Week 2: Family Assessment and Psychotherapeutic Approaches/NRNP 6645: Psychotherapy with Multiple Modalities

A family's patterns of behavior influences [sic] the individual and therefore may need to be a part of the treatment plan. In marriage and family therapy, the unit of treatment isn't just the person—even if only a single person is interviewed—it is the set of relationships in which the person is imbedded. —American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, “About Marriage and Family Therapists”

When issues arise within a family unit, the family often presents with one member identified as the “problem.” However, you will frequently find that the issue is not necessarily the “problem client,” but rather dysfunctional family patterns and relationships. To better understand such patterns and relationships, and develop a family treatment plan, it is essential that the practitioner appropriately assess all family members. This requires you to have a strong foundation in family assessment and therapy.

This week, you practice assessing and diagnosing client families presenting for psychotherapy.

 

Assessment is as essential to family therapy as it is to individual therapy. Although families often present with one person identified as the “problem,” the assessment process will help you better understand family roles and determine whether the identified problem client is in fact the root of the family’s issues.

To prepare:

· Review this week’s Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide on family assessment. Be sure to review the resource on psychotherapy genograms.

· Download the Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation Note Template and review the requirements of the documentation. There is also an exemplar provided with detailed guidance and examples. 

· View the Mother and Daughter: A Cultural Tale video in the Learning Resources and consider how you might assess the family in the case study.

The Assignment

Document the following for the family in the video, using the Comprehensive Evaluation Note Template: 

· Chief complaint

· History of present illness

· Past psychiatric history

· Substance use history

· Family psychiatric/substance use history

· Psychosocial history/Developmental history

· Medical history

· Review of systems (ROS)

· Physical assessment (if applicable)

· Mental status exam

· Differential diagnosis—Include a minimum of three differential diagnoses and include how you derived each diagnosis in accordance with DSM-5 diagnostic criteria

· Case formulation and treatment plan

· Include a psychotherapy genogram for the family

Note: For any item you are unable to address from the video, explain how you would gather this information and why it is important for diagnosis and treatment planning. 

video 

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url=https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/mother-and-daughter-a-cultural-tale