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Clinical Assessment

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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 inventory could also be helpful. In this case, Clara would be too young to really fill it out on her own, so her parents would have to fill it out for her. This could make it slightly biased and not give a clear picture. Lastly, I would try neurological tests to see if there is any abnormalities in the brain that could cause sudden changes in mood and behavior.
In designing an

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