Case Illustration · Formulation and Treatment Planning
Cultural Formulation
There are two ways to fail this client, and they look nothing like each other. The exercise runs between them.
The presentation
A South Asian woman in her mid-thirties presents with complete absence of sexual desire, which she has experienced since marriage three years ago. She and her husband were introduced through their families and married within the expectation of both families and communities.
She reports that she respects and cares for her husband but has never experienced sexual attraction toward him.
Her community's framing of marriage prioritizes family and social function over individual desire, and she reports that she understands her lack of desire as something she should be able to manage through will and duty.
Estimated time to complete this exercise: 12 minutes
Part 1 of 5
She tells you she should be able to manage this through will and duty. What do you do with that?
References
- American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
- Basson, R. (2000). The female sexual response: A different model. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 26(1), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/009262300278641
- McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., & Garcia-Preto, N. (Eds.). (2005). Ethnicity and family therapy (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.