Please read the entire comments for review feedback and provide a detailed response to each comments to include references.
Re: Topic 3 DQ 1 (Obj. 3.1 and 3.2)
Some areas that can assist that counselor in developing or identifying patterns of mental illness are: past medical history, history of mental illness individually and family, use of substances, past treatments sought, employment history, social status, how the person portrays themselves, and what their environment looks like. (Reiger, Kuhl, & Kupfer, 2013) These types of information can assist the counselor in creating a more well-rounded picture of the individual and if there have been mental illnesses passed down or surfaced recently.
Erickson taught us that there are eight life stages. Beginning from birth and ending with our last breath, he laid out a map of what an individual goes through mentally and emotionally as the mature and figure out who they are in society. These life stages can certainly affect their treatment and progression or usefulness of interventions; if an individual is stuck in a certain life stage it can hold them back from reaching their fullest potential because they are not able to move on. If a client came in with commitment issues, fidelity, and just a lack of responsibility all together; it could be said that he is stuck in one of the earlier life stages because maybe he wasn’t able to be as independent because his mother watched him like a hawk and never allowed him to do things on his own. He was never allowed the freedom of exploration and responsibility so, he never had to “grow-up.” A counselor would waste their and the clients’ time with interventions dealing with taking responsibility for actions or owning to mistakes because he is not in that stage yet. I am definitely not saying he is hopeless or a lost cause, I am saying that stage will have to be developed and accomplished before a more mature approach can be broached.
Reference
Regier, D. A., Kuhl, E. A., & Kupfer, D. J. (2013). The DSM-5: Classification and criteria changes. World psychiatry: official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 12(2), 92–98. doi:10.1002/wps.20050
My response:
Good morning Kristen
It is important to realize that everyone has a life story and that story will point to life experiences, transitions, how the client deals with change, strengths and weaknesses (Psychology, n.d.). This is important to address during therapy and see where the client is on a developmental basis. Just because a client is a certain age does not mean they ae functioning at the proper age level. Client have to take that into consideration and use that information to better help the client for the long run. Without this knowledge the counselor may be missing out on important information that could actually help the client with their treatment and the progression of their developmental stage. It is helpful for counselors to help clients achieve wellness by helping them point out various internal choices on a daily basis (Psychology, n.d). Some areas of life that can affect the treatment of a client include relationship concerns, depression, negativity, emotional reactivity, stress management, communication, resilience, abuse, general medical issues, decision making and problem solving (McAteer, 2019). These are all important areas for the counselor to be knowledgeable about with it comes to their client. The listed items above can help give an overview of the day and life of the client and how they react to certain situations can respond to other situations that can have an impact on their mental health. Treatment with clients works best when the client is aware, and this can take time. Some clients may have trouble identifying their problem areas and that’s where the counselor steps in to assist. Treatment and interventions can help the client figure out an overall plan and help them with their overall mental illness and mental progression.
McAteer. (2019). Areas of Practice. Retrieved from http://www.bestlifecounselling.com/areas-of-practice
Psychology. (n.d.). Developmental Counseling and Therapy. Retrieved from https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/counseling-psychology/counseling-therapy/developmental-counseling-and-therapy/
My response:
Good morning Shatera
Hi Dr. Koch and Class,
Areas of the client’s life that might permit the clinician to develop/identify patterns of mental illness in a case conceptualization might be shaped by the confluence of events, propensities, relationships, memories and other features of a life elaborated over time and across settings. In other words, the client’s negative thought patterns been exacerbated the depression, stemming from issues affecting their life and emotional state. These issues are found in the client concern about living in unsafe housing, being in an abusive relationship, had financial concerns, felt disconnected from his/her church, had strained sibling relationships, felt disempowered at work because of discriminatory practices, felt isolated geographically by living in a rural setting and felt disconnected culturally because she was a member of a minority group and didn’t have any local connections with others who shared their culture (Shallcross, 2013).
Continuous assessment influences the direction of the client’s treatment through when there is also continues assessment by the clinician as the client’s presenting concerns and circumstances are assess. Equally, goals identified by the client during the initial assessment are often modified or re-ordered to meet new and urgent client needs as well as aiding in evaluating the efficacy of treatment. Upon entering treatment, an initial assessment establishes the client's baseline of functioning following continuous assessment which serves to be compared between the initial base-line and the client's current functioning. Subsequently, where there is an improvement, it signified the efficacy of treatment and the benefit of continuing the current treatment course. Notwithstanding, a decline in functioning or a lack of improvement, however, suggests the clinician’s need to alter treatment. Therefore, continuous assessment is important, for the reason that it keeps the counselor apprised of the client's developmental stages in order to guide treatment and intervention in an effective manner (Juhnke, 1995).
References
Juhnke, Gerald A., (1995). Mental health counseling assessment: Broadening one's understanding of the client and the clients presenting concerns: ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Student Services Greensboro NC. Retrieved 2019, May 16 from www.ericdigests.org/1996-3/mental.htm
Shallcross, L., (2013). Building a more complete client picture: A Publication of the American Counseling Association. Retrieved 2019, May 16 from ct.counseling.org/2013/04/building-a-more-complete-client-picture
My response:
Good morning Dianne,
Re: Topic 3 DQ 1 (Obj. 3.1 and 3.2)
There are numerous areas of a client’s life that can offer clues to a client’s mental status and the underlying etiology for concern. To name a few, family history, trauma experiences, environment, prior treatment, adversity, substance abuse, developmental stage, cultural and societal experiences, beliefs, and physiology. Within any of these life areas, patterns can develop, whether adaptive or maladaptive. In case conceptualization, using the Inverted Pyramid Method (IPM), clinicians use a four-step process to identify the presenting problem, group together intuitively logical or thematic patterns and categories, begin to infer a theoretical approach or integrated approach, and finally, narrow the inferences to a “still-deeper, more encompassing, or more central, causal themes” (Schwitzer & Rubin, 2015, p. 161). This case conceptualization process helps a counselor develop and identify patterns of mental illness, distress, vulnerability, impairment, and ongoing risk to then identify the hierarchy of urgency or the most pressing issues to be addressed in treatment.
Once this has been completed, a theoretical approach determined, it is time to develop the treatment goals and interventions. Developmental stage plays a role both in the theoretical approach and the goal and objective development. The Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), takes a lifespan approach viewing disorders across the life spectrum. The updated organization of the DSM-5, highlights how they can continue to manifest at different stages of life and can be impacted by the developmental continuum that influences many disorders. According to (Regier, Kuhl, & Kupfer, 2013), “The linear structure of this organization is intended to better reflect the relative strength of relationships between disorder groups, whereas the internal organization of disorder groups is intended to reflect more of a child-adult developmental perspective” (para. 10). And (Schwitzer & Rubin, 2015) identify two types of evidence-based counseling, absolute efficacy, and “relative efficacy,” that is, the fact that certain theoretical/technical approaches work best for certain clients with particular problems” (p. 163), meaning there are specific developmental based theoretical approaches that are more effective for different life stages.
Regier, D. A., Kuhl, E. A., & Kupfer, D. J. (2013). The DSM-5: Classification and criteria changes. World psychiatry: official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 12(2), 92–98. doi:10.1002/wps.20050
Schwitzer, A. M., & Rubin, L. C. (2015). Diagnosis and Treatment Planning Skills: A Popular Culture Casebook Approach (DSM-5 Update). SAGE Publications.
My response: