Abstract

Dr. Hauptman provides us with a wonderful clinical vignette, the richness of which is measured in the range of responses it can evoke. My response will be that of a career-long psychiatric educator who has served as a clinical supervisor to many residents over the years. In this role, residents like Dr. Hauptman present their clinical work and their questions. I, in turn, try to help them to learn from their patients, improve their clinical skills, and seek answers to their questions. My task at the outset is to help the resident develop a differential diagnosis, a biopsychosocial formulation of the patient’s difficulty, and a treatment plan. In other words, I work with the resident to understand who...