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© 2022 Walden University, LLC. Adapted from Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014).

Sessions: Case histories. Laureate International Universities Publishing.

Levy Family

SOCW 6121

Jake Levy (31) and Sheri Levy (28) are a married Caucasian couple. They live with their

sons, Myles (10) and Levi (8), in a two-bedroom condominium in a middle-class

neighborhood. Jake is an Iraq War veteran and employed as a human resources

assistant for the military, and Sheri is a special education teacher in a local elementary

school. Overall, Jake is physically fit, but an injury he sustained in combat sometimes

limits his ability to use his left hand. Sheri is in good physical condition and has recently

found out that she is pregnant with their third child.

The social worker’s first encounter with Jake was at an intake session at the Veterans

Affairs Health Care Center (VA). During this meeting, Jake stated that he came to the

VA for services because his wife had threatened to leave him if he did not get help. She

was particularly concerned about his drinking and lack of involvement in his sons’ lives.

She told him his drinking had gotten out of control and was making him mean and

distant. Jake had seen Dr. Zoe, a psychiatrist at the VA, who diagnosed him with post-

traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr. Zoe prescribed Paxil to help reduce his symptoms

of anxiety and depression and suggested that he also begin counseling.

During the assessment, Jake said that since his return to civilian life 10 months ago he

had experienced difficulty sleeping, heart palpitations, and moodiness. He stated that he

and his wife had been fighting a lot and that he drank to take the edge off and to help

him sleep. Jake admitted to drinking heavily nearly every day. He reported that he was

not engaged with his sons at all and he kept to himself when he was at home. He spent

his evenings on the couch drinking beer and watching TV or playing video games.

When we discussed Jake’s options for treatment, he expressed fear of losing his job

and his family if he did not get help. Jake worked in an office with civilians and military

personnel and mostly got along with people in the office. Jake tended to keep to himself

and said he sometimes felt pressured to be more communicative and social. He was

also very worried that Sheri would leave him. He said he had never seen her so angry

before and saw she was at her limit with him and his behaviors.

Based on the information Jake provided about his diagnosis and family concerns, Jake

agreed that the best course of action would be for him to participate in weekly individual

sessions and a weekly support group that was offered at the VA for Iraq veterans. He

was offered a referral for couples counseling at the local mental health agency and a

printed list of local Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings in his area if he decided he

wanted to attend in order to address his drinking. He would continue to follow up with

Dr. Zoe on a monthly basis to monitor the effectiveness of his medications.

Jake began participating in the veterans’ support group. He reported that he was

uneasy during the first couple of meetings because he did not know anyone, but that the

other vets were supportive. He said it was helpful to hear from others who experienced

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© 2022 Walden University, LLC. Adapted from Plummer, S. -B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014).

Sessions: Case histories. Laureate International Universities Publishing.

the same feelings he had since returning home. He said he no longer felt alone, nor did

he feel “crazy.” Jake also shared that he had started attending AA meetings.

Levy Family Episode 6

© 2013-2021 Walden University, LLC 1

Levy Family Episode 6 Program Transcript

FEMALE SPEAKER: I know three of you did tours of duty in Iraq, and the others in Afghanistan. So I just wanted to follow up on that, talk about how you're adjusting.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

MALE SPEAKER 1: You say adjust to, but there's no adjustment. You're just thrown back into your life like you're supposed to pick up where you left off, but that's a joke. Two years ago, I was dug in, pinned down by 50 Cal sniper fire, just praying the chopper would get me out alive. Now, the hardest part of my day is standing in the grocery store trying to decide if I want yellow or brown mustard with my hot dogs.

JAKE: Nah, two six packs or a case.

FEMALE SPEAKER: You find that you drink more than you used to?

JAKE: Why not ask him if he finds he's eating more hot dogs than he used to?

BILL: You know why?

JAKE: Why is that? Oh great, Buddha.

BILL: Because I've been where you are. You talk about booze like it's some joke, but nobody's laughing. You can't get adjusted to anything when you're trying to get loaded.

JAKE: I guess you won't be joining me for a drink at the bar later. I was going to buy.

FEMALE SPEAKER: No, that's a good point, Bill. Sometimes we do things to avoid dealing with unpleasant feelings, like adjusting to life back at home.

JAKE: What do you know about it? Give me a break. Back off, or I'll make you.

BILL: I drink too much too. But I've had enough of you mouthing off.

JAKE: My wife's had enough of me too. She's the reason I'm here. We never used to fight. I never used to drink so much, but now I can't stop myself from doing either.

FEMALE SPEAKER: So why do you drink too much?

Levy Family Episode 6

© 2013-2021 Walden University, LLC 2

BILL: It's the only way I can shut it out, images of what I saw over there, horrible things that no one should ever have to see. I wake up some nights and I hear mortar rounds coming in. And I reach for my helmet and my weapon, but they're not there. So I freak out.

And then I see pretty curtains. TV'S on. And then I remember I'm at home. I realize I'm not going to get blown up after all.

FEMALE SPEAKER: Thanks for sharing, Jake. You make a good point. It can seem a lot easier to self medicate rather than face the fears, the bad memories that we have. So what do you think? What are some other things, maybe, you do to avoid the challenge to being a civilian again?

Levy Family Episode 6 Additional Content Attribution MUSIC: Music by Clean Cuts Original Art and Photography Provided By: Brian Kline and Nico Danks