Ordinary People Psychological Analysis

Running Head: DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Diagnosis and Treatment Plan for Conrad in Ordinary People
Angel Horyan Lai
CD195
December 11 2006 In the film, Ordinary People, Conrad is a 16 year-old high school junior, living in an affluent family. He is referred for psychotherapy after being sent to a mental health hospital for four months because of a serious suicide attempt. Conrad brother died one year ago in a boat accident, and Conrad witnessed his brother’s death. After Conrad comes home from the hospital, his father struggles to make a connection with him. However, Conrad’s mother tries to disassociate any kind of emotions from him, and she keeps Conrad’s mental problem as a family secret. Conrad suffers from…show more content…
According to the family system model, the therapist will see Conrad’s family as a patient unit. Conrad’s family feels ashamed about Conrad’s problem. The family will first be provided psycho education about Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder. It is hoped that they will adopt a more positive attitude about the disorder and be more willing to share their problems with their family and friends. Lack of communication is another problem that exists in the family. The therapist will ask the family to share their feelings openly. The intervention will also focus on identifying the needs and wants of the family as well as strengthening the relationship among all family members, particularly the relationship between Conrad and his mother. According to Beardslee and Knitzer (2004), interventions on increasing the parents’ knowledge about their child’s problems and promoting positive relationships among family members have proven to be successful. Cognitive behavioral therapy will also be used to increase effective strategies for behavioral management (Wilmhurst, 2004). Conrad’s parents will be given parent training program, in which they will be taught the skills to promote positive relationships among family members through learning appropriate reinforcement strategies (Beardslee & Knitzer,…show more content…
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