What happens in the clinical assessment process?
In recap, obtaining the baselines happens in the beginning, implementing the treatment plan that is agreed upon happens more so in the middle, and then making sure the treatment produces the desired outcome occurs at the end. It should be clear from this discussion that clinical assessment is an ongoing process. 3.1.2. Key Concepts in Assessment
How important is it to monitor treatment progress?
Monitoring treatment progress is more important for satisfying administrative requirements than for clinical use 2.56 (1.23) −0.35 0.34 0.33 Information from treatment progress measures could be misused by clinic administrators 3.59 (0.96) 0.61 0.03 0.11
What are the key issues in clinical diagnosis and assessment?
We will define assessment and then describe key issues such as reliability, validity, standardization, and specific methods that are used. In terms of clinical diagnosis, we will discuss the two main classification systems used around the world – the DSM-5 and ICD-10.
What is the purpose of assessment and treatment planning?
The assessment and treatment planning process should lead to the individualization of treatment, appropriate client–treatment matching, and the monitoring of goal attainment (Allen and Mattson 1993).
How do you monitor progress in treatment?
Psychotherapists may determine progress based on achievement of goals with quarterly updates to the goals. Another approach in the most recent years has been a combination of treatment plans and the use of rating scales and other short standardized assessments to track symptoms over time.
How do you evaluate treatment effectiveness?
Evaluating Treatments: How Do You Know When a Treatment Really Works?Suggestion #1: Do Your Homework. ... Suggestion #2: Know Your Baseline. ... Suggestion #3: Start One New Treatment at a Time. ... Suggestion #4: Take Natural Child Development Into Account. ... Suggestion #5: Be Aware of "Good Weeks and Bad Weeks"More items...•
What factors do you assess before recommending a treatment plan?
Treatment plans usually follow a simple format and typically include the following information:The patient's personal information, psychological history and demographics.A diagnosis of the current mental health problem.High-priority treatment goals.Measurable objectives.A timeline for treatment progress.More items...•
What is an assessment for treatment?
Assessment is the process of obtaining information about the patient's drug use and how it is affecting his or her life. It is an essential part of treatment and care for people who use drugs.
Why is it important to evaluate effectiveness of treatment?
Comparing a treatment with nontreatment allows the determination not only of whether an intervention has any efficacy at all but also of whether it has adverse effects. This determination is often an important part of the treatment evaluation process.
How do psychologists evaluate the effectiveness of the multitude of treatment options available?
Psychologists use outcome research, that is, studies that assess the effectiveness of medical treatments, to determine the effectiveness of different therapies.
How do counselors use assessments?
Assessment is used as a basis for identifying problems, planning interventions, evaluating and/or diagnosing clients, and informing clients and stakeholders. Many novice counselors may make the mistake of identifying assessment as a means to an end, such as providing a label or diagnosis to a client.
How would you describe progress in therapy?
In the simplest terms, progress notes are brief, written notes in a patient's treatment record, which are produced by a therapist as a means of documenting aspects of his or her patient's treatment. Progress notes may also be used to document important issues or concerns that are related to the patient's treatment.
What should happen before the treatment plan is implemented?
1. Preclinical exam—Before the examination begins, it is important that the dentist or team member conducts a preclinical exam to understand why the patient is there, past experiences, desired changes, any problems occurring, and more. 2.
Why is assessment and evaluation an important part of the treatment process?
Assessment is a more indepth evaluation that confirms the presence of a problem, determines its severity, and specifies treatment options for addressing the problem. It also surveys client strengths and resources for addressing life problems.
What is the screening and assessment process?
Screening is a process for evaluating the possible presence of a particular problem. The outcome is normally a simple yes or no. Assessment is a process for defining the nature of that problem, determining a diagnosis, and developing specific treatment recommendations for addressing the problem or diagnosis.
How do you assess mental health status?
Examination of Mental Status. The mental status examination is an assessment of current mental capacity through evaluation of general appearance, behavior, any unusual or bizarre beliefs and perceptions (eg, delusions, hallucinations), mood, and all aspects of cognition (eg, attention, orientation, memory).
What is clinical diagnosis?
Clinical diagnosis is the process of using assessment data to determine if the pattern of symptoms the person presents with is consistent with the diagnostic criteria for a specific mental disorder outlined in an established classification system such as the DSM-5 or I CD-10 (both will be described shortly). Any diagnosis should have clinical utility, meaning it aids the mental health professional in determining prognosis, the treatment plan, and possible outcomes of treatment (APA, 2013). Receiving a diagnosis does not necessarily mean the person requires treatment. This decision is made based upon how severe the symptoms are, level of distress caused by the symptoms, symptom salience such as expressing suicidal ideation, risks and benefits of treatment, disability, and other factors (APA, 2013). Likewise, a patient may not meet the full criteria for a diagnosis but require treatment nonetheless.
