Assignment 3
Week 7 Assignment – Final Paper
Paper Guidelines
Written papers should be 5 to 7 pages in length, with at least one page integrating your ideas. Paper should be sure to sufficiently address all components of the assignment. In addition, your paper should include references, which are not included in the page count. Your paper must include:
- A brief summary introduction of your client—age, gender, context of treatment
- As many scholarly citations (in APA style) as necessary, but more is usually better—at least five is a good goal—these can be from the course reading list or from outside readings
- Evidence of critical thinking; application of concepts we have addressed in class and in your readings; and clear, professional writing
- Explicit discussion of diversity including issues of privilege and oppression, racial/ethnic identity, sexual orientation, and gender
Assessment
Consider a client with whom you are working or a client you worked with in the past. This option is a relatively straightforward assessment and diagnosis paper, but please focus on analysis. Discuss the following questions/issues.
- Describe the assessment process.
- How did you obtain information about your client’s trauma experiences? Include here a brief summary of your client’s current life circumstances, environmental/contextual issues, and cultural factors.
- Discuss diagnosis and differentials/co-morbidities.
- Does your client carry official diagnoses? Do you agree or disagree with these diagnoses? What are the differentials you might consider?
- Integrate into your discussion considerations of alternate/unofficial diagnostics and how they help you to understand your client.
- Describe the process of engagement with this client.
- How did you engage with your client? Has your work been collaborative (or not)? How have you created (or not) parameters to maintain safety, pacing, and containment?
- Please discuss issues of difference as they impacted this process.
- Assess client’s affective and behavioral regulation. Give examples.
- How does your client manage “big” feelings? How automatic are your client’s responses and symptoms? To what degree is your client able to “put on the brakes”?
- Characterize your client’s functioning by examining behavioral regulation. Are there trauma adaptations that have become maladaptive? Do they impact functioning?
- Given your assessment of this client, describe your starting phase for treatment.
- Are there any issues of vicarious traumatization that arose for you in the assessment process?
- Summary formulation—this should be about one page in length, integrating previously introduced information and theory to present your understanding of the client. Additional Info is attached. I have attached a brief description of my client from a previous assingment. This will help you answer the questions. Please also follow proper formatting as listed above. Answer ALL questions
