Case Study B

B. was 17 when he started counselling. Beforehand, B. describes himself as extremely shy and depressed, talking to no-one and not particularly interested in anything. He had no confidence and felt suicidal. His mother confirms that he was very withdrawn and distant, and would not tell her what was wrong. His counsellor assessed his main problems to relate to anxiety, depression and family. His teachers placed his overall difficulties SDQ score in the “abnormal” range, although he scored himself considerably lower. He found that the sessions helped him “massively”, becoming more confident and self-aware. B. was particularly motivated by the poem “There’s a hole in my sidewalk”, which he could really relate to. After 10 counselling sessions he was integrating more in school, and had rekindled his interest in athletics His mother confirms that he became more confident and not as “down”. Life at home also improved. Three months after the end of counselling, he sums up his experience in this way: The counselling had massive benefits for me. It made me feel much better about myself, which has helped me improve my situation.