CLINICAL ASSESSMENT
CLINICAL ASSESSMENT 04/02/2015 PSY/270 CATHY MATRESSE
Other information I would require in the assessment of Clara’s diagnosis, and question’s I would ask of the parents, would be for instance: “How long has Clara been in their personal care? When they adopted her, was their anything in her personal file about a mental, emotional, or psychological disorder or trauma? When did they start noticing the change in her behavior and did it precede any memorable event? Has Clara recently experienced any sudden disruptions to her schedule and lifestyle? Did Clara enjoy preschool before and abruptly decide she did not want to go? Are they personal aware of anything that might have happened to Clara in preschool recently that might have affected her feelings towards school?” This would be my starting point for the assessment. Along with the initial assessment, I would need to follow the characteristics of assessment tools, rules that all clinicians must follow. Standardize the interpretation of the test scores for the patient, figure out the reliability and consistency of the assessment, and an assessment tool must be validated for accuracy. All clinical interviews include a mental status exam, which is: “A set of questions and observations that systematically evaluate the client’s awareness, orientation with regard to time and place, attention span, memory judgment and insight, thought content and process, mood, and appearance.” – Chapter 3 page 5. This would all be part of and included in the initial assessment process for Clara, because I would want to be accurate when I did derive a conclusion of her behavior, and to have the steps to back these findings. In order to do so, we must follow
Other information I would require in the assessment of Clara’s diagnosis, and question’s I would ask of the parents, would be for instance: “How long has Clara been in their personal care? When they adopted her, was their anything in her personal file about a mental, emotional, or psychological disorder or trauma? When did they start noticing the change in her behavior and did it precede any memorable event? Has Clara recently experienced any sudden disruptions to her schedule and lifestyle? Did Clara enjoy preschool before and abruptly decide she did not want to go? Are they personal aware of anything that might have happened to Clara in preschool recently that might have affected her feelings towards school?” This would be my starting point for the assessment. Along with the initial assessment, I would need to follow the characteristics of assessment tools, rules that all clinicians must follow. Standardize the interpretation of the test scores for the patient, figure out the reliability and consistency of the assessment, and an assessment tool must be validated for accuracy. All clinical interviews include a mental status exam, which is: “A set of questions and observations that systematically evaluate the client’s awareness, orientation with regard to time and place, attention span, memory judgment and insight, thought content and process, mood, and appearance.” – Chapter 3 page 5. This would all be part of and included in the initial assessment process for Clara, because I would want to be accurate when I did derive a conclusion of her behavior, and to have the steps to back these findings. In order to do so, we must follow