PYC4809 Assignment 3 Portfolio 2025 (Answer Guide) 647028 – Due 25 September 2025

PYC4809 Assignment 3 Portfolio 2025 (Answer Guide) 647028 – Due 25 September 2025 Task 1 - Case study: Dudu (Person-centred approach) Brief case summary Dudu is a woman born and raised in KwaZulu-Natal who left school at Grade 9, worked as a domestic worker, married and later relocated to another province. She gave birth six months ago to a baby boy. She reports feeling emotionally numb, describing herself only as “tired,” and she has been involved in a number of short-lived affairs with men at her workplace. At present, she is contemplating leaving both her husband and her child, stating that she does not want to take her child with her and is unsure how she would support herself financially. These details raise both therapeutic and ethical considerations. Presenting issues and immediate risks The most pressing issues are her emotional numbness, possible postnatal mood disturbance, relationship instability, and explicit intention to leave her child. This represents a potential child protection concern, as the infant may face neglect or abandonment. In South Africa, professionals are legally required under the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 to act in the best interests of the child. At the same time, Dudu’s precarious financial and social circumstances further compound her vulnerability. Therefore, the immediate priority is to assess the risks for both mother and child and determine whether urgent referral to child protection or social services is required. Person-centred formulation Person-centred theory, as developed by Rogers, views psychological distress as emerging when there is incongruence between an individual’s self-concept and lived experience. In Dudu’s case, her affairs, numbness, and ambivalence toward motherhood can be understood as attempts to meet unmet needs for belonging, autonomy, and affirmation, but they conflict with her cultural and social roles. The therapist’s role is to provide the core conditions of empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence, creating a non-judge