Mala is a 25-year old unmarried working girl. She has been
working for 1 year after completing her Engineering degree and has been doing
well at work. Recently she went through a relationship break-up with her
partner. She took it in stride initially. However, as days went by, she felt
more and more lethargic and she was not able to focus on work. She started
becoming more irritated at everyone. Her teammates observed her be lost in
thought and teary-eyed and they recommended her to speak to a counsellor. Mala
finally called a counsellor through her company’s Employee Assistance Program
(EAP) provider.

During the first session with the counsellor she said that
everything is fine. She insisted that she reached out only because of her
teammates recommendations. She reported feeling tired and not interested in
anything and she feels like nothing will work out in her life. She then broke
down and admitted that she has been trying to put up a brave front after the
break-up. She said that she is not able to deal with it anymore.

The Counsellor allowed her to explain her feelings and what
she is going through. Mala was given feedback about how she is responding to
this break-up and was assured of help. Her negative thoughts were identified
and addressed in the subsequent sessions. Mala was able to slowly come out of
her distress and was able to concentrate more at work. This helped in making
her feel capable and hopeful.

Note: Changes have been made to names and specifics to
maintain confidentiality. This case study is published to illustrate how
counselling sessions can be helpful.