...Clinical Assessment Kat Grimaldi PSY/270 3 October 2013 Michelle Bailey Clinical Assessment Scenario for this clinical assessment includes: A four year old daughter, named Clara, adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Lawson. Mr. and Mrs. Lawson took Clara to see a psychiatrist, named Dr. Mason. As Clara was entering the room, she was polite and greeted Dr. Mason, but did not smile and kept her gaze down as she took a seat. Clara’s adoptive parents took a seat next to her and began explaining, to the doctor, about their concerns. They described Clara as a quiet child who has recently begun throwing temper tantrums, during which she is inconsolable. Clara’s sleep and eating patterns have changed, and she no longer wants to go to preschool. Based on the limited information provided in this scenario, there are other questions that I would like to see answered. The very first step I would take, before asking for more information from the adoptive parents, is to remove Clara from the room and place her in an atmosphere that better suites her, like a play room located in the office building. After Clara is removed from the office, I would start of by asking if the adoption was an open adoption, and the age when Clara was adopted. If the adoption was not an open adoption, the true parents of Clara could be trying to make contact with her while she away from her adoptive parents. This can cause confusion in Clara, and possibly be a reason why her behavior has all of a sudden changed. I would...
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...Clinical Assessment Mary J House University of Phoenix Psy 270 Rhettman Mullis, Jr. November 25, 2012 What other information would you like to learn during the interview with the family? What questions would you ask? I would ask Mr. and Mrs. Lawson if they knew what kind of home life Clara had before she was adopted. I would ask them how old Clara was at the time of the adoption. I would want to know if they knew Clara’s biological family’s medical history. Was there any known of mental illness in the biological family? Did the Lawson’s know if Clara had been abused before she came to live with them? What was the environment in the Lawson home and Clara’s preschool like? Had Clara recently had an accident or been traumatized in any way that they were aware of? Had they heard of any incidents at Clara’s school that may have made her start misbehaving? Was there anything in specific they noticed that triggered Clara’s tantrums? When did the change occur in her eating and sleeping habits? Was Clara their only child? Did they have other biological or adopted children living at home. Was Clara of a different race than Mr. and Mrs. Lawson? Does Clara know that she adopted, and if she does have they just recently told her this? Has Clara mentioned being picked on, teased or bullied at school? Have they had a conference with her teacher to see how her behavior is at school? In addition to the clinical interview, what other...
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...Clinical Assessment Estella M. Swaims PSY 270 11/20/2011 Andrew Graham Clinical Assessment Hello Mr. And Mrs. Lawson my name is Dr. Mason and this must be Clara. Hello Clara my name is Mr. Mason it is so nice to meet you. I would like to ask just a few short questions Clara please answer them if you would like. Initial Questions Mrs. Lawson has there been any recent changes at Clara school, such as a new teacher or a new child, in her class? Does she talk about anything that she does not like in school? Clara your mom and dad say you do not like school anymore can you tell me why? Assessment I would like to know when you first noticed Clara acting out. I would ask what is the standard or norm for Clara on any given day. I would need to know more about Clara surroundings at her school to see if there was indeed a reason for her recent temper tantrums. If this is the first time this has happened perhaps there is a root cause that needs to be explored (validity of compliant). I would ask Clara to draw me a picture of what is scaring her at school and talk to me about it. Intervention I would ask the parents to write down each time Clara had one of these tantrums and the events that lead up to it. Knowing this information would give a better overall picture of what is happening. Clara is adopted so I would ask Mr. and Mrs. Lawson if they have any medical background on Clara’s biological parents. How long Clara has been with them...
