Carol C Choo - Clinical Psychology Casebook Across the Lifespan

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The idea for this casebook came to me while I was living and working in Perth, Western Australia. It took a few years of effort, planning, and perseverance to see this book finally come into fruition. The profession of psychology has taken me to different parts of the world, across Australia and Singapore. The journey has not always been the easiest one, but it has been a most rewarding journey.

I am grateful to the clients who have entrusted me with the privilege of being a part of their healing journey. I am impressed by their strengths and their resilience in the face of adversities, and their lives tell a story of their triumph over the troubles that life sometimes bring. I am also grateful to the students with whom I have supervised in their work with clients. For at the heart of what I do in education and training, there is a passion to empower my students in not only clinical and therapeutic skills, but I hope that they also revisit the importance of the therapeutic relationship, and also the humanistic element of their work, while embracing the relevant standards and prevailing ethical code for our profession. I am glad to be a part of their learning journey, and I am proud to hear of their stories of success, and I am very pleased to be a co-author with the students I had supervised both in Australia and Singapore.

Within this casebook, cases were presented across the lifespan. The seven therapy cases illustrated evidence-based approaches, and delivery of the interventions was adapted to the respective life stage, with due consideration of the influences from their cultural, environmental, and social contexts. The last two chapters illustrated evidence-based assessment practices tailored to suit the local context.

On behalf of all the contributing authors, we hope that this casebook is both an informative and heartfelt contribution to our local knowledge base in Clinical Psychology training. Firstly, I hope this casebook is a useful resource to encourage our local clinical psychologists in training in their learning journey. Secondly, I would also like to take this opportunity to applaud all of us who have faced life adversities but triumphed and maintained hope, confidence, and resilience in the face of life troubles. When life gets too murky, the hope that I draw on comes from my spiritual strength; and my personal motto is Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see.

I will end this section with quotes from three of my co-authors.

In my journey of professional training, I have been invited to draw upon my own imaginal, creative and intuitive wellspring in order to enhance reflexivity and processing skills required in the interpersonal work. It is a genuine privilege to be invited into the inner-world of the child client, and to be able to hold space and engage in work that is based on safety, integrity and trust. It never ceases to amaze me when witnessing the plethora of resources that the clients have within themselves for self-understanding and self-mastery. The time that you spend training as a therapist provides a humbling opportunity, indeed a responsibility, to explore the qualities, experiences and beliefs that you bring to this work that may help or hinder your clients progress. In this particular case I was mindful of preconceived ideas of domestic violence and consciously processed this with the help of supervision so it did not influence the therapeutic alliance . Selecting child-centered play therapy was perfectly suited for this case due to the sensitivities of the clients age, home environment and the emphasis on strength-based humanistic principles. It was deeply rewarding to see the clients self-empowerment and resilience by the end of our time together. ( Andr Burton )

Here at JCU, a holistic view is taken in equipping graduates in terms of both advanced theoretical and practical knowledge in preparation for professional practice. The supportive and nurturing environment has also been a key factor in facilitating learning as well as imbuing me with the knowledge, skills and confidence to succeed. The opportunities and the extensive support provided by the various clinical supervisors has been key in helping me grow as a clinician, and it has been a most rewarding journey. ( Acacia Lee )

Being part of the JCU Clinical Psychology programme has been an extremely fulfilling and enriching learning experience for me. It has definitely provided me with a safe and nurturing environment for my personal and professional growth as a clinical psychologist. I am more than blessed to be able to learn from my supervisors and lecturers who have much valuable expertise to share, not to mention the many stories of healing and breakthroughs in their work with various clientele. At the same time, with their guidance, I am also privileged and humbled to be able to witness and journey with my clients towards restoration in their lives. ( Lim Jun Pei )