Case Study 11

The following case study illustrates CBT for PTSD with a child from a refugee background. The case study provides a question for viewers to consider and reflect on.

Case Study 11: Cognitive behavioural therapy (Sudanese)

(Adapted from Friedberg, et al., 2016).

Nico (13), his 19-year-old sister and 24-year-old aunt are refugees from Sudan. Nico developed school refusal a year after arrival in New Zealand. The school was a much larger and more chaotic than the academic environment he experienced in Sudan; Nico also hated the loud bells that rang often throughout the day. He experienced substantial physiological hyperarousal upon arriving on school grounds and hated the way his skin “crawled”. Nico spoke often about his desire to be in a “peaceful” place and reported that the school was so aversive because it was the “opposite” of peace. When training Nico in breathing exercises, the clinician likened the activity to “breathing in peace, and breathing out chaos.” Pairing Nico’s desire for peace with the behavioural intervention gave him a concrete understanding of how the exercise helped him to achieve his goals.