Genital Herpes Case Study Essay

The case study presents me with a couple in crisis because the woman, 28-year-old Carol, has diagnosed with genital herpes by her OBGYN. Carol believes that she may have contracted the STD from her 31-year-old boyfriend, Francisco, because she claims that she has been sexually monogamous. Now, Carol is having thoughts of her boyfriend being a “dog,” “player,” and a “liar” because he seems to be flirting with other women when they are in social settings; although she loves him, she is unsure of remaining in the relationship. However, Francisco states that he has not been unfaithful and cannot explain the diagnosis of genital herpes. The first thing I would do is use normalization with Carol because it makes sense to feel a sense of betrayal

For example, rather than reinforcing the blame, it would be more beneficial if they join together and tackle on the problem together. Through the process of externalizing the problem, the couple will be able to become closer, stronger, and will now able to act as a team. The couple could even give their own personal name to the diagnosis, in order for it to be an empowering moment; this will help the couple shift their focus from blame to empowerment. Once I have explored the stories of my clients, the irrational beliefs and hostile emotions, I will then move into giving both clients some psychoeducation. I highly believe that in this case psychoeducation may be extremely helpful in this situation so that both clients can begin to develop rational beliefs about the genital herpes. For instance, I will introduce the clients to the fact that it is possible for herpes to lie dormant within the body for many years, furthermore, I will educate the clients that STD tests don’t often test for herpes and that it is still possible of contracting herpes even though a condom is being used during sexual intercourse (Fisher & Holzapfel, 2014, p. 484). By introducing this idea it will decrease the hostile blame. Therapists in general “must acquire a foundation of knowledge concerning STI prevention, prevalence, natural history, testing, treatment, and sexual and medical sequelae in order to be able

The reason for the deconstructing and reframing their stories is because I would like to tackle on the issues of how “the individuals in the relationship behave towards the stigmatizing condition, the emotions they feel in regards to the condition, and the attitudes they hold towards the condition” (Newton & McCabe, 2005, p. 53). So, rather than continue to build on their negative story of betrayal and infidelity; I would build with them a brand new story that will include the themes of a positive life change and closeness within the relationship. For example, through the exposure of positive reframing, the clients will probably feel empowered and motivated to change their lifestyle, in terms of diet or stressful triggers; furthermore, the clients will be able to view genital herpes differently, rather than it being a curse, they would view it as a learning experience for both of them and view it as something that is now part of their lives (Newton & McCabe, 2008, p. 866). Additionally, I will introduce the client to the fact that there are antiviral medications and suppressive therapy for the virus, which they will probably have to obtain from their OBGYN. According to Shepherd, “suppressive therapy is prescribed by taking into account the frequency, severity and duration of recurrences, as