DSM-5-TR Self-Reflection: Third Assignment
DSM-5-TR Self-Reflection: Third Assignment
Mental Health Counseling and Studies, Liberty University
DSM-5-TR Self-Reflection: Third Assignment
I chose Personality Disorders for this assignment.
Considering your own worldview and belief system, why do you believe people develop the
diagnosis you chose to discuss?
From my worldview, I believe many personality disorders develop primarily from early
childhood experiences. When children grow up with unreasonable expectations from
caregivers, or witness verbal or physical conflict at home, they often adapt in ways that they feel
emotionally safe at the time. These adjustments may develop into firmly rooted habits that last
throughout adulthood. In more serious situations, these settings may contribute to anxiety,
panic attacks, or even substance abuse as a means of escape, or it may cause mild trauma
leading to unhealthy coping mechanisms that interfere with day-to-day functioning.
I also believe that personality disorders are still misunderstood and not widely accepted. People
who have experienced trauma are often mislabeled as “too melodramatic" or "emotionally
weak" which further stigmatizes them. I’ve known individuals who battled with anxiety, despair
for attention in a repetitive emotional cycles, not because they love “drama,” but because these
behaviors developed as to deal with challenging circumstances and became part of their
personality pattern over time.
• What potential biases or beliefs arise for you regarding clients who struggle with the
diagnosis you chose to discuss?
My initial response is to feel compassion for their struggles, especially knowing that their
patterns often come from early trauma or difficult environments. However, when the same
challenges repeat themselves over time, I can sometimes feel impatient or annoyed. Part of me
thinks, “Everyone has bad days, but if these crises happen constantly, isn’t it important to work
on them?”. I know is not too professional.
What will you do in the future to mitigate these biases?
I would be more mindful about this as its important to remind myself that what looks like
“repeating the same behaviors” can actually be a core feature of the disorder, not a choice. It
also pushes me to develop more patience, maintain appropriate boundaries, and remember
that healing is not linear. By noticing these reactions in myself, I can stay more self-aware and
provide more supportive, nonjudgmental care.
• Identify at least one code from the American Counseling Association
(ACA) Code of
Ethics and discuss how the code is relevant to the discussion of your chosen diagnosis.
The relevant code is A.1.a. Primary Responsibility, which states that “The primary responsibility
of counselors is to respect the dignity and promote the welfare of clients” (ACA, 2014). A.4.b.
Personal Values Counselors are aware of—and avoid imposing—their own values, attitudes,
beliefs, and behaviors. Counselors respect the diversity of clients, trainees, and research
participants and seek training in areas in which they are at risk of imposing their values onto
clients, especially when the counselor ’s values are inconsistent
DSM-5-TR Self-Reflection: Third Assignment
with the client’s goals or are discriminatory in nature. This code reminds me that I am here for
my client’s well-being and my biases shouldn’t interfere or minimize their feelings.
• Considering the Dispositions Descriptions from Module 1, identify at least one
Disposition that you plan to cultivate to work with clients who display the diagnosis you
chose.
The disposition I choose is E – Demonstrates Emotional Regulation, managing anxiety and
expresses feelings appropriately and effectively. Scripture: 2 Peter 1:5-9
• Considering the ASERVIC Spiritual and Religious Competencies, identify at least one
competency that you plan to cultivate to work with clients who display the diagnosis you
chose.
I would also cultivate ASERVIC Spiritual and Religious Competency #, The professional counselor
of their personal can respond to client communication about spirituality and or/ religion with
acceptance and sensitivity.
This competency reminds me to stay sensitive to others’ struggles and to be mindful of how I
communicate, so that I don’t unintentionally hurt them or reinforce the challenges related to
their personality disorder.
References:
American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA Code of Ethics.
https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/ ethics/2014-aca-
code-of-ethics.pdf
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental
disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/book/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling. (2024).
Competencies for addressing spiritual and religious issues in counseling. https://aservic.org/wp-
content/uploads/2024/05/2024_ASERVICSpiritual-Competencies.pdf
Disposition Description (2015) Pdf
