Perspectives on the Case of "Judith"

Abstract

Ward and Hogan’s (2015) case of "Judith," a client with traumatic brain injury (TBI), highlights the emerging interactive features of effective psychotherapy melding core elements of the art and science of a tried and true psychotherapy practice (non-directive, client-centered therapy) with cognitive training (CT), including executive functioning training.  In our commentary we summarize the facts of the case and then view it from four perspectives: the role of additional assessment, psychiatric diagnoses, the role of CT, and the Hyer Model. The latter is our own model that highlights a comprehensive, systematic, holistic, individually tailed approach to the treatment process when both psychological distress and/or dysfunction are combined with cognitive deficit factors. We suggest that the Hyer Model helps to formalize and systematize the approach taken by Ward and Hogan in their case study of Judith.