Vanessa Baxter Case Interview Paper

Vanessa Baxter is a character from the television series titled “Last Man Standing.” She is a wife, mother, full time career woman, and at the time she comes in for counseling is going through multiple transitions (Adelstein & Allen, 2011). She is really invested in her family and loves them deeply. As her children grow up and move on, Vanessa struggles with her satisfaction and clarity in life. Vanessa was the chosen client as she leads a typical life with many stressors. She is interesting because many of the things she says are contradictory. She is passionate about geology, yet as become dissatisfied with her job. She is so proud of her adult children, yet wishes they still needed her and were in the home. She loves her husband, yet feels
Therefore, it would be important to reassure Vanessa that everything within counseling is a confidential relationship, and to fully explain the counseling process and bring clarity to any false assumptions about the counseling relationship. It would also be beneficial to normalize Vanessa's struggles, and remind her that seeking counseling does not reflect negatively on her ability to be a quality wife, mother, and professional. Reassuring this is important as she is coming in to counseling due to struggles with maintaining her identity in these
This goal is set in efforts to help alter Vanessa perception of her life changes, so that she can embrace the new season, without feeling like all good things in her life are now gone. This is important because if Vanessa continues to perceive her daughters’ independence as losses, she will miss out on the positive parts of this new stage. She also feels like she has lost her purpose in life, so reframing her perception could help her find a different purpose helping her feel less depressed. Decreasing her feelings of worthlessness and depression are the goal, and hopefully she can embrace the positive aspects of her new life