usual glass of wine at night, and frequently goes out during the evenings only to return in 20 minutes with his eyes red. He typically showers thereafter, and soon leaves for his night shift.

It is clear that the crux of the situation that the client evinced during my most recent interaction with her was the fact that all of the most salient factors of this case -- her inordinate amount of stress, the pattern of deviance that seems to be enveloping her daughter, and the means to provide financially for her daughter to get her the sort of help she needs to move past this difficult time in her life -- have seemingly worsened. Her true concern about her husband's late night forays were inspired by the fact that he had yet to bring home a check during the past month. Even worse is the fact that the mother seems to be internalizing this conflict more. During our session she shifted uneasily while talking, had difficulty sitting still, and…