Panel exam — Sophie — After a breakup, a crisis that swings within the hour
26-year-old presenting after self-harm following a breakup; idealises then devalues the assessor within a single session.
- 1Meet the panelPreparing
- 2ExaminationQ & A
- 3DeliberationPanel discusses
- 4VerdictYour grade

Your case
📋 Candidate brief
You are about to see Sophie Tremblay, a 26-year-old seen after presenting to A&E with superficial cuts to her forearm following the end of a three-week relationship. She has had several brief, intense relationships and multiple short-lived contacts with services. You have time for a focused assessment. You should aim to: - Build a validating yet boundaried alliance and manage idealisation/devaluation - Assess self-harm, suicidality and impulsivity, and establish the pattern - Distinguish reactive affective instability from bipolar disorder - Begin a collaborative safety plan and formulate in Sperry terms
Exam settings
The panel will ask about your chosen theoretical orientation, your conceptualization, treatment plan, and the legal, ethical, and diversity considerations the case raises. Stay in your chosen orientation throughout.
A structured, time-limited psychotherapy grounded in the idea that psychological distress arises from maladaptive thoughts, beliefs, and learned behaviours rather than unconscious conflict. CBT targets the interconnection between cognition, emotion, and behaviour to achieve symptom reduction and durable change.
Balanced. Substantive but supportive. Good default.
Your examiners · tap one to read their background



When you're ready, the panel will welcome you and start asking questions.