Running head: CLINICAL ASSESSMENT - WEEK 2 INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

Clinical Assessment - Week 2 Individual Assignment

Beverley Austin
University of Phoenix - School of Business
Abnormal Psychology
PSY270
Chantell Hines
July 03 2011

CLINICAL ASSESSMENT - WEEK 2 INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

Clinical Assessment - Week 2 Individual Assignment

The purpose of this essay is to read the example problem, then answer the questions
provided in the syllabus, based on what I have read in the assigned reading and learned in class
thus far.
Example Clinical Assessment: Mr. and Mrs. Lawson brought their 4-year-old adopted
daughter, Clara, to see Dr. Mason, a psychiatrist. Clara was polite in greeting Dr. Mason, but did
not smile and kept her gaze down as she took a seat. Mr. and Mrs. Lawson sat next to Clara and
began explaining their concerns. They described Clara as a quiet child who has recently begun
throwing temper tantrums, during which she is inconsolable. Her sleep and eating patterns have
changed, and she no longer wants to go to preschool.
Q: What other information would you like to learn during the interview with the family?
What questions would you ask?
A: When exactly did these events start happening? Do you remember any significant
issue/event that might have triggered them? Have there been any changes in the family or the
family schedule? Any new or renewed stressors? Any new medical or psychological issues or
concerns? How are things going at her school? Any new kids or teachers or other changes going
on at the school? Has she said or done anything that concerns you? Tell me about her history,
what you know about her before you adopted her and the adoption process and the adjustment
and now periods? How are you handling these outbursts and other changes? What have you
tried? What has worked (if anything) and what has not worked?
Q: In addition to the clinical interview, what other clinical assessment tools should you
consider? Why?

CLINICAL ASSESSMENT - WEEK 2 INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

A: I would consider running a battery of tests, doing some different types of observation
and having her parents observer her at times too and report back their findings. Since this seems
to be a very complex case, and it has to do with more than just people, but also perhaps locations,
it would be a good choice to do some observations at her preschool. Maybe talk to/interview
people who took care of her before she was adopted.
Q: Although you need more information to begin treatment, what factors might you take
into consideration in designing an effective intervention for this family?
A: There could be something going on in the home between the parents or between one
of the parents and the child; definitely possible that there is something going on at her preschool;
being that she is adopted there could be something in her past that is surfacing, or it could be a
normal childhood fear that has gotten out of control or a medical/psychological issue that is just
appearing and needs to be dealt with. I would definitely keep up with the family counseling and
individual counseling too, if needed.
Q: If you were preparing to diagnose Clara, you would refer to the DSM-IV classification
system to evaluate her condition on five separate axes. What type of information would go into
each axis? (You are not asked to enter a diagnosis, only describe the kind of information that
would be entered in each axis.)
A: Axis I would include any determination of anxiety or mood disorders. (Comer, 2005)
Axis II would list any issues with mental retardation or personality disorders. (Comer, 2005, p.
84) Axis III is for listing any medical conditions that might be currently or chronically involved.
Axis IV is for listing any special psychosocial or environmental problems (Comer, 2005, p. 84)
that might be contributing to the issues at the present time. And Axis V is for listing the patients

CLINICAL ASSESSMENT - WEEK 2 INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

GAF score, which is the global assessment of functioning score which is based on how well they
are doing psychologically, socially, and occupationally.
Q: Do you think that diagnosing Clara would be beneficial or harmful? Explain why.
A: I dont think that you can answer that question without getting more information from
all the persons involved. If you try to diagnose without all the information then you could
mislabel Clara and that could potentially cause issues for the rest of her life. However, by not
getting to the bottom of things, the current situation could also spiral way out of control and there
could be serious consequences for her or others. Yet, if you can gather all the data and the
issue(s) becomes fairly obvious and is something that is fixable or can be dealt with, then yes, I
do believe that diagnosing would be helpful, but only if the case is absolutely clear.
Conclusion
I found this to be a very interesting example, which sort of paralleled one that I
experienced with my son when he was about 3. It was very interesting to research the various
tests and tools that are used in the assessments and to see how they are put to use to try and
determine, or help determine, what is going on with an individual. I can also see how difficult it
can be to look at all the different issues and try to determine which one a patient actually has,
since some of them seem very close and many of the symptoms overlap. I am very interested in
learning more about all these processes in my bachelors program.

CLINICAL ASSESSMENT - WEEK 2 INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT

References
Comer, R. J. (2005). Fundamentals of abnormal psychology (4 ed.). New York, NY: Worth.