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...Clinical Assessment November 10, 2011 PSY 270 Introduction and Background Mr. and Mrs. Lawson brought their 4-year-old adopted daughter, Clara, to see Dr. Mason, a psychiatrist. Clara was polite in greeting Dr. Mason, but did not smile and kept her gaze down as she took a seat. Mr. and Mrs. Lawson sat next to Clara and began explaining their concerns. They described Clara as a quiet child who has recently begun throwing temper tantrums, during which she is inconsolable. Her sleep and eating patterns have changed, and she no longer wants to go to preschool. Interview Questions Since Clara is only four years old, I would want to talk to the parents alone. This would give me a chance to obtain some information that would help me when working with Clara. Some of the questions I would ask would be: 1. Have there been any major changes recently that have affected the family? 2. How old was Clara when she was adopted? 3. Did her biological parents have any contact with her before the adoption? 4. How and when did the changes in her sleeping and eating occur? 5. Has she been to her doctor concerning these changes? If so, what did the doctor have to say? Did the doctor put her on any medication? 6. Have the parent noticed anything that seems to trigger the tantrums? 7. What does Clara say about school and her teacher? 8. How long ago did Clara begin preschool? Assessment Tools Once I had gathered this information from the parents...
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...Clinical Assessment Taylor LeMaster PSY 290 July 5, 2015 Chris Shreve Clinical Assessment Clara is a four year old who is adopted and has had behavioral problems recently. The problems include throwing tantrums, changed sleeping and eating patterns, and no longer wanting to go to preschool. As she walked into the office, she kept her gaze down and didn’t smile. During the interview with the family, I would find it useful to find out more information about Clara that might explain why her behavior has changed so much. To start, I would like to find out what she was like when they first brought her home and if any major events have happened in their lives. I would ask for a family history of mental illness that could possible explain behavior changes. It would also be important to ask questions about when she is throwing her fits. What is happening when she is throwing the fits would likely be a good explanation and help to come up with solutions for helping Clara. In addition to the clinical interview, it is important to use other assessment tools to identify possible causes of her behavior as well as possible treatments. There are a number of different tests that can be administers that would have at least some benefit. An ink blot test can show what a person thinks about in relation to their mental status. A sentence completion test could also be useful because it can show what kind of mindset a person is in. Having Clara draw pictures is also a useful too. A personality...
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...Clinical Assessment During the interview with Clare and her parents I would like to learn more any other problems Clara may be having. I would want to know how she is feeling and how are her relationships with her parents, teachers, and peers. I would ask Clara “Why does she get so upset?”, “How does she feel about school?”, “Is she having any problems at school or at home?”. In addition to the interview I would consider other assessment tools such as a Mental Status Exam to get a better understanding of Clara’s awareness of time, place, and memory. In order to treat Clara more information would be needed. However, I would take into consideration that Clara is not eating or sleeping well. Her health is affected by her abnormal behavior. If I were preparing to diagnose Clara I would enter information into each axis of the DSM-IV. Axis I would include any information about Clara displaying any disorders such as anxiety. Axis II would include information about any long standing problems Clara may have such as mental retardation. Axis III would include information about any relevant medical conditions. Axis IV would include any problems she may be having in school or at home and Axis V would be a GAF assessment about her social, psychological, or occupational functioning. I think diagnosing Clara would not be beneficial. A Diagnosis can be harmful to young children because it places a label on them that follows them for the rest of...
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...Assignment: Clinical Assessment If only knowing that Mr. and Mrs. Lawson’s 4-year-old adopted daughter was throwing fits, not sleeping or eating like she use to, and that their daughter does not want to go back to preschool I would have to ask several questions. I would want to know how their daughter acted before they notice the behavioral change. I would ask why Clara (daughter) was put up for adoption, what type of adoption place was she living in, and for how long was Clara in the adoption home before they adopted her. I would want to know about the biological parents, and I would also ask Mr. and Mrs. Lawson’s how they were before the adoption, if there has been any changes lately in their home. I would then ask questions about the preschool Clara goes to, and I would ask about her teachers. I would like to know if Clara does this in class, and if she does I would want to know how the teacher handles Clara. I would also want to know exactly how her sleeping and eating patterns have changed. During the interview I would want Clara to be comfortable and I would offer some toys, or coloring books to keep her busy while talking to her parents. I also feel I could see with my own eyes on how Clara acts while playing. After I completed the interview I would explain to the Lawson’s that there were a few test I would like to do with Clara. I would want to do a projective, and drawing test with Clara. The projective...
