I Feel Exhausted Case Study

Case Study and Decision-Making Model The “Case Study 7: I Feel Exhausted” presented by Herlihy and Corey (2015) discusses a counselor, Elaine, who relocated to a new state to begin her first year of post-graduate practice as she progresses towards licensure. Elaine maintains a large caseload at the practice and counsels many clients that experience significant stressors in their lives often resulting in difficulties in daily functioning. Over a period of time, Elaine has displayed a decrease in her own daily functioning experiencing changes in eating habits, fatigue, isolation from supports, sleep disturbances, and diminished interest in activities such as exercise. Additionally, Elaine has experienced an increase in ruminating thoughts about

In reference to the case study presented by Herlihy and Corey (2015), the identified problem is Elaine’s diminished personal welfare, which could potentially decrease her capacity for effectively counseling clients on her caseload. The ethical code that can be applied to the identified problem is standard “C.2.g. Impairment” outlining the counselor’s ethical duty to be vigilant regarding “signs on impairment from their own physical, mental, or emotional problems and refrain from offering or providing services when impaired” (p. 9). It is apparent from the case study that Elaine is experiencing problems as the ones identified in the ethical code and she should not be engaging in providing services to her clients until she is able to attend to her own welfare. This reminds me of a statement that a supervisor made throughout most of my professional experience about how one cannot help others if they cannot help themselves thus promoting how self-care is integral to be an effective helping