Patient Brings PowerPoint Presentation to Therapy Session, Therapist Unsure How to Process It

Clinical psychologist Dr. Sandra Insight was presented with a 47-slide PowerPoint presentation by a patient during their Tuesday session, in which the patient methodically argued, using charts, graphs, and peer-reviewed citations, that he does not have any psychological problems and should be discharged from therapy. The presentation, titled 'Why I Am Fine: A Data-Driven Rebuttal to Therapeutic Concern,' was delivered from the patient's laptop over approximately forty minutes of the fifty-minute session, leaving Dr. Insight ten minutes to respond. 'He had bar charts comparing his mood scores to national averages,' Dr. Insight said. 'He had a scatterplot showing the correlation between his sleep quality and his performance reviews at work. He cited fourteen peer-reviewed articles. The production quality was exceptional. I have never been more concerned about a patient.' The patient, a management consultant identified only as Patient K, described the presentation as 'an evidence-based case for therapeutic termination.' 'I've been in therapy for two years,' Patient K said. 'Dr. Insight keeps saying I use intellectualization as a defense mechanism. I have prepared this presentation to demonstrate that I do not intellectualize. The data speaks for itself.' 'The data does not speak for itself,' Dr. Insight replied. 'The data has been organized into a PowerPoint by someone who is using a management consulting framework to avoid feeling feelings. That is textbook intellectualization.' Patient K's concluding slide read 'Questions?' followed by a smaller line reading 'Note: Questions about my emotional state will not be taken at this time.' Dr. Insight has recommended increasing sessions from once to twice weekly. Patient K has requested that future sessions allow for 'multimedia presentations with a Q&A component.' Dr. Insight has declined. 'We're going to sit in the feelings,' she said. 'I don't have a slide for that,' Patient K replied.