Heterosexual African-American -Cathy Case
Study
Heterosexual African-American -Cathy Case Study
Cathy is a 32-year-old, divorced, heterosexual African American
female. She came to her first initial intake session with complaints
of depression with passive suicidal thoughts, anxiousness, and
trouble sleeping. She presented as casually groomed, coherent,
and goal directed. Cathy’s primary concern was that she has been
having episodes 3–5 times a week during which she reported she
cannot breathe, her heart feels like it will explode, and she feels
like the “walls close in.” She stated that this has been going on for
about a year, but lately it has been getting worse. She selfreferred after being prompted by her sister to contact a social
worker. The following is a summary of the initial appointment and
assessment for Cathy.
Cathy is the oldest of four children (two brothers and one sister),
all of whom are married and live in the same community. Cathy
works in a doctor’s office and lives in a one-bedroom apartment
where she often “isolates.” She is the primary caretaker of her
mother, who was involved in a car accident 20 years ago and was
left a quadriplegic. Cathy goes to her home daily to help with her
personal hygiene.
Cathy has an arrest history and was incarcerated for 3 years for
drug-related charges. She was charged with possession and
intent to distribute. Cathy stated that at that time she was