NURS 6640 Week 2: Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy

NURS 6640 Week 2: Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy

NURS 6640 Week 2: Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy

Week 2: Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy

“A sensitively crafted intake assessment can be a powerful therapeutic tool. It can establish rapport between patient and therapist, further the therapeutic alliance, alleviate anxiety, provide reassurance, and facilitate the flow of information necessary for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan.”

—Pamela Bjorklund, clinical psychologist

Whether you are treating patients for physical ailments or clients for mental health issues, the assessment process is an inextricable part of health care. To properly diagnose clients and develop treatment plans, you must have a strong foundation in assessment. This includes a working knowledge of assessments that are available to aid in diagnosis, how to use these assessments, and how to select the most appropriate assessment based on a client’s presentation.

This week, as you explore assessment and diagnosis in psychotherapy, you examine assessment tools, including their psychometric properties and appropriate use. You also develop diagnoses for clients receiving psychotherapy and consider legal and ethical implications of counseling these clients. NURS 6640 – Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy Essay Assignment Papers.

NURS 6640 – Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy Essay Assignment Papers Learning Resources

Required Readings

Wheeler, K. (Ed.). (2014). Psychotherapy for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse: A how-to guide for evidence-based practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

• Chapter 3, “Assessment and Diagnosis” (pp. 95–168)
• Chapter 4, “The Initial Contact and Maintaining the Frame” (pp. 169–224)

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. NURS 6640 – Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy Essay Assignment Papers.

Note: It is highly recommended that you use this resource as a reference guide throughout the course. You will access this text from the Walden Library databases.

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (1995). Practice parameters for the psychiatric assessment of children and adolescents. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from https://www.aacap.org/App_Themes/AACAP/docs/practice_parameters/psychiatric_assessment_practice_parameter.pdf

American Psychiatric Association. (2016). Practice guidelines for the psychiatric evaluation of adults (3rd ed.). Arlington, VA: Author. Retrieved from http://psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.books.9780890426760

Walden Library. (2017). NURS 6640 week 2 discussion guide. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/nurs6640week2discussion

Walden University. (n.d.). Tests & measures: Home. Retrieved February 6, 2017, from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/library/testsmeasures

Note: This database may be helpful in obtaining assessment tool information for this week’s Discussion. NURS 6640 – Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy Essay Assignment Papers.

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015a). Counseling competencies—The application of ethical guides and laws to record keeping [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Provided courtesy of the Laureate International Network of Universities.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 23 minutes.

Discussion: Assessment Tools

Assessment tools have two primary purposes: 1) to measure illness and diagnose clients, and 2) to measure a client’s response to treatment. Often, you will find that multiple assessment tools are designed to measure the same condition or response. Not all tools, however, are appropriate for use in all clinical situations. You must consider the strengths and weaknesses of each tool to select the appropriate assessment tool for your client. For this Discussion, as you examine the assessment tool assigned to you by the Course Instructor, consider its use in psychotherapy. NURS 6640 – Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy Essay Assignment Papers.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Analyze psychometric properties of assessment tools
• Evaluate the appropriate use of assessment tools in psychotherapy
• Compare assessment tools used in psychotherapy

Note: By Day 1 of this week, the Course Instructor will assign you to an assessment tool that is used in psychotherapy.

To prepare:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide.
• Consider the assessment tool assigned to you by the Course Instructor.
• Review the Library Course Guide in your Learning Resources for assistance locating information on the assigned assessment tool.

Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. Begin by clicking on the “Post to Discussion Question” link and then select “Create Thread” to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking Submit! NURS 6640 – Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy Essay Assignment Papers

By Day 3

Post an explanation of the psychometric properties of the assessment tool you were assigned. Explain when it is appropriate to use this assessment tool with clients, including whether the tool can be used to evaluate the efficacy of psychopharmacologic medications. Support your approach with evidence-based literature. NURS 6640 – Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy Essay Assignment Papers.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues by comparing your assessment tool to theirs.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 2 Discussion Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 6

To participate in this Discussion:

Week 2 Discussion

Assignment 1: Practicum – Week 2 Journal Entry

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Develop diagnoses for clients receiving psychotherapy*
• Analyze legal and ethical implications of counseling clients with psychiatric disorders*

* The Assignment related to this Learning Objective is introduced this week and submitted in Week 4.

Select a client whom you observed or counseled this week. Then, address the following in your Practicum Journal:

• Describe the client (without violating HIPAA regulations) and identify any pertinent history or medical information, including prescribed medications.
• Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), explain and justify your diagnosis for this client.
• Explain any legal and/or ethical implications related to counseling this client.
• Support your approach with evidence-based literature. NURS 6640 – Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy Essay Assignment Papers

By Day 7 of Week 4

Submit your Assignment.

Assignment 2: Board Vitals

This week you will be responding to twenty Board Vitals questions that cover a broad review of your Nurse Practitioner program courses up to this point.

These review questions will provide practice critical in your preparation for the national certification exam required to certify you to practice as a nurse practitioner. These customized test questions are designed to help you prepare for your Nurse Practitioner certification exam. It is in your best interest to take your time, do your best, and answer each question to the best of your ability.

You can access Board Vitals through the link sent to you in email or by following the link below:

https://www.boardvitals.com/

By Day 7

Complete the Board Vitals questions.

Week in Review

Now that you have:

• Analyzed psychometric properties of assessment tools
• Evaluated appropriate use of assessment tools in psychotherapy
• Compared assessment tools used in psychotherapy
• Developed diagnoses for clients receiving psychotherapy
• Analyzed legal and ethical implications of counseling clients with psychiatric disorders

Next week, you will:

• Evaluate the application of current literature to clinical practice
• Assess clients presenting for psychotherapy
• Develop genograms for clients presenting for psychotherapy

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

SCORE A+ WITH HELP FROM OUR PROFESSIONAL WRITERS – NURS 6640 Week 2: Assessment and Diagnosis in Psychotherapy

We will process your orders through multiple stages and checks to ensure that what we are delivering to you, in the end, is something that is precise as you envisioned it. All of our essay writing service products are 100% original, ensuring that there is no plagiarism in them. The sources are well-researched and cited so it is interesting. Our goal is to help as many students as possible with their assignments, i.e. our prices are affordable and services premium.

• Discussion Questions (DQ)

Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, including a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words. Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source. One or two-sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words. I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

• Weekly Participation

Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately. In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies. Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work). Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

• APA Format and Writing Quality

Familiarize yourself with the APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in Loud-cloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required). Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation. I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

• Use of Direct Quotes

I discourage over-utilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Master’s level and deduct points accordingly. As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content. It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

• LopesWrite Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to Lopes Write, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me. Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes. Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own? Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in Loud-cloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

• Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is a 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies. Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances. If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect. I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension. As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

• Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class. Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

• Guarantee

  

• Zero Plagiarism
• On-time delivery
• A-Grade Papers
• Free Revision
• 24/7 Support
• 100% Confidentiality
• Professional Writers

• Services Offered

• Custom paper writing
• Question and answers
• Essay paper writing
• Editing and proofreading
• Plagiarism removal services
• Multiple answer questions

We will process your orders through multiple stages and checks to ensure that what we are delivering to you, in the end, is something that is precise as you envisioned it. All of our essay writing service products are 100% original, ensuring that there is no plagiarism in them. The sources are well-researched and cited so it is interesting. Our goal is to help as many students as possible with their assignments, i.e. our prices are affordable and services premium.

Looking for a Similar Assignment? Order a custom-written, plagiarism-free paper