Christina (age 13) has lived with her grandmother, aunt, and younger siblings since she was eight. She has no contact with her mother or father. Christina’s grandmother has threatened to send her away. For this reason, Christina does not believe that she will remain in her grandmother’s care for more than another year. Out of any place in the world, Christina would like to live with her friends. However, since Christina is generally happy living with her family, her second choice is to continue living where she is. Christina perceives that her grandmother has negative expectations for her future. According to Christina, her grandmother thinks Christina will end up like her mother — a “drug addict” and “always in trouble with the police.” In fact, the police arrested Christina after she beat someone up near her home. Since then, Christina’s grandmother has attempted to supervise Christina more carefully, but Christina says that her grandmother does not know where she is most of the time. Meanwhile, Christina thinks positively about her future. She expects that she will be happy and successful. She does not want or expect to be like her mother. She also expects that she will graduate from high school, go to college, and get a job. More specifically, Christina said that she wants to be a lawyer or “someone who works to get teenagers off the streets.”
Questions:
1. Would Christina be a good candidate for EMDR, why or why not?
2. What are your concerns about this case and how will you address these?
3. What attachment-based questions do you have about this case (see pg 189 for guidance)
Resources:
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