Paper - MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING
Resources
In this assignment, you will be applying your knowledge of assessment in counseling to a specific scenario. Use the Resources provided and the University Library to complete the following:
- Select one of the scenarios from the Unit 9 Scenarios document in the Resources.This is located below under the title "Unit 9 Scenarios"The scenario you choose should be based on your program of study, for me this is mental health counseling. If you are a MFT learner, please select an identified couple or family assessment tool from provided unit readings.
- Identify the primary question the assessment needs to address for your identified scenario. What is the primary presenting concern of the client or clients in your scenario?
- Provide a clear description of the assessment tool and measure of the identified problem. Use evidence from the literature to support your description.
- Describe how the assessment is scored and interpreted. In your description of the assessment's scoring and interpretation, be certain to incorporate the measurement constructs (such as reliability and validity) you have learned about throughout this course. Be certain to discuss the ways in which the assessment is validated for use with diverse clients.
- Evaluate how the assessment is linked to the practice of counseling. As the counselor for your identified scenario, how does the assessment tool support your work as a counselor? Be certain to discuss its applicability to initial assessment. Then, go beyond initial assessment, to examine the ways you could use the assessment throughout the counseling process.
- Evaluate how the tool can be used with diverse clients as part of an ethical assessment process. How would you present the assessment results to your client or clients? Describe the process of presenting assessment results with a clear consideration of the client's unique cultural context. Be certain to identify the relevant sections of the code of ethics for your profession (ACA, AAMFT, or ASCA).
Please use the Assignment Template listed under Resources to compose your Final Assignment paper.
Assignment Requirements
- APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
https://www.citationmachine.net/apa/cite-a-website
- Number of resources: Minimum of five scholarly resources
- Length of paper: Seven to ten double-spaced, typed pages, excluding title and reference pages.(I am fine with 7 full pages if the criteria is satisfied)
- Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
- Please see template for this assignment below
Scenarios
Choose one from a mental health counseling perspective
The Case of Mike
Mike is 13 years old and lives with his parents. He is an only child. His parents are concerned that he may be abusing alcohol, because they recently discovered a partial bottle of vodka in his bedroom. They report that Mike's friends have changed over the past year and he has quit playing sports that he previously enjoyed. They are also worried about his poor grades. Mike acknowledges that he has been feeling unhappy at home, but insists that the vodka wasn't his and must have fallen out of a friend's bag. He has reluctantly agreed to attend counseling to appease his parents.
The Case of Sophia
Sophia is 17 years old and a high school junior, hoping to attend college. She will be the first from her family to attend college. She has above average grades and has exceeded the minimum score for the state university in her SAT scores. Her problem is that she does not know what she wants to do. Other than her teachers, she knows very few adults with college degrees and feels she is entering uncharted waters. The adults in her extended family work together running the family restaurant. They are supportive of her attending college and have many ideas about what she should study based on many of their own unfulfilled dreams. She wonders why she does not seem to have dreams of her own. She is seeking counseling to explore her options.
The Case of Allen
Allen is a 70-year-old widowed male. He reports that he is still trying to recover from the loss of his wife, who died in an accident a year ago. He is having trouble sleeping and frequently finds himself tearful when he is alone. His children are grown and live in other states. They have expressed concern that he doesn't seem himself and they hate seeing him lonely. They are urging him to move to be closer to one of them, but he reports that he doesn't have the energy to pick up his life and relocate. He is seeking counseling to find out how he can move forward in his life.
The Case of Alicia
Alicia is 25-year-old female referred by her partner, Sadie. Sadie is concerned that Alicia's eating pattern is unhealthy. Alicia insists that there is nothing wrong and is coming to counseling to humor Sadie. When asked about her weight, Alicia notes that she could still stand to lose a few pounds. She acknowledges that she likes to have a treat now and then, and puts on a little weight, but she can cut back on her eating to compensate. She reports her height as 5 feet, 5 inches and her weight as 120 pounds. Based upon the way her clothing hangs loosely off her frame, her report of her weight is likely an overestimate. Sadie is concerned that Alicia is becoming more moody. Alicia acknowledges that she isn't very happy with herself.
The Case of John and Carmen
John and Carmen are seeking premarital counseling. They report that they are committed to each other and look forward to having a family of their own some day. Much to their mutual frustration, their respective families are not happy about their plans. John's parents are upper-middle-class African Americans who anticipated that John would be a role model to his younger siblings and cousins after college by living close by and being active in the community. They are not happy that Carmen is drawing John away from being available to his younger brother and cousins. Carmen's family is from Puerto Rico and express strong reservations about Carmen marrying someone who doesn't share their faith. Carmen would like John to convert to her religion. John is uncertain that his conversion will make a difference in how Carmen's family will accept him and knows it is likely to provoke even more resentment on the part of his parents. The tension over their parents' objections is causing friction between John and Carmen. They are hoping that counseling will help them settle on how they can retain what is most important to each of them, so they can build a life together.
