Case study

Case Conceptualization – Part 1

Overview

For this assignment, you will assess and analyze a fictitious client based on a theory of psychotherapy of your choice. This will be the first half of a case conceptualization to be completed for the final assignment. Your task is to provide a clear, coherent, theoretically sound description of a client’s patterns of behaviors and cognition, strengths, challenges, and current problems. Think of this assignment as part of the first stage of therapy where you are getting to know your client using a theory of psychotherapy AND Stage 1 of the Egan and Reese Skilled Helper Model to guide how you make sense of the client’s story and their reasons for seeking help.

Instructions

Address the elements to be included in the first half of the Case Conceptualization in bold found below. You may wish to use these elements as both an outline for your paper and actually the headings to guide its organization and development. The Case Conceptualization – Part 1 should include the following:

Introduction

Note: Do not include the word Introduction as a heading. APA instructs us that the content is implied due to its position in a paper. Instead, begin your paper with the content explained below. See APA Publication Manual for additional details on this topic.

• Include a general introduction to your paper orienting your reader to the topics and information that will be covered within the report.
  • This introduction is not to be confused with the background of the client; instead the introduction referred to here is to inform your reader what the paper is about. Be sure to include that the client being discussed is fictitious. This is to ensure there is never a question around practicing without a license or keeping the APA Code of Ethics on your radar.

Note: The remaining headings should be centered and bolded, using both upper and lower-case lettering.

• Demographic Information: Provide a brief introduction to your client, with demographic information (age, sex, marital status, employment status, and so on). The client you describe should be from a nonmajority culture.
  • What does the client see as the problem? State the presenting problem or chief complaint that brought the client to seek therapy. Remember this is a fictitious client so you can and will need to make up details to formulate your case conceptualization. Attempt to also capture the client’s words when explaining their reason for seeking help. (“I can’t stop lying. It’s ruining my life.”)
• Historical Information: Provide other historical information that would be relevant from your theoretical perspective. For instance, if you are working from a family systems perspective, family of origin information; from a solution-focused perspective, history of past problem-solving successes; from a psychoanalytic perspective, childhood traumas and attachment problems; from a person-centered perspective, conditions of worth issues in past relationships; and so forth. Refer back to your Wedding and Corsini text to jog your memory of the elements aligned with each theoretical model of therapy. This section should clearly convey your theoretical approach through the elements upon which you focus and the clinical language you use. The details presented should support your analysis.
• Application of Theory: Explain the theory of psychotherapy you have selected to apply to this case. Identify the basic tenets. Explain the mechanism of action; what is it about this approach to therapy that encourages and allows for psychotherapeutic change to occur? Dr. Ellis would challenge his client to identify and dispute irrational beliefs. When an irrational belief is changed, often times emotional and/or behavioral responses to external stimuli will also change.
  • Explain how and why the problem developed using the theory of psychotherapy you chose to understand this client. This is your conceptualization within the context of your theory.
  • Assess the client’s strengths and difficulties, applying the theory of psychotherapy chosen for the project. State your hypotheses about the client’s personality and functioning. What are the client’s abilities and resources? What are the client’s deficits, pathology, or issues?
  • Include any other biological, psychological, or social factors that inform your understanding of your client.
  • Assess relevant ethical considerations for this case.
  • Assess relevant cultural considerations when thinking about this client.
  • Connect and discuss Stage 1 of the Skilled Helper Model in relationship to your client.
  • Identify and discuss the client’s readiness for change using the Stages of Change model created by DiClemente and Prochaska.

Once you have addressed these elements, you should have a coherent word picture of your client, framed in the concepts of your chosen theoretical approach to psychotherapy and further detailed by the first stage of Skilled Helper Model and the Stages of Change model.

While this assignment is in part a psychological report, it is also an academic paper. Include a title page and a reference page.

Additional Requirements

• Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message and reflect graduate level writing.
• APA formatting: Use APA style in your report, and include a title page, page headers and numbers, correct spacing, correct headings, and correct margins. Refer to the Evidence and APA page on Campus for additional support.
• Number of References: Minimum of six peer-reviewed articles in addition to course textbooks.
• Length: 6–8 typed, double-spaced pages including the title page and references.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Competency 1: Apply assessment skills to guide diagnosis and development of a preliminary treatment plan.
  • Apply a theory of psychotherapy to provide a clear picture of a client and their challenges using a range of historical data, interviews, and the reasons the client is seeking therapy.
• Competency 2: Apply evidence-based theories and techniques when intervening in specific clinical situations.
  • Apply the Stages of Change Model and Stage 1 of the Skilled Helper Model in relationship to the client.
• Competency 4: Incorporate multicultural and diversity awareness, knowledge, and skills into clinical practice.
  • Incorporate multicultural and diversity awareness, knowledge, and skills into clinical practice.
• Competency 6: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the psychological profession.
  • Communicate written work that is concise, balanced, and logically organized; using grammar, punctuation, and mechanics expected of graduate-level composition and expression.