The Thoughtful
Response Paper is an integrative assignment that supports synthesis and elements
of the first and second learning outcomes for the course:
· evaluate diagnostic
techniques in order to identify effective interventions and treatment protocols
· differentiate clinical
psychology from other mental health disciplines to make informed decisions
Objective:
Demonstrate understanding
of 1) the rationale for selecting different types of clinical assessment tools,
and 2) how clinical assessment tools inform diagnosis
and treatment. Submit assignment response in the form of a coherent, 700- to
1000-word, APA formatted essay.
Instructions: The principal
steps for the assignment are…
1. Review the case
scenario.
Case
Scenario
Your
neighbor tells you that his eleven-year-old daughter has been having behavior
and academic problems in school. “Her teacher recommended taking her
to the pediatrician to get a prescription for Ritalin,” he said.
2. Record your immediate response to the
scenario. Applying inductive reasoning to the case, extract and
list salient details. Beside each detail, explain why you have identified it as
relevant and any additional thoughts you have.
This approach will help you explore ideas and synthesize information as
you conduct research for, and prepare to write, your paper.
3. In a well-thought-out paper, integrating
information from the course learning resources and externally sourced scholarly
works (e.g., journal articles found in our UMGC Library), …
a.
Make
an argument for why your neighbor should first talk with his daughter’s
pediatrician about a specialty referral for an evaluation by a clinical psychologist.
b.
Discuss
the role of the clinical psychologist.
c. Provide clear arguments for 1) the types
of assessment tools the psychologist might use in his or her evaluation, 2)
the specific aspects that make the selected tools applicable to the case
scenario, and 3) how these tools would help in guiding diagnosis and
treatment. Be purposeful in this discussion and avoid generalizations.
4. Within the document…
a.
Introduce. Concisely introduced the reader to the case
salient details. Clearly define terms and theory when introduced in the paper.
b.
Have purpose. Clearly address the relevance of the clinical
psychologist’s role, and applicable assessment tools in support of diagnosis
and treatment, as applicable to the case.
Include support from existing literature. All topics are to be discussed
in clear detail.
c.
Connect. In the
introduction of the case, and in the discussion of the clinical assessment, provide
sufficient detail to support assertions made. Express interrelated ideas
coherently and logically. (You
are encouraged to include insights in your recommendations as you address the
key issues of the paper.)
d.
Include
sources. Use
appropriate sources of information that ground your argument in
well-established, empirically sound science and practice. Incorporate course sources and peer-reviewed
professional sources from our UMGC Library.
e.
Use Authorial
Voice. Discuss materials in your own words and your
own writing style and structure. Avoid excessive use of direct quotes. Doing so
may incur a point penalty for each occurrence and will not be accepted as
content towards the page count of the Thoughtful Response paper.
f.
Apply
APA Style**. Neatly
and concisely present a
coherent essay, in approximately 700-1000 words, and formatted in APA style.
The document should contain…
·
Title Page (does not count towards word count)
·
Introduction
·
Main body of the
paper that addresses…
·
argument for
first seeing a clinical psychologist
·
the role of the
clinical psychologist
·
applicable types
of assessment tools
·
how selected
assessment tools assist diagnosis and treatment
·
Conclusions
·
References (does not count towards word count)
·
Properly
formatted in-text citations and references