The Case of Sara
Sara is 40 years old and recently divorced. She is planning to return to the workforce in order to support herself and her two teenage sons. She has not worked for fifteen years, as she was the primary caretaker for her sons for the majority of the time she was married. Her only work experience was as an administrative assistant in a small office for five years. She knows her computer skills are quite out of date and fears that no one will want to hire someone who needs training. She questions whether she might like some other type of work more, but doesn't know where to start.
Format
Final Assignment
Start writing your introduction here (1-2 paragraphs). An effective introduction prepares the reader by identifying the purpose of the paper and providing the organization of the paper. Please double-space and remember to indent all paragraphs throughout your paper. (Not block form!) Aim to keep your writing objective using third person (see handout in the discussion board). Unless required for the specific assignment, please do not include a Table of Contents, as it is not APA style. Review paper guidelines on page requirements and number of sources required (if provided). Unless citing a classic work, aim to cite research articles and texts published within the past five years. Please use headings throughout your paper that are consistent with the paper's scoring guide (that way you ensure you are adequately addressing all required areas.)
When you finish writing your paper, re-read it to check for errors and make sure your ideas flow well. A helpful tip is to read your paper aloud to yourself. If it does not sound right to your ear - it is not working on paper! Please submit your papers to Turnitin (link in the course homepage) to check for plagiarism. Also, remember as a Capella learner you have free access through iGuide to personal tutoring services with smarthinking.com.
The primary presenting concern of the client(s)
Review the evaluation categories in the scoring guide to ensure you are addressing the ‘Distinguished' category for all sections of your paper.
Description of Assessment Tool and Measure of the Identified Problem
Review the evaluation categories in the scoring guide to ensure you are addressing the ‘Distinguished' category for all sections of your paper.
How Assessment is Scored and Interpreted
Review the evaluation categories in the scoring guide to ensure you are addressing the ‘Distinguished' category for all sections of your paper.
Evaluation of How Assessment is Linked to the Practice of Counseling
Review the evaluation categories in the scoring guide to ensure you are addressing the ‘Distinguished' category for all sections of your paper.
Evaluation of How Tool Can be Used with Diverse Clients As Part of an Ethical
Assessment Process
Review the evaluation categories in the scoring guide to ensure you are addressing the ‘Distinguished' category for all sections of your paper.
Conclusion
Please provide a conclusion that summarizes the main ideas of your paper.
RESOURSES THAT YOU CAN USE THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE FOR THIS PROFESSOR:
1.) https://www.counseling.org/Resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
2.) I have also attached two articles as PDFs that you may use. Here is the citation for the "Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems" article:
Olson, D. H. (2000). Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems. Journal Of Family Therapy, 22(2), 144.
3.) Here is the citation for the"Frequency of Use and Impact of Coping Strategies Assessed by the COPE Inventory and Their Relationships to Post-Event Health and Well-Being" article:
Lunsford. 2009.Frequency of Use and Impact of Coping Strategies Assessed by the COPE Inventory and Their Relationships to Post-Event Health and Well-Being.Journal of Health Psychology, volume 14, issue 7, pages 982-991.
4.) Here is the citation for the "Assessing Coping Strategies: A Theoretically Based Approach" article:
Carver, Weintraub, and Scheier.(1989).Assessing Coping Strategies: A Theoretically Based Approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
5.) A link to the COPE inventory. Citation is the same as the above above.
https://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/ccarver/sclCOPEF.html
6.) Here is the citation for the "A review and comparison of the reliabilities" article:
Wise, E. A., Streiner, D. L., &Walfish, S. (2010). A review and comparison of the reliabilities of the MMPI-2, MCMI-III, and PAI presented in their respective test manuals. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 42(4), 246-254. doi:10.1177/0748175609354594
1.) Here is the citation for the "Drawings vs. narratives: Drawing as a tool to encourage verbalization in children whose fathers are drug abusers" article:
Lev-Wiesel, R., &Liraz, R. (2007). Drawings vs. narratives: Drawing as a tool to encourage verbalization in children whose fathers are drug abusers. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 12(1), 65-75. doi:10.1177/1359104507071056
The abstract appears on a page by itself and is in single paragraph using block format and is double spaced. The abstract is a summary of your paper which allows the reader to quickly review what will be covered. Limit the abstract to 150-250 words.