I would look for Ritas behavior, the way she behaved during crisis event and how she is perceiving those events of crisis currently; if she is feared of her husband, family or boyfriend or if she feels hopeless now having no supports or friends. I would acknowledge her feelings and emotions to make her feel that she hasnt done anything wrong with anybody. She should not feel bad for wanting divorce from her husband or hanging out with her boyfriend; I would tell her examples of other women who have experienced abuse and teach her the reasons and effects of physical abuse that can be life threatening for a woman. Also, I will educate her on depression she is going through which can be treated medically or by proper counselling of her husband, if he agrees.
After collecting information from Rita during assessment tasks 1-4, I would evaluate on all the options which are familiar to Rita and those developed by me during counselling. In this case, I cannot feel that Rita can cause any harm to me therefore, her safety would be my priority. Even if, Rita is not suicidal as she said, still I need to look for safety plans for her and her children. I would recommend her options that she may follow like leaving her husband if he beats her next time; calling a support person or me; starting marriage counseling if her husband agrees; starting couples counselling if her boyfriend agrees; participating in various training courses to upgrade her confidence and improve her coping behaviors; she can develop a new dance routine, go for recreational sport activities, exercise and meditation that can help her in coping with depression and stress.
After exploring options, I would assist Rita to develop a plan for herself that she could claim and that would be a positive step towards helping her out of crisis phase. If I found that she is suffering from high levels of depression and stress, then I might use relaxation techniques immediately to help her through stressful state. This can be a coping mechanism for Rita by which she might learn to cope with stress and depression as she come across in future.
Before ending my counseling session with Rita, I would ask her to give a commitment to develop and follow some plan of action for herself that should be positive and realistic and that would help her in restoring her equilibrium state of mind. I would work collaboratively with her developing a plan of action; ask her to come to a commitment as an immediate goal for her and inspire her towards the achievement of the stated goal.
I would properly document the assessment as well as action plan made between me and Rita. I would guarantee Rita of my help and support throughout the commitment phase, but she should not depend on me. I would definitely want her to feel inspired towards her goal and if in future, she found any serious threat to herself or any of the family member from Jake, she can contact me or the Domestic Violence Agencies or cops. Moreover, I would address her to consult a doctor or medical professional for her bruises all over body who could also help her with depression. Lastly, I will make plans for both of us to seek out one another to catch up on her progress later.
