Person centered frame of reference

Paul, a 30-year old gay man, has recently found out that he has AIDS. He knows that the disease is serious and likely requires treatment throughout his life. Paul is seeking counseling to help him deal with accepting his diagnosis without resentment and hostility. He is filled with rage over his fate; he keeps asking why this had to happen to him. He tells you that at first, he could not believe the diagnosis was correct. When he finally got several more professional opinions that confirmed he had AIDS, he began to feel more and more anger—toward God, toward his healthy friends, whom he envied, and generally toward the unfairness of his situation. He tells you that he was just starting to live the lifestyle he denied himself all of his adult life and that he had a direction he was going in professionally. Now everything will have to change. After he tells you this, he is sitting across from you waiting for your response.

Assume that Paul comes to you for personal therapy and that all you know about him is what he told you above. Answer the following questions on how you might proceed with Paul within an Existential/Person Centered frame of reference:

1. Paul tells you that one of the reasons he is coming to see you is his desire to accept his fate. How would you work with him to gain this acceptance? What specific things might you do to help him find ways of living the rest of his life to its fullest?

2. Do you see any possibilities for helping Paul find meaning in his life in the face of death? What diversity issues and ethical considerations might arise in your work with Paul?

ANSWER

Person-Centered Frame of Reference

There is a need to help Paul accept his current condition and move on with the rest of his life since he has already tested positive. Assistance and support will enable Paul to love himself and help him to feel less embarrassed and less self-conscious. One of the most important things is to develop congruence while trying to help Paul to accept his situation. Congruence is an essential attribute that implies that one is genuine, open, and real during interactions (Bhatta, Liabsuetrakul, and McNeil, 2017). Therefore, it is important to try to encourage Paul to accept the reality of the situation and develop coping skills to deal with things the way they are.

Relatively, developing a warm acceptance of Paul’s experience is essential to ensure that a positive outcome will be achieved out of the interactions and in the process of assisting Paul to accept his condition. Empathizing and understanding Paul is among the things that would be essential in helping Paul accept his condition faster. This is because communication and empathic understanding are necessities while helping an individual change and accept their life situations. Ensuring that Paul is connected to a healthcare professional and learns about protection is one of the things that are required to help Paul live his life to the fullest. This will enable Paul to get advice about nutritional needs, adherence to medications as well as the lifestyle that will help him live his normal life.

There are possibilities of helping Paul find meaning in his life despite the face of death. Being HIV positive does not mean that one has no life to live or will die immediately. Therefore, it all depends on how Paul deals with the condition as well as how people around him react to the situation. Considerably, if Paul undertakes good therapy, adheres to the medications as well as the nutritional needs, he will live his life to the fullest. Some of the diversity issues that may arise while dealing with Paul’s situation include cultural differences, beliefs, and discrimination which may affect his progress (Bhatta, Liabsuetrakul and McNeil, 2017). The ethical considerations that need to be looked at include privacy, confidentiality, vulnerable populations, and standard care issues.

References

Bhatta, D. N., Liabsuetrakul, T., & McNeil, E. B. (2017). Social and behavioral interventions for improving the quality of life of HIV infected people receiving antiretroviral therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Health and quality of life outcomes, 15(1), 80.