CASE SIX----Courtney is a 24-year-old Caucasian mother of two. She is currently serving a 20- year sentence for murder at a maximum-security prison. She is eligible for parole in 15 years and already served two years of her sentence. Within the prison, she is seeking a mental health transfer to the prison's psychiatric ward after a recent suicide attempt which involved her cutting her arms 23 times with a razor. Throughout her life, Courtney has struggled to form and maintain relationships. She never knew her biological father because he left when she was very young. Her mother told Courtney that her father was a "loser" and she is "better off without him." Her mother eventually remarried when Courtney was six years old. Courtney reports she had a violent, turbulent relationship with her stepfather. She felt like her mother was "always aligned with him" and seemed to be "always against her." From the age of 10 to 12, Courtney's stepfather violently and repeatedly sexually abused her. The sexual abuse only stopped after her stepfather died of a heart attack. When Courtney finally had the courage to tell her mother about these brutal acts, her mother called Courtney a "liar" and that her behavior would not be tolerated. Courtney's mother physically beat her daughter for making these accusations about her stepfather. At a very young age, Courtney learned from her mother that women were less valuable and more expendable than men. Courtney would violently act in retaliation when she felt inferior in any situation and this contributed to the development of her many aggressive behaviors. School was especially difficult for Courtney. Although she was bright, she often had blatant disregard for authority, was at odds with the administration and the culture at her school. She was suspended numerous times before eventually being expelled for a litany of violations including: truancy, fire-setting, smoking in the bathroom, fighting, verbal aggression, and hitting an elderly teacher with a chair. Courtney reports that she is not even sure if her mother knows she is in prison. She states that her mother was "always on something." When Courtney turned 17 years old, she ran away from home and never returned. During this time, Courtney experienced a string of destructive relationships with men often ending in physical altercations and violence. She had two children with two different men and reports that she was not available or able to care for them because she was out partying or looking for her "on-again-off- again boyfriend, Ted." She reports that she would leave her children with Terri, her only friend who was often Courtney's only "voice of reason." Terri currently is pursing adoptive rights for Courtney's children. One night in late October everything changed. Courtney found out that "Ted was sleeping with Susan," one of her former friends. Susan and Ted started seeing each other when Courtney was in jail on an assault charge. Courtney conspired to confront Ted at Susan's house. As she drove up to the Susan's house, Courtney saw Ted walking out of Susan's home. Susan waited for Ted to walk out to his car. Courtney then proceeded to slam on the gas and hit him with her car. Courtney initially hit him and then ran him over repeatedly before fleeing the scene. He died shortly after at a local hospital. Courtney was eventually convicted of second-degree murder due to the seriousness of the aggravated assault. In prison, Courtney can be personable and charismatic at times yet most of the time she seems to be irritable and aggressive. She reports that she suffers from nightmares, avoidance and has a negative disposition. She feels, no one is to be trusted and the world is dangerous. Courtney desires to reconnect with her two children but has not heard from Terri (her friend who is taking care of them). Courtney seems to have a few friends in the general population and has started to take classes to obtain her GED. Additionally, she has started to attend religious services on Saturday evenings. Unfortunately, she has also been involved in three fights over the last year and instigating a riot when the institution went smoke-free. She appears to lack remorse for most of her aggressive acts often believing that others "deserved that" and is often unable to take others' perspectives in situations "she should of known better than that." Courtney is now seeking counseling services with the prison's mental health department and is looking to be transferred to the psychiatric ward.

• Describe any individual issues related to the client that might explain Family Emotional Systems Theory. This may include the client's demographic and/or personal characteristics; client's social and ecological context; client's motivation to change; any relevant treatment mandates; patterns from the past/life history/prior treatment; what interventions have worked (or not worked) for the client in the past.