Write a paperr about a pseudo-client (i.e. a character from a book or movie or TV show) Ed Gein. In the paperr, apply a DSM-5-TR diagnosis and develop a treatment plan. This paperrr should be no more than 10 pages in length and should be written in APA style. Please consider the following questions when constructing your paperrrrr:
In what ways does your “client” conform with specified DSM criteria? What is your client’s assessment of the presenting concern? •In what ways does your client differ from the DSM criteria? Discuss differential diagnosis.
How might the client’s cultural background impact his or her diagnosis and treatment plan?
What historical, political, social, and cultural issues do you need to consider before applying this diagnosis?
What strengths does the client have that can be integrated into the treatment plan?
How would you integrate the client’s goals with your goals as the counselor?
What theory or approach will help the client reach his or her goals and objectives? How would you regularly evaluate, with the client, whether the treatment plan goals were being achieved and whether the means of achieving the goals were satisfactory to the client?
Presenting Concern and Historical Context
Edward Gein's behavior first came to public attention in 1957 with the disappearance of Bernice Worden, which led to the discovery of her body and an unprecedented scene of macabre artifacts made from human remains at his secluded farm. Gein confessed to the murder of Worden and Mary Hogan (1954), and to robbing approximately nine graves between 1947 and 1952. His motivation was reportedly linked to a desire to create a "woman suit" to "become his mother" following her death in 1945.
Client's Assessment of the Presenting Concern
The historical record suggests Gein lacked genuine insight into the horrific nature of his actions. He was known to be a quiet, odd individual in the community, often performing handyman and babysitting jobs. When apprehended, he was reportedly calm and confessed to the killings, though he was deemed unfit for trial in 1957 and was diagnosed with Schizophrenia at the time, indicating a significant break from reality. He described his grave-robbing activities as occurring while he was in a "daze-like" state. His focus seemed to be on his intense, morbid fixation on the female form—specifically, his mother's image—and the practical mechanics of acquiring bodies and creating his artifacts, rather than the moral or legal implications. His stated goal, in essence, was the reconstitution of his deceased mother figure through necro-mimesis and the macabre use of human remains.
Sample Answer
Ed Gein: A Retrospective Pseudo-Client Case Study and Treatment Plan
Abstract
This paper presents a retrospective psychological assessment and proposed treatment plan for the pseudo-client Edward Theodore Gein (1906–1984), an American murderer, grave robber, and body snatcher from Plainfield, Wisconsin. Based on historical accounts of his behavior, childhood, and crimes, a DSM-5-TR diagnosis of Schizotypal Personality Disorder (301.22) with a comorbid Other Specified Paraphilic Disorder (Necrophilia) is applied. The paper will outline diagnostic criteria conformance, differential diagnoses, cultural impact on case conceptualization, and a theoretical treatment plan using an integrative approach, with primary emphasis on long-term institutional management given the extreme nature of his pathology.