Professional Psychology Is an Art - Essay Example

The trunk ends with two support branches holding it right at the tip of the branches. This could perhaps imply that the person has a strong sense of self which is flexible but at present, it is on the weaker end and holding on with the help of supports, which could be friends or family. It could be an implication that a twist in the ego exists due to certain issues at hand. The limbs or branches that represent a person’s effort to reach out to the world are found to be detached from the leaves or the bark. It could imply that the person has difficulties reaching out or is in a situation where he or she does not have much control. The branches also have pointed ends which represent aggressiveness in the person. Roots are the foundation of the person which represents his reality testing and orientation. The image drawn has no roots which could show a feeling of insecurity. The person may not feel grounded; this can be related to his sense of over-achieving targets. Since the leaves present that the tree can reach out to the sun and derive its food, it represents the success of a person’s efforts to reach out. The leaves again are found to be detached from the tree which could imply that the success of the efforts is not very predictable. The large mass of leaves which is drawn with little emphasis on the detailing of each leaf could imply the obsession to find success in efforts made.

The BDI form shows signs of mild depression. The form shows that the person sees a lot of failures when he looks back at his life. Thereby the person is discouraged by the outcome of his efforts in the past. He perhaps expects more from his efforts and thereby feels a lot of things have gone wrong in the past. Besides the person's tendency to be critical about his weaknesses and actions, and a greater urge to cry or get irritated over issues; the person also is developing a reduced interest in people. The feeling of detachment could arise because of the low self-esteem; the person is facing which comes across through answers such as “I am worried that I am looking old and unattractive”. The anxiousness about outcomes is also visible when the respondent states that “I am worried more easily” and “I am worried about health ailments”. The respondent also says that “I have to push myself harder to do something”, so the person needs a greater push to work on something. Loss of sleep, appetite, and getting tired easily are all symptoms of early depression. However, the person is not suffering from any major form of depression as he does not feel discouraged about the future or sad about the present. He has regrets about the past but not total disregard for his future. Also, the respondent does not feel any change in his health conditions- such as health issues or sexual problems. The person also gets satisfaction as he used to prior thereby the person still thrives to achieve personal success. However, the score is just the border mark which could represent the circumstantial presence of a cause i.e. a recent incidence may have caused the trauma.

The tree diagram and the BDI forms give the same result: mild depression. For example, the tree diagram shows that the person may have some form of weakness now, which is evident from his replies in the form which says that the person gets more upset over circumstances than he would have in the past. Also, a certain amount of aggression can be seen from the BDI form from his greater intensity of being critical about himself, and the urge to cry, which presents frustration and a need to vent the feeling. The person also is found to be insecure about himself, which is evident in his reply about concerns about health and lower self-confidence: “I feel I am growing old”. The cause may be past failures (as visible from the BDI feedback) or exaggeration of achievements (tree diagram), but the unpredictable results reaped by the person on the count of his efforts are what drive his anxiety. But, both conclusions when put together represent that the person is suffering from mild depression.