Case Study Of Tory's Illness

When the client arrived to the second session, the client threw a tantrum because she did not want to be in therapy. This therapist just observed the client from a safe distance. Then, Tory began to hit her head against the wall, and scratching her nails on the wall. The therapist decided to call the client’s mother. The client’s mother attempted to calm Tory without any success. Tory’s father later intervened without any success, either. Siegel and Bryson (2011) mentioned that attempting to talk or getting angry with children who are throwing a downstairs tantrums just enrages them more because they are using their Amygdala. The client was not going to respond to any verbal redirection because Tory was overwhelmed with her emotions. The client mentioned that she believes that her parents love her sister more than they love her. Tory also mentioned that she does not feel deserving to play with the toys in the room because she is not a good child.
The therapist led Tory’s parents to allow Tory to have her tantrum as soon as she is being safe with herself and others. The therapist helped Tory’s parents to regulate their distress occurring because of the client’s downstairs tantrum. The therapist explained to the parents the process that was occurring in Tory’s …show more content…
Filial therapy has the purpose to facilitate the healing of the family system by training and supervising caregivers as they focus on the problem on hand (VanFleet, 2014). Tory’s parents learned to recognize and manage downstairs tantrums. They also learned how to build healthy attachment with Tory by using play. Moreover, Tory’s parents learned to encourage and not praise. Also, they understood the impact of the negative messages that they were giving her. Tory’s parents learned to set limits. And, they learned to have a more accurate recognition of Tory’s