Problem:
Luisa is a 38-year-old office manager referred to counseling by her employer through the company's employee assistance program. Her boss has become increasingly concerned as she has noticed that Luisa seems to be on edge quite often over the last several months. Approximately nine months ago, Luisa discovered her husband was having an extramarital affair. Upon learning of the relationship, Luisa's husband abruptly left their marriage of six years, filed divorce papers, and moved in with his girlfriend. Since this time, Luisa has begun to experience significant anxiety around simple and routine tasks. She's often consumed with worry about mistakes at work and finds herself tense and fatigued quite often. Luisa has also begun to worry excessively about money and to scrutinize every penny she spends. She consistently seeks reassurances from her co-workers and family, but with little positive effect. Increasing fear has caused Luisa to isolate over the past three months. She avoids going out even during the daytime. She states that she feels scared and vulnerable even walking her dog around the block. Her fear is that something horrible will happen and no one will come to her rescue. She knows that this is irrational but feels that