CompassPractice. Defend. Pass.
← Back to case

Panel exam — Bianca — A dramatic story, short on the details that matter

42-year-old presenting with 'a complete breakdown'; vivid and theatrical but vague, and visibly deflated when attention shifts.

  1. 1
    Meet the panel
  2. 2
    Examination
  3. 3
    Deliberation
  4. 4
    Verdict
Dr. Compass
Dr. Compass
Exam proctor
Here to help you get oriented before the panel begins.
Welcome — this is your oral exam on Bianca — A dramatic story, short on the details that matter. I'm Dr. Compass, your proctor. You'll present to Dr. McFreudian, Dr. Lynahana, and Dr. Ramezani. Take five to ten minutes with the candidate brief to prepare — there's a prep timer below if you'd like one. Choose your orientation and difficulty, then press Begin exam. Any questions for me first? Just speak — I'm listening.

Your case

✓ Bianca

📋 Candidate brief

You are about to see Bianca Rossi, a 42-year-old former events host referred after telling her GP she was having "a complete breakdown." She is warm, vivid, and theatrical, but her account is impressionistic and hard to pin to specifics. You have time for a focused assessment. You should aim to: - Provide structure and slow the impressionistic narrative to get specifics - Maintain clear boundaries in the face of seductive or dramatised relating - Establish the pervasive attention-seeking pattern (Sperry optimal criterion) - Screen for mood disorder, risk, and reframe the wish for attention as a wish to be valued

⏱ Prep timerTake 5–10 minutes with the brief before you begin.

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.