A case study on therapeutic interventions for a young dancer

Biopsychosocial Assessment:

· Student Name: Caitlyn

· Age: 17

· Gender: Female

· Social-Cultural Information: Caucasian, female, Christian

· Grade level: high school - senior year

Presenting problem:

· Developmental crisis (process of growing and developing through various periods of life): had a normal childhood attending dance classes after school, getting involved in extracurricular activities with school and after that revolved around dancing, has chosen to teach dance in community school as well

· Disabilities: none

· Previous Mental Health Issues/Treatment: Stress to meet dance schedule/therapy sessions to let out and develop through stressful problems, yoga and breathing exercises

· Situational and environmental factors impacting the problem: pressure from mother to meet the demands of a dancer\\\\\\\'s life

Family History:

· Who is in the family? Caitlyn lives with her mother

· Describe family environment. The family environment is generally positive but Caitlyn\\\\\\\'s mother does put pressure on Caitlyn to meet the demands of a professional dancer and she has been doing that from a very young age.

· Special circumstances or events:

· Siblings: (ages and where they are currently living, issues/concerns, school attending): none

Current living situations/environment:

· Who is living in the current household? Caitlyn lives with her mother

· Social Connections: Caitlyn has friends in her arts department in school and she has a completely separate social circle from amongst volunteers and other dance instructors at the community school where she teaches dance

· Financial Situation: Caitlyn\\\\\\\'s financial situation seems to be stable and improving

Personal History:

· Major life events: Caitlyn lost a local dance event when she was 13. This was when the ugly side of her mother\\\\\\\'s pressures surfaced when it was clear to see that Caitlyn was not only distraught after the loss but she received absolutely no support and encouragement from her mother

· History of trauma: none

Physical/Medical Info:

· Relevant physical/medical history: has always presented signs of anorexic tendencies

· Current physical/medical state: seems frail and anorexic but generally healthy with no known medical conditions including asthma or hypertension

· Use of medications: none that have been reported

Substance Abuse/Addiction History

· Substance Abuse/Addiction History and Current Situation: there are no instances of any form of substance abuse or addiction in her personal life or family members.

Emotional/Psychiatric History

· Previous psychological issues (depression, anxiety, etc.): has faced anxiety due to increased stress levels when partaking in dance competitions

· Previous therapy; hospitalizations: has been talking to a therapist but is not been on any medication and instead has managed stress through breathing exercises and yoga

· Family history of mental/psychological issues: none that were reported

Current Symptoms: a close friend, Jocelyn, has noticed her incredibly thin physicality and the fact that she always goes to the bathroom after she has eaten. Jocelyn is concerned that Ciatlyn might be inducing vomited after eating to maintain her frail structure as a dancer.

Treatment Plan:

Presenting Problem:

· Student presents with: anorexic tendencies

· As evidenced by: Jocelyn, a friend who suspects Caitlyn throws up her food as soon as she has consumed it

· Due to: pressures of meeting the frail structures of ballet dancing

Short term goals:

· Reduce stress caused by demands of dancing as a ballerina

· Stick to healthy diet plan

· Exercise to loose excess fat

Long term goals:

· Remove all anorexic tendencies and mindsets

· Continue therapy, diet and exercise to not revert to anorexic tendencies or e gage in different eating disorders

Community Resources/Social Supports:

· Caitlyn has a regular therapist who her manage her stress levels

· Caitlyn is reached out to a nutritionist who is helping her manage her diet plan and execute it

· Caitlyn has the support of other dance instructors in her community school to maintain a healthy outlook

Legal, ethical, and other considerations:

· All treatments are therapeutic and natural. the only ethical concern will thus be the willingness of the participant to apply and follow through with the therapies suggested.

Theoretical Foundation:

The overall expanse of eating disorders (EDs) is now on much wider global scale than ever before (Galmiche et al, 2019). The more troubling reality is that ED is mostly supported in individuals with countless other health problems as well as psychological disorders that can cause complications in the treatment provided by healthcare professionals (DeSocio, 2019). Most of the treatments provide focus on restoring the weight of the individual and their mental stability but these treatment have been known to be ineffective in the long term (NIHCE, 2017) as participants seems to loose interest and focus (Savidaki et al, 2020). This is why many researchers in recent times have urged the exploration of alternative and less invasive interventions for ED and related health problems (Murray, 2019; Fichter et al, 2017). Hence, in this paper, we suggest taking a purely therapeutic approach whereby breathing, touch and movement are key factors for release of stress induced eating disorders.

Interventions: