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Interview Report of JM

In partial fulfilment of the requirements

for HSS 121 (Disciplines and Ideas in the Applied Social Sciences)

Prepared by:

Harlyn Radah B. Villarias

HUMSS 12-1P

July 13, 2019

I. Personal Information/Identification
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Full Name : Jude Michael Patiag

Alias : Bernie, Michael, JM

Age : 16 years old

Birthdate : October 20, 2001

Sex : Male

Home City : Manila City

II. Presenting Case and History

Presenting Case : There is constant conflict between his parents.

Case History : His parents have multiple conflicts, such as the constant suspicion of adultery,

competition for their children’s affection, and financial divide (both are blaming each other for not

contributing to family funds). JM’s grandmother (on the father’s side), constantly finds excuses

for the couple to argue, or even file for divorce. The grandmother has never approved of their

relationship and encourages their arguments instead of acting as a mediator. As the eldest of four

children, JM is always expected to take sides, even if he feels like there is no difference in his

affection for them. He has emotional numbness with regards to his situation.

JM once felt guilty for his actions in his elementary and early high school days.

He mentioned that he didn’t think of his actions well, hurting people as a result. He does not feel

guilty about it now, because he said it was necessary for his growth and emotional development.

His experiences and actions in his elementary and early high school years taught him resilience

and lightheartedness, and the years that followed taught him to be more compassionate and

sensitive. He said that his friends contribute to his development. Nevertheless, JM admits that he

still has a long way to go to be the kind of person he wants to be: lighthearted yet understanding,

compassionate, and contented.

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Predisposing Factor/s Precipitating Factor/s Perpetuating Factor/s Protective Factor/s

Constant family His parents’ His relationship with

conflict expectation that he be his mother
the mediator

Guilt of his actions in Him seeing the old His contentment with
his early years behavior in his friends his school
environment

III. Behavioral Observation

JM attempts to make light of the situation by playing it off as something that’s ordinary. He tries

to distract me by constantly making jokes (mostly about himself) before, during, and after the

interview. When talking about something that bothers him, he covers his mouth with a

handkerchief, tries to minimize the breaking of his voice, doesn’t make eye contact, and his leg

bounces. In contrast to his behavior when talking about his situation in school, he appears to be laid

back and has a fairly monotone voice.

In my years of knowing him, he’s always known to be the person to always attempt to appear

careless about various issues. He might admit that he is aware that there is a situation, but he would

never admit that it is bothering him. This behavior appeared in the duration of the interview: playing

off his parents’ conflict as something ordinary [“Parte na ng araw-araw ko ‘yan.”], making jokes,

and constantly brushing off his negative emotions. He appears to be in denial that he is in pain, or

doesn’t want other people to worry about him or burden them by opening up. This behavior may be

rooted in his parents’ disregard of his attempts to stop their arguments or his parents’ refusal to find

middle ground.

IV. Recommended Counseling Work Plan

Counseling Work Plan for Coping with Family Conflict

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Session 1
Goal: To explore holistically the life of the client and create goals to work on in future sessions.
Duration Intervention/Approach Supporting Evidence Materials Targeted Problem
can be Psychodynamic approachesnone His emotional
applied are proven to be beneficial numbness and
throughout Psychodynamic for clients who present denial of how
the whole Approach (PDA) with situations that may his situation
session manifest as mental affects him.
illness/s. (Fonagy, 2015)
Session 2
Goal: To motivate the client and make him aware of how his situation affects his behavior and coping style.
Duration Intervention/Approach Supporting Evidence Materials Targeted Problem
can be none
Person-centered therapy is His moments of
applied considered to be a loss of self-
throughout Person-Centered founding work in the actualization.
the whole Psychotherapy humanistic school of
session psychotherapies.
(Prochaska & Norcross,
2007)
can be Based on Leaviss and none His feeling of not
applied Utley’s findings, CFT being enough for
throughout Compassion-Focused seemed to be effective for his parents.
the whole Therapy (CFT) people who are high in
session self-criticism. (Leaviss &
Uttley, 2014)
Session 3
Goal: To create solutions and make the client independent enough to healthily cope with his situation alone.
Duration Intervention/Approach Supporting Evidence Materials Targeted Problem
can be none
There had been multiple His avoidant
applied studies that ensure SFBT’s coping behavior.
throughout Solution-Focused (brief) effectiveness, such as 77
the whole Therapy (SFBT) empirical studies, 2 meta-
session analyses, effectiveness on
2800 cases, etc. (Jones-
Smith, 2014)
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10 minutes The Empty Chair is an at least two His attempts to

effective technique often chairs resolve the
used to help the client conflict of his
have a greater parents.
The Empty Chair
understanding of emotions
and develop a better sense
of communication.
(Howes, 2010)

V. Insights

JM has been my friend for six years now, yet only through this interview did I know of the struggles

that he goes through every day. It made me realize how vivid and complex each of our lives are, and

how different our perspectives came to be. Yet no matter how different we all are, we can all admit

that we see part of ourselves in each other. JM reminded me of when I was younger, when the same

conflicts kept me up at night. I was a child and didn’t understand, but I knew that it hurt. Although it

has improved over the years, I admit that it caused a divide that separates us from each other. Seeing

JM be in denial of his pain was like looking into a mirror. We were also similar in terms of accepting

that our faults in our early years of school were necessary for our emotional growth. Nevertheless, it

wasn’t enough for us to mask what’s happening at home. It made me realize how important it is for

us to reach out to someone in need of help. We never truly know the extent of one’s problems if we

don’t try to understand. Some people have difficulties managing their emotions, more so if no one is

around to help. This interview experience made me understand that we must help each other become

better versions of ourselves. JM also taught me to appreciate and find goodness everywhere, even in

the simplest things. His perseverance is one of the things that make him hopeful despite all odds.

Happiness is fleeting, but hope is forever.

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References

5 Whys. (n.d.). Retrieved from The Happy Manager: https://the-happy-manager.com/tips/5-whys/

Ackerman, C. (n.d.). Solution-Focused Therapy. Retrieved from Positive Psychology:
https://positivepsychology.com/solution-focused-therapy/
Counseling Staff. (2015, June 1). Five Counseling Theories and Approaches. Retrieved from
Counseling@NorthWestern: https://counseling.northwestern.edu/five-counseling-theories-and-
approaches/
Editorial Team. (2019, July 10). 4 Positive Psychology Exercises To Do With Clients or Students.
Retrieved from Positive Psychology: https://positivepsychology.com/positive-psychology-
exercises/
Fonagy, P. (2015, June 4). The effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapies: An update. Retrieved
from NCBI: US National Library of Medicine:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4471961/
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Howes, R. (2010, January 20). Cool Intervention #9: The Empty Chair. Retrieved from Psychology
Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-therapy/201001/cool-intervention-9-the-
empty-chair-1
Jones-Smith, E. (2014). Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy: An Integrative Approach. ISBN
9781483351995: SAGE Publications. Retrieved from Google Books.
Leaviss, J., & Uttley, L. (2014, September 12). Psychotherapeutic benefits of compassion-focused
therapy: an early systematic review. Retrieved from NCBI: US National Library of Medicine:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4413786/
McLeod, S. A. (2015, December 14). Humanism. Retrieved from Simply Psychology:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/humanistic.html
Oono, T. (1988). Toyota production system: beyond large-scale production. Portland, OR: Productivity
Press.
Prochaska, J. O., & Norcross, J. C. (2007). Systems of Psychotherapy: A Theoretical Analysis. Belmont,
CA: Thomson/Brooks/Cole. Retrieved from Person-centered therapy,

Appendix A

Semi-structured Interview

Question 1: Kamusta ka ngayon? Kamusta ka sa school? Relationship with your friend sa l

ovelife,kamusta ka?

Question 2: Ano yung mga factors na nakakaapekto sayo? Paano ka naapektuhan nung problema?

Question 3: Paano nabago ng mga problema yung buhay mo or yung lifestyle mo?

Question 4: Tingin mo ano yung mga ways para maiwasan mo yung mga ganiyang problema?

Question 5: Ano sa tingin mo yung pwedeng mangyayari kapag nagawa mo yung mga ways para
maiwasan yung mga problema?
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Appendix B

Verbatim

Interviewer: So, good afternoon. Bago natin simulan ‘tong interview, gusto ko lang muna banggitin na
confidential lahat ng pag-uusapan natin dito. Um, kung okay lang sa’yo, irerecord natin ‘tong buong
session, tapos gagawan ko ng transcript, or verbatim.

Interviewee: Sige, go lang.

Interviewer: P’wede na ba tayong mag-start?

Interviewee: G.

Interviewer: Kamusta ka naman ngayon?

Interviewee: Ayun, normal day lang naman. Wala namang nangyayari masyado. Ang boring nga sa
bahay, eh.

Interviewer: Ah, hindi pa pala nagsisimula classes sa San Beda, ‘no?

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Interviewee: July 16 pa.

Interviewer: Naglo-look forward ka naman ba?

Interviewee: Oo naman. Pero dati talaga hindi.

Interviewer: Bakit naman?

Interviewee: Alam mo, ang sama talaga ng ugali ko dati. Ikaw, ‘di ba, matagal mo na ‘kong kilala, tapos
hindi pa kita kaclose dati. May mga nagawa ako na… talagang… nakasakit sa iba. Hindi physically,
pero alam kong nakasakit ako.

Interviewer: Anong ibig mong sabihin sa nakasakit?

Interviewee: No’ng elementary ako, tapos nagpatuloy-tuloy hanggang sa naging grade 7, grade 8 ako,
alam mo ‘yon, ang bulakbol ko. Sobra. Umikot ‘yong mundo ko sa pambabadtrip ng iba. Tapos dahil na
rin sa friends—or [air quotes] “friends”—ko dati, hindi na ‘ko gumawa ng mga assignment, nagcutting
classes ako.

Interviewer: Nagdadala ka ba ng guilt, or sama ng loob sa friends mo dati, hanggang ngayon?

Interviewee: [pause] Hindi. Hindi naman. Sa tingin ko naman pare-parehas na kaming nag-grow.
Necessary naman ‘yon sa growth namin. Dati, oo, guilty ako. Pero hindi ngayon.

Interviewer: Sa tingin mo, bakit siya naging necessary? Paano ba nakatulong sa’yo?

Interviewee: Nakatulong siya kasi… parang naging mas resilient ako. Natutunan ko na kahit anong
mangyari dapat strong lang. Dapat hindi nagpapadala sa problema. Tapos nagkaroon ako ng mga
kaibigan na kasabay kong mag-grow. Sabay-sabay kaming nag-mature, gano’n.

Interviewer: Napansin ko kanina na ginawa mo ‘to, [air quotes], no’ng pinag-uusapan natin ‘yong
friends mo.

Interviewee: Ah, oo nga. Dati kasi, parang ginagamit ko lang sila na kasama ko sa kalokohan, pero sa
totoo lang, besides do’n, hindi kami nagkausap-usap nang matino. Pero okay naman ngayon. Kaibigan
ko na talaga sila.

Interviewer: Would you say na mature ka na? Or nag-grow ka na into someone na gusto mong maging?
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Interviewee: Hmm… well… nag-grow na ‘ko, oo. Pero malayo pa ‘ko do’n sa… maging someone na
gusto ko.

Interviewer: And sino nga ba yung JM na gusto mong makita?

Interviewee: [pause] Siyempre yung mabait. Yung sensitive sa problema ng iba. Tapos… siyempre
masaya pa rin. Tapos kuntento sa buhay.

Interviewer: Halata naman na nage-effort ka para makamit ‘yon. Mabuti naman. [pause] Bata ka pa
naman no’n. Hindi mo pa alam na may consequences yung mga ginagawa mo kaya mo nagawa yung
mga pinagsisihan mo dati. Mabuti lang na patuloy mong tinuturuan yung sarili mo para magbago.
[pause] Kamusta naman sa bahay niyo? Sa family mo?

Interviewee: Wala. Puro away lang.

Interviewer: Puro away lang?

Interviewee: Oo. Um… ganito kasi ‘yan. [pause] Si papa tsaka si mama, palagi nilang iniisip na
nagchecheat yung isa. ‘Di na natapos ‘yon. Araw-araw na lang gano’n. Tapos… ‘di ba si papa once a
month na lang kami nagkikita kasi nasa Cavite siya. Nag-aaway kami ni mama dahil diyan, kasi palagi
niyang iniisip na mas pinipili ko si papa kaysa sa kanya. E, wala naman silang pinagkaiba para sa’kin.

Interviewer: So you’re saying na ineexpect ka nilang maging mediator nila?

Interviewee: Oo. Ako panganay, eh. Siyempre tinatry ko pa rin naman kasi iniisip ko kaming
magkakapatid.

Interviewer: Ano yung mga factor na nagt-trigger ng away nila?

Interviewee: ‘Yon nga. Una yung pagpunta namin kay papa. Kahit nga kinakausap lang namin si papa,
may sasabihin agad si mama, eh. Yung mga away nila tungkol sa pagche-cheat, wala. Random lang.
Nakakainis kasi ginagatungan ng lola ko. Mula umpisa pa lang yata, gano’n na siya. Gusto niya talaga
silang maghiwalay.

Interviewer: Ano ba mga ginagawa niya?

Interviewee: Yung pinaka-issue niya, tungkol sa pera. Nanay kasi siya ng papa ko, kaya si mama palagi
inaaway niya. Kapag, kunwari, gumastos lang si mama ng kahit kaunti, aawayin siya. Sasabihin
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sinasayang lang niya yung pera. Kapag nag-ambag naman si mama, sasabihin niya na hindi enough.
Sasabihin nagtatrabaho pa siya e kulang naman binibigay.

Interviewer: Nag-cause ba yung away nila ng divide or barrier sa pagitan mo tsaka ng parents mo?

Interviewee: Siguro kay papa, oo, kasi naiilang ako palagi na baka mag-away pa silang dalawa. Pero kay
mama… siguro hindi? Kasi parang magtropa lang kami. [laughs] Palagi kaming nagbibiruan.

[pause]

Interviewer: Okay so... napansin ko kasi na pinapakita mo sa’kin na parang wala lang sa’yo yung
problema. May social sciences ba kayong subject?

Interviewee: Meron, pero wala na akong maalala.

Interviewer: May naalala kasi ako na napag-aralan namin dati na iba’t ibang klase ng coping. Merong
avoidance, tapos yung emotion-focused, tapos yung task-focused ‘ata ‘yon? I think yung coping style
mo e yung avoidance-oriented.

Interviewee: Ah, oo, naaalala ko nga. Tinatry ko ngang iwasan yung pagiging avoidant kaso ‘di ko
magawa.

Interviewer: I think natatakot kang maging... vulnerable?

Interviewee: Kaya nga, eh. Pero siguro nag-improve? Kita mo nga ngayon e, nasabi ko mga problema
ko sa’yo.

Interviewer: Mabuti naman. Siguro kailangan na lang natin na iwasan yung pag-bottle up ng emotions.
Sa tingin ko magbubuild-up ‘yan, hanggang sa dumating sa point na hindi mo na makontrol or hindi na
normal yung nararamdaman mo.

Interviewee: Sige, counselor.

[laughter]

Interviewer: Ano naman nararamdaman mo ngayon?

Interviewee: Gumaan naman pakiramdam ko, kahit papaano.

Interviewer: Okay, so… bago natin tapusin itong interview, ano naman mga natutunan mo?
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Interviewee: Natutunan ko na okay lang mag-open up sa taong pinagkatitiwalaan mo. Siguro from now,
itatry ko na talagang mas maging kalmado pero ‘di ko iiwasan mga problema ko.

Interviewer: Mabuti ‘yan, mabuti ‘yan. So ayun, hanggang do’n na lang tayo. Salamat!

Interviewee: Salamat din.