According to the case study, Simply Not Needed, Mrs. Chen is a 70 year old Chinese immigrant. Mrs. Chen retired from her job as a nanny two months ago. Since retirement, Mrs. Chen has been experiencing a lack of pleasure in the things she used to enjoy and reports physical discomfort. Additionally, Mrs. Chen and the daughter in-law report an increase in her alcohol consumption. Considering these sudden changes, it is evident that Mrs. Chen is experiencing a mix of depression and anxiety.
Mrs. Chen’s diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder developed over time and represents a risk factor: retirement, which then triggered concealed and unresolved emotions of isolation, culture shock and most importantly, feeling unwanted. In America, the dominant type of family is the nuclear (mother, father and dependent children), but in a traditionally Chinese’s culture a typically family is of
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Chen would respond healthier to her daughter-in-law’s concern if she was given more family/household responsibilities and alone time with her son and grandchildren. Even if Mrs. Chen’s family/household responsibilities were simply: assist with children’s bed time routine or wait at the school bus stop to pick-up grandchildren, could help to alleviate Mrs. Chen’s feelings about not being needed. Understanding the little differences between Mrs. Chen cultural perspective and social values that her son and daughter-in-law lives in, it is important that Mrs. Chen’s treatment is viewed from an integrated and cultural sensitive perspective. The professional must accompany Mrs. Chen and the family to a journey of adjustment. The primary goals of treatment should be to relive Mrs. Chen’s symptom and assist with achieving a level of adoption that is comparable to her baseline of healthy before retirement. Furthermore, traditional psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy can be very helpful to lessen alleviate ongoing symptoms of adjustment disorder before they become