What are the three critical concepts of assessment?
The assessment process involves three critical concepts – reliability, validity, and standardization . Actually, these three are important to science in general. First, we want the assessment to be reliable or consistent. Outside of clinical assessment, when our car has an issue and we take it to the mechanic, we want to make sure that what one mechanic says is wrong with our car is the same as what another says, or even two others. If not, the measurement tools they use to assess cars are flawed. The same is true of a patient who is suffering from a mental disorder. If one mental health professional says the person suffers from major depressive disorder and another says the issue is borderline personality disorder, then there is an issue with the assessment tool being used (in this case, the DSM and more on that in a bit). Ensuring that two different raters are consistent in their assessment of patients is called interrater reliability. Another type of reliability occurs when a person takes a test one day, and then the same test on another day. We would expect the person’s answers to be consistent, which is called test-retest reliability. For example, let’s say the person takes the MMPI on Tuesday and then the same test on Friday. Unless something miraculous or tragic happened over the two days in between tests, the scores on the MMPI should be nearly identical to one another. What does identical mean? The score at test and the score at retest are correlated with one another. If the test is reliable, the correlation should be very high (remember, a correlation goes from -1.00 to +1.00, and positive means as one score goes up, so does the other, so the correlation for the two tests should be high on the positive side).
What is the purpose of a CT scan?
Finally, computed tomography or the CT scan involves taking X-rays of the brain at different angles and is used to diagnose brain damage caused by head injuries or brain tumors. 3.1.3.5. Physical examination.
What is MRI imaging?
Images are produced that yield information about the functioning of the brain. Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI provides 3D images of the brain or other body structures using magnetic fields and computers. It can detect brain and spinal cord tumors or nervous system disorders such as multiple sclerosis.
When was the DSM revised?
The Herculean task of revising the DSM began in 1999 when the APA embarked upon an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the DSM in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) Division of Mental Health, the World Psychiatric Association, and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
When was the DSM 5 published?
3.2.2.1. A brief history of the DSM. The DSM-5 was published in 2013 and took the place of the DSM IV-TR (TR means Text Revision; published in 2000), but the history of the DSM goes back to 1944 when the American Psychiatric Association published a predecessor of the DSM which was a “statistical classification of institutionalized mental patients” and “…was designed to improve communication about the types of patients cared for in these hospitals” (APA, 2013, p. 6). The DSM evolved through four major editions after World War II into a diagnostic classification system to be used psychiatrists and physicians, but also other mental health professionals. The Herculean task of revising the DSM began in 1999 when the APA embarked upon an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the DSM in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) Division of Mental Health, the World Psychiatric Association, and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). This collaboration resulted in the publication of a monograph in 2002 called A Research Agenda for DSM-V. From 2003 to 2008, the APA, WHO, NIMH, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) convened 13 international DSM-5 research planning conferences “to review the world literature in specific diagnostic areas to prepare for revisions in developing both DSM-5 and the International Classification of Disease, 11th Revision (ICD-11)” (APA, 2013).
What is the purpose of self monitoring?
The person does their own measuring and recording of the ABCs, which is called self-monitoring. In the context of psychopathology, behavior modification can be useful in treating phobias, reducing habit disorders, and ridding the person of maladaptive cognitions. 3.1.3.7. Intelligence tests.
Overview
This chapter consists of three parts: (1) an overview of the basic screening and assessment approach that should be a part of any program for clients with co-occurring disorders (COD); (2) an outline of the 12 steps to an ideal assessment, including some instruments that can be used in assessing COD; and (3) a discussion of key considerations in treatment matching..
Screening and Basic Assessment for COD
This section provides an overview of the screening and assessment process for COD. In carrying out these processes, counselors should understand the limitations of their licensure or certification authority to diagnose or assess mental disorders.
The Assessment Process
This chapter is organized around 12 specific steps in the assessment process. Through these steps, the counselor seeks to accomplish the following aims:
What is the primary goal of assessment?
Within the clinical context, the primary goal of assessment is to determine those characteristics of the client and his or her life situation that may influence treatment decisions and contribute to the success of treatment (Allen 1991). Additionally, assessment procedures are crucial to the treatment planning process.
What is client-treatment matching?
Client–treatment matching attempts to place the client in those treatments most appropriate to his or her needs. There are a number of dimensions on which treatments may vary and which need to be considered in attempting to make an appropriate referral or match (Marlatