AWARENESS INTEGRATION THEORY CASE REPORT: THERAPUTIC INTERVENTION FOR ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN A TRANSEXUAL MALE COLLEGE STUDENT

Abstract

One clinical psychotherapist's case report about a 19-year-old Caucasian transexual male college student with above-average intelligence is presented. Client had previously been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, gender dysmorphia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder tendencies. The client sought therapeutic services due to low self-esteem that promoted feelings of awkwardness in social situations, worry that others are mad at him, and a desire for deeper relationships with friends. Therapist followed the six phases of Zeine's model of awareness integration therapy (AIT) based on AI theory. AIT has been found to successfully reduced anxiety symptoms in clients diagnosed with generalized anxiety and other disorders. AIT aims to enhance one's self-awareness about internal processes, increase self-esteem, release past traumas and psychological blocks, reduce anxiety symptoms, and regulate thoughts, emotions, attentions, intentions, and actions. Therapist's treatment plan and client's goals aligned with the six phases of AIT by: (a) increasing insight into the historical and current sources of low self-esteem; (b) decreasing the frequency of negative self-descriptive statements; (c) increasing the frequency of positive self-descriptive reports; (d) decreasing anxiety level while increasing the ability to function daily and learn; (e) implementing mindfulness exercises to reduce anxiety and worry; and (f) taking committed actions toward living a valued life. Therapist helped client access and gain awareness of the correlation between the way he perceives the world and how he relates to and behaves towards others. Client enhanced his abilities to incorporate new understanding of how he viewed the world following therapy, and made better decisions regarding himself and his personal identity. Client's scores on the posttraumatic stress disorder checklist (for DMS-5), the generalized anxiety disorder screen (GAD-7), and the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) decreased signicantly following 10 months of AIT. Client reported his anxiety had decreased, and he felt condent about initiating and participating in social interactions. (word count: 300)