Read the following case study, and write a response in which you address all of the following questions.
Linda (15 year old) comes from a close-knit family, and in general, she feels that she can seek her parents would when she has problems. But now, she says that she just cannot turn to them in this time of crisis. Even though she and her boyfriend had been engaging in sexual intercourse for a year without using birth control measures, she was convinced that she would not get pregnant. When she did learn that she was pregnant, she expected that her 16 year old boyfriend would agree to get married. He did not agree, and he even questioned whether he was the father. She felt deeply hurt and angry over this. On the advice of a girlfriend, she considered an abortion for a time. But, she decided against it because she felt that she could not deal with the emotional reactions to having an abortion. The possibility of putting her child up for adoption was suggested to her. She found this to be totally unacceptable, because she was sure that she could not live with that decision as well. She considered having her baby and becoming a single parent. Yet, she is sure that she cannot have this conversation with her parents, who don’t know that she’s pregnant. Her pregnancy is moving toward the advanced stages, and her panic is mounting.
In your response, please be sure to reflect upon these questions:
What are your values as they relate to this scenario, and what role do you see your values playing in the approach that you will take with Linda?
What will the overall approach be as a Gestalt therapist working with Linda?
At some point, you might work with Linda’s feelings of anger and hurt toward her boyfriend. What Gestalt techniques can you identify to help her explore these feelings?
As you proceed with Linda, what importance will you as a Gestalt therapist place on her non-verbal communication? Can you think of examples of how Linda’s body messages might contradict her words?
What are the advantages to using a Gestalt perspective in this case, and what are some limitations? How might the Gestalt perspective might be MORE appropriate than one of the other theories that we’ve studied so far (be specific in choosing another theory, and explain why Gestalt is a better choice).