Ch 6: assessment as vital component of counseling process

Question 1

name 6 purposes Assessment serves?

Answer 1

screening
diagnosing
case conceptualizing
treatment planning
goal identification
evaluating client progress

Question 2

What is the first stage in the counseling process?

Answer 2

screen client and identify the client’s problems and reasons for being assessed

Question 3

what are three reasons clients are screened?

Answer 3

1. get a snapshot of client and their issues
2. provides knowledge to make informed decisions about treatment
3. helps determine next step needed (sometimes realize clients may not need further treatment

Question 4

Assessments are a blending of what two things

Answer 4

art and science - relying on instincts at times

Question 5

what percentage of communication is nonverbal

Answer 5

70-93%

Question 6

what are some nonverbal cues counselors should assess?

Answer 6

appearance
activity/motor skills
motivation
who presents with the client
is it voluntary or involuntary

Question 7

what is an intake interview?

Answer 7

an assessment technique that provides counselors with information about clients’ past functioning and how it relates to their current situations and problems they are facing

Question 8

what are 8 core areas most often addressed in an intake interview

Answer 8

1. demographic information
2. referral reasons
3. current situation
4. previous counseling experience
5. birth and development history
6. family history
7. medical history
8. educational and/or vocational background

Question 9

what type of questions are mostly used in an intake interview?

Answer 9

open-ended questions

Question 10

What do you need to establish with the client during intake?

Answer 10

rapport

Question 11

what two other areas does the intake let the counselor identify about the client?

Answer 11

their interpersonal style and skill

their personal history

Question 12

What stage comes after the screening stage?

Answer 12

diagnosis stage

Question 13

After intake and diagnosis, what comes next?

Answer 13

Case conceptualization

Question 14

what is case conceptualization?

Answer 14

a method and clinical strategy for obtaining and organizing information about a client, understanding and explaining the client’s situation and maladaptive patterns, guiding and focusing treatment, anticipating challenges and roadblocks, and preparing for successful termination.

Question 15

What are the four distinct phases of case conceptualization?

Answer 15

1. Diagnostic formulation: gather as much information as possible to understand issues
2. clinical formulation: organizing information collected into a meaningful manner - ie biopsychosocial, T/C model
3. Cultural formulation: examine the role a client’s cultural background plays in the problems they are experiencing
4. Treatment formulation: establish treatment goals, select interventions, monitor treatment progress, and assess outcomes.

Question 16

what comes after case conceptualization?

Answer 16

developing client treatment plans

Question 17

what is a treatment plan

Answer 17

a roadmap for the counseling process showing how they’ll move from presenting problems to the goal, while alleviating the symptoms/patterns and establishing improved coping skills

Question 18

What are the four components of treatment plans

Answer 18

1. operationally defining the problem
2. establishing treatment goals
3. selecting counseling interventions
4. evaluating client progress

Question 19

What happens during part 1, operationally defining the problem?

Answer 19

Collaboratively Establish target problem and prioritize problems (as others come up)

Question 20

What are three guidelines for part 2, establishing treatment goals?

Answer 20

1. goals should be measurable
2. goals should be challenging yet attainable
3. include process and outcome goals (break down into manageable, ie lose 3lbs/wk for 16 weeks not lose 50 lbs)

Question 21

what happens during part 3, selecting counseling interventions?

Answer 21

be intentional that what you choose matches the needs of the client and is evidenced-based and best-practices

Question 22

during part 4, evaluating client progress, what are two ways to do this?

Answer 22

1. formative evaluation = real time assessments during counseling process to determine efficacy of treatment
2. summative evaluation = occurs at the end of the counseling process. assesses outcomes

Question 23

What 3 parts does an assessment report include:

Answer 23

1. outlines the presenting problem that led to counseling,
2. summarizes services provided
3. addresses the outcomes of the services provided

Question 24

What are four primary objectives of an assessment report?

Answer 24

1. provide accurate assessment-related aspects to the referral source and other concerned parties
2. serves as sources of clinical hypotheses, appropriate interventions, and information for program evaluation and research
3. to furnish meaningful baseline information for evaluating the examinee’s progress after the interventions have been implemented or changes that occur as a result of time alone
4. to serve as a legal document