Identify some of the specific behaviors that indicate issues of codependency

Please see the case of Colleen on page 73 (Kelly, 2015) and the discussion questions that follow the case:

“Colleen is a 26-year-old graduate student who reports “issues with relationships.” She is currently in a relationship with a 30-year-old man, Sean; she has been with him for 3 years. He is talking about marriage, but she is ambivalent. Although she claims to love him and cannot imagine life without him, she is aware that there are issues that she is afraid might be more serious than she previously thought. To be specific, Colleen reports that Sean “drinks a lot (Kelly, 2015).”

“When this issue is discussed more fully, she says that although Sean manages to hold down a good job and appears very high functioning, he rarely goes a day without consuming alcohol. He will typically have several drinks every evening— more on weekend evenings. In addition to her concerns regarding Sean’s drinking, she reports that he is often emotionally distant. He does not like to “talk” when issues come up. In general, he simply tells Colleen to resolve things in whatever manner she would like. This situation has led to a pattern within the relationship in which Colleen takes care of virtually all of the activities of daily living (Kelly, 2015).”

“Finally, while Sean provides leeway and space in allowing Colleen to take charge of many of the activities of daily living, he can be controlling in other ways. For example, Colleen feels obligated to check in with Sean, even if she is going to be just a few minutes late in getting home. He is also very concerned with her appearance, often monitoring her diet and suggesting what she should wear. When the counselor inquiries about how Colleen feels about Sean’s behavior, she reports that historically she has always thought of it as normal. In fact, she likes taking care of him and pleasing him by looking good. However, with the recent talk of marriage, she has begun to question some of the relationship patterns that have taken hold (Kelly, 2015)”

“Identify some of the specific behaviors that indicate issues of codependency (Kelly, 2015).”
“What issues might you want to explore if in fact you believe that codependency is at the root of Colleen’s current ambivalence (Kelly, 2015)?”
“How might you assess Colleen for issues of codependency? What additional information might you want to gather (Kelly, 2015)?”
“What are other issues you might anticipate working on with Colleen (Kelly, 2015)?”

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