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...The Process of Clinical Assessment helps the provider understand how problems persist and how they can be modified. It also helps the provider understand the nature of the problems, symptoms, complaints or dilemmas presented in the patient population (Messer & Gurman, ). The process of clinical assessment is especially useful for my field placement because I conduct assessments, diagnose patients, and determine potential levels of care while providing one-on-one therapy. The unique element is that my placement is located at a correctional facility. Patients are often not compliant with treatment in the community and incarceration is often their first contact with mental health providers. Patients with documented histories often have an...
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...Clinical Assessment Short Answers PSY/270 1/26/14 Clinical Assessment Short Answers 1. What other information would you like to learn during the interview with the family? Why? Provide a list of the specific questions you would ask. I would ask the parents what dates did the change start, time of day and how often. I would like to know if the family have started any new activity in the home. I would have concerns about changes that may have taken place in school such as new teachers new classmates or any new changes in the school. I would like to know what Jake is watching on TV and, I like to know if Jake have a sitter. I would also like to know the natural parents history (if possible). Knowing the history to the questions that I have listed will help give me a better understanding of what could be going in Jake’s life. In addition to the clinical interview, what other clinical assessment tools should you consider? Why? Assessments is simply the collecting of relevant information in an effort to reach a conclusion (Comer 2011) The standardize is common steps that should be taken when an assessment is performed, a good assessment tool will always yields the same results (Comer, 2011) Reliability this assessment yields that same scores each time when the assessment is done on the same person. The validity is the most accurately measure (Comer, 2011) I think the key is to found out as much information from Jake’s parent before getting into the assessments...
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...Clinical Assessment PSY 270 December 15, 2013 Dr. Stephanie Sencil-White Clinical Assessment Clara is a four year old adopted child who is exhibiting lack of eye contact, inconsolable temper tantrums, and an aversion to school; these behaviors have her parents concerned. During the interview with Clara’s family I would begin by asking if there were any recent changes in the household, such as, a new baby or pregnancy, or the loss of a loved one. I would inquire if these behaviors were sudden or a gradual progression. I would ask if the temper tantrums preceded or followed a specific incident or if they appeared for no apparent reason. I would also ask if a specific incident happened at school or if there was an area of concern that the teacher had mentioned that may be causing the lack of desire to attend. I would inquire about the biological parents and if there was any information available about their psychological or physical health or that of any other biological relatives that may be beneficial, including the age Clara was when she was adopted. Upon concluding the initial interview I would look into performing further testing such as a clinical observation so that I could observe Clara in an environment that was more natural to her in the hopes I could gain a better view of her behaviors (Comer, 2011). I would further conduct a mental status exam to help determine Clara’s awareness, orientation, attention span, and memory, thought process, mood, and appearance...
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...Week 2 Clinical Assessment 1st Question. Since Clara is an adopted child I would like to know if the Lawson’s knew any of her biological parent’s history. Clara’s condition could result from genetics, if her parents suffered any psychological disorders Clara’s condition could be hereditary. Also I would want to know at what age Clara become separated from her biological parents, and how long has she been in the family of the Lawson’s. My next question would be to assess the relationship between the Lawson’s to see if they have a good or dysfunctional relationship; is there any fights or arguments in front of Clara? Lastly I would ask how long does Clara’s tantrums last? Does she try to hurt herself or others around her? The Lawson’s mention that Clara’s tantrums are recent, I would want to know if there were any significant changes or events that may have happened in Clara’s life that may have had a direct or indirect effect on Clara’s life. 2nd Question. I would consider the Rorschach test and drawing (Comer, 2005, p. 72) simply because Clara is only 4 years old it would be difficult to conduct any other forms of clinical assessment. The Rorschach test would be ideal for getting Clara to let me into her thought processes. At Clara’s age she is not capable of accurately describing her life and how she feels about it. I would also consider clinical observation more specifically naturalistic observation (Comer, 2005, p. 79). With this type of observation I would be...
