For this final assignment, you will start by watching the full 57 minute video Minds on the Edge: Facing Mental Illnesswhich is hyperlinked here and in the Books and Resources section for the course and this week. It can also be found in the Northcentral University library, Films on Demand database.
The film presents several different cases. For this final activity, you will assume that one of the cases discussed in the video has been referred to your clinical practice. Your supervisor has instructed you to complete a battery of assessments for this case that you select, and present her with a clinical write-up on this case at your next supervision session. You decide to conduct:
- One couples assessment
- One family assessment
- Needs Assessment
- Risk assessment
For the couples and family assessments, you may use the assessments presented earlier in this course, or you may select a set of different instruments to use. If you choose to use a different couples and/or family assessment, you will need to request approval from your instructor before proceeding. Depending on which case you select to use from the video you will need to be creative and fill in the “rest of the story.” Similar to how presenters in the film were asked to role-play different family member roles, when asked by the discussion facilitator, you will need to place yourself in the role of each family member. Feel free to use some creative license to fill in the rest of the story and characters (i.e., wife, children, parents, etc.) if they were not specifically talked about in the film.
While addressing the risk assessment, you are not required to present a formal assessment, but to outline specific warning signs as well a possible safety plan (including specific resources and advised actions) that you will be developing with your client(s).
The goal of this assignment is not to correctly guess how the family members might respond to the assessments, but to correctly and appropriately understand what picture is painted by the scores and information gathered during your assessment. You will be graded on your ability to intelligently discuss which assessments you chose and why; what you learned about the family from these assessments; and how this information might be helpful in working with this family in therapy.
At a minimum, your clinical write up of this case should have these sections:
|
Sections |
Explanations |
% of Total Grade |
|
Evaluation General Information |
Case Number; Date of the evaluation; Evaluator’s name |
5% |
|
Family Demographics |
Family member names, ages, ethnicity, gender, etc. |
5% |
|
Assessments Administered |
List out each instrument used and provide a detailed description of what type of instrument it is, what construct(s) it measures, and any other relevant information for that instrument. |
25% |
|
Purpose for Referral |
Briefly report why the family came to therapy. |
5% |
|
Background Information |
Provide historical background information on the family. |
10% |
|
Results of Evaluations |
Review the results from each assessment administered indicating the scores and the subscale scores. |
20% |
|
Summary/Recommendations |
Discuss in detail what this battery of tests has taught you about the family, and what clinical recommendations you might provide. Also provide your thoughts pertaining to the best theoretical approach that would suit to address this client’s needs (please choose one approach from Traditional or Postmodern models previously addressed in the MFT 5104 and MFT 5105 courses). Please provide at least three specific arguments that support your recommendation. In addition, conduct a brief needs assessment with recommended community resources for the family. |
30% |
Click on the links below for examples and guidelines on how to write an evaluation. Your clinical write up will be slightly different, because it will be addressing the entire family system, not just one individual.
Psychological Evaluation Format
Example of the Assessments Administered (Test Description) and Results of Evaluations (Interpretation of Assessment Results) sections (found in the Week 12 resources section).
For the purposes of this evaluation, assume that you are a student therapist reporting to your licensed supervisor; therefore, your clinical recommendations are not the focus of this activity. The focus is to demonstrate your understand of which assessments you administered and what the results are telling you about the family. Please note that this is your signature assignment for the course, which accounts for 20% of your total course grade. This final assignment is designed to allow you to demonstrate your understanding and application of all the information covered in this course.
Length: 5-9 pages (app. 350 words per page)
|
Example of the Assessments Administered (Test Description) and Results of Evaluations (Interpretation of Assessment Results) sections |
Review Document |
|
Minds on the Edge: Facing Mental Illness |
Watch Video |
