Case Studies

Personal Injury assessment and therapy case study

Mr Brown was referred for a personal injury assessment following his decision to claim for compensation as the result of an accident. The driver of a car pulled out from a junction, failed to see him coming and he was knocked off his motorbike.

Mr Brown suffered a fractured leg but made a good physical recovery. However he was troubled by images of the accident popping into his mind when he wasn’t thinking about it. He also experienced nightmares relating to the accident. He noticed he was feeling more jumpy and easily startled. He became so worried about riding his motorbike that he sold the replacement motorbike provided through insurance. Unfortunately Mr Brown noticed he also felt anxious when driving his car and started to avoid any long journeys, preferring to walk whenever possible. This began to affect his family life and his wife complained that he was constantly irritable and unpleasant to be around.

Mr Brown was referred for a psychological assessment by his solicitor. He attended our offices in Saltash  for a 2 hour appointment with one of our psychologists who is an expert in personal injury assessment and medico-legal reporting. The assessment indicated that Mr Brown was experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He had no history of experiencing psychological symptoms and the psychologist thought he would make a good recovery following a short course of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and EMDR.

Subsequently, Mr Brown attended our offices in Saltash for 8 weekly therapy sessions. By the end of therapy Mr Brown had stopped experiencing intrusive thoughts and images of the accident. He felt less irritable and noticed that his relationship with his wife and family improved. He reported sleeping better and generally felt less anxious. Although Mr Brown remained a cautious driver he no longer avoided journeys and whilst he decided not to purchase a new motorbike, reported feeling happy to travel to see relatives who lived several hundred miles away.

An example of Child Therapy

Ricky is a 10 year old boy who was involved in a road traffic accident in which he was knocked down as a pedestrian by a car that mounted the pavement. Ricky suffered a fractured leg and needed surgery and a significant hospital stay to treat this. Following the accident, Ricky experienced frightening nightmares on a regular basis and was afraid to cross or walk alongside the road. Ricky was also due to start secondary school in the September. His parents were concerned that his anxiety would impact on his ability to concentrate in class and would prevent him from being able to walk to school with his peers. Ricky was diagnosed by his GP as suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a consequence of the accident.

Therapeutic work with Ricky focused on helping him to reprocess the events of the accident through play and drawing. The therapist explored Ricky’s thoughts and feelings about what happened and identified his belief that the world was a dangerous and unpredictable place. Together Ricky and the therapist put together evidence of when the world was safe based on Ricky’s other past experiences. Alongside this Ricky was taught anxiety management strategies, and was gradually exposed to situations to confront his fear. Within six months of treatment, Ricky’s nightmares had stopped and at the start of the new term he was able to walk to school with his friends.

Ms. Smith and William:

THERAPY UNDERPINNED BY ATTACHMENT THEORY

Ms. Smith was a young woman struggling to meet the needs of her little boy, William, who was eighteen months old. She was supported by Social Services but at times the difficulties she had experienced in her own childhood prevented her from consistently being able to parent William in ways that were helpful for his emotional development. Ms. Smith was experiencing low mood and anxiety and had flashbacks to difficult memories. She was worried about both herself and William and following an assessment with a psychologist was able to access therapy with Psychology Associates. Over the course of eighteen months Ms. Smith met with her therapist on a weekly basis to work through the difficulties she had. It was sometimes quite a tough process but ultimately one that allowed her to accept that the things which happened to her were not her fault and that she was carrying the legacy of her own experience of being parented into her relationship with William. Ms. Smith found the therapeutic relationship with her therapist helpful and felt safe knowing that what she was talking about would remain confidential. Over time Ms. Smith was able to recognise which behaviours she needed to adapt and her relationship with William improved. She began to experience pleasure in being his mum. In addition Ms. Smith was able to work through her difficult memories and make sense of them as an adult and lay some of the ghosts of her own childhood to rest. Two years on with her therapy complete she no longer requires help from Social Services. She is living independently with William and is hoping to restart the education she missed out on as a child.