Dr. Melchenbaum helped Anna develop a deeper self-awareness of the relationship between her cognitions and behaviors. For example, he assisted her in telling her story. By telling her story, Anna appreciated the connection between her physical symptoms, the feelings and thoughts, and the behaviors she is exhibiting. This is the premise of cognitive-behavioral therapy, which according to (Fenn & Byrne, 2013), associates maladaptive behaviors with faulty thought patterns. Melchenbaum also helped Anna appreciate her story by asking about the in-depth factors regarding the event. The aspect of appreciating a story is mentioned when Anna started giving details of the incident and how she was crying uncontrollably. Additionally, Melchenbaum asks Anna to recall any situation that she acted as a barrier towards her family members. In her narration, Anna stated that she felt unappreciated by her parents and acted as the protective sister to her siblings (Mixed Anxiety and Depression: A cognitive-behavioral Approach, 2019). She recalled a situation where her father yelled at her and called her a failure and stubborn, but her mother intervened and told her she is not stubborn.
Dr. Melchenbaum enabled Anna to develop a correlation between the issues in her marriage with the problems in other areas of her life. In doing this, Anna would reflect on her general life and develop patterns that caused her current unhealthy state. When Anna mentioned the incident when her husband got angry for losing the car keys, she started crying (Mixed Anxiety and Depression: A cognitive-behavioral Approach, 2019). Dr. Melchenbaum helped her appreciate the situation by asking her to give details about other parts of her life, such as her relationship with her parents and siblings.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Dr. Melchenbaum also encourages Anna to continue giving her story by using interjections such as “Mmmmm." On top of encouraging Anna to speak, this non-verbal cue indicated that the doctor was actively listening to what Anna was saying. The doctor also maintained eye contact with Anna throughout the whole session and moved closer to her to get the entire story. This created a warm environment that facilitated the development of a positive therapeutic relationship between Dr. Melchenbaum and Anna.
References
Fenn, M. K. & Byrne, M. (2013). The key principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Innovait: Education and Inspiration for General Practice. 6(9): 579-585. https://doi.org/10.1177/1755738012471029
Mixed Anxiety and Depression: A cognitive-behavioral approach. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4xddvWDD6s