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...Clinical Assessment PSY 270 December 15, 2013 Dr. Stephanie Sencil-White Clinical Assessment Clara is a four year old adopted child who is exhibiting lack of eye contact, inconsolable temper tantrums, and an aversion to school; these behaviors have her parents concerned. During the interview with Clara’s family I would begin by asking if there were any recent changes in the household, such as, a new baby or pregnancy, or the loss of a loved one. I would inquire if these behaviors were sudden or a gradual progression. I would ask if the temper tantrums preceded or followed a specific incident or if they appeared for no apparent reason. I would also ask if a specific incident happened at school or if there was an area of concern that the teacher had mentioned that may be causing the lack of desire to attend. I would inquire about the biological parents and if there was any information available about their psychological or physical health or that of any other biological relatives that may be beneficial, including the age Clara was when she was adopted. Upon concluding the initial interview I would look into performing further testing such as a clinical observation so that I could observe Clara in an environment that was more natural to her in the hopes I could gain a better view of her behaviors (Comer, 2011). I would further conduct a mental status exam to help determine Clara’s awareness, orientation, attention span, and memory, thought process, mood, and appearance...
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...Clinical Assessment Andrew Graham PSY 270 December 13, 2014 Tiffany L. Smith I would perform psychodynamic testing to look for “any unconscious conflicts she may be experiencing” (Chapter 3, page 68). This could help in getting to know what she may have experienced in the past and how to make her feel less traumatized by getting to the root of her personal conflicts. Chapter 3, page 68, also states that “Behavior and Cognitive assessment methods could help reveal specific dysfunctional behavior and cognitions.” Even though we have been told that she acts out in certain ways, revealing what brings on the dysfunctional behavior will help when it comes time to intervene. Some factors that should be taken into consideration prior to an effective intervention are that her self-esteem seems to be gone and positive reinforcement is important. She has a problem with other children due to the fact that she has become withdrawn and may not feel as though she belongs or fits in and is unable to make friends due to this. Once her self-esteem can begin to be rebuilt and maybe incorporating other family members children one on one can help her to realize that she is very likable and to just give it a chance. This would be a slow and consistent process. Axis I – Major depressive disorder: Doesn’t smile Head held down Inconsolable Change in eating and sleep patterns Axis II – Dependent Personality Disorder She obviously needs people who truly care and love here to let her...
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...Today I had the pleasure of meeting with Marla in my office at the clinic. She is a 42 year old Hispanic woman that had a well groomed and neat appearance. She also looked very tired and noticeably anxious. I smiled and offered her something to drink while she made herself comfortable. When I returned with her tea, she and I had a conversation that I was able to include the following questions so I could reveal more information about her troubled lifestyle. How are you doing today? As Marla took a sip of her tea she said she is very tired from not sleeping well at night. She also stated that she does not like the jumpy feeling she is constantly experiencing when she is at work. She also stated that because of these feelings and lack of sleep she is unable to concentrate which is effecting her work performance as an accountant. Which is starting to annoy her boss. What has been going on lately to bring you to the office? Marla told me her mom has been ill recently and she and her siblings all helped to take care of her. She also told me that her mom lives in the same neighborhood where Marla and her siblings were raised. She also added that she feels anxious all the time especially when at work. What type of neighborhood did you grow up in? I asked that question because when Marla was talking about her mom she had the look of concern on her face as she answered. Marla went on to tell me that her mom’s neighborhood is not safe for her mom. She said that there...
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...I assessed that effective learning was taking place for my student and how she was integrated into the clinical setting. I have been a Nursing care practitioner working in the community setting caring for patients predominantly in their own homes and clinic settings for over 10 years. I have developed many, varied, transferable skills. I have buddy mentored many students and embraced the opportunity to progress to becoming a qualified mentor. I would consider one of the most important aspects of a students training is the clinical or practical placement during which many skills are learnt. Walsh (2010) p1, states all qualified nurses have a duty via their code of professional conduct to pass on their knowledge and to effectively mentor students. Since commencing the Certificate of Achievement in the Assessment of Professional Practice I understand what it takes to become an effective Mentor, understanding the teaching and learning theories, examining the concepts of learning styles and its application in the mentoring process. Upon the completion of the mentorship course I will have met the NMC mentor standards as published in the document ‘Standards to support Learning and Assessment in Practice (NMC 2006). The NMC (2008) defines a mentor as a registrant who has met the outcomes of stage 2 and who facilitates learning and supervises and assesses students in a clinical setting. This document also outlines that a mentor should use knowledge of the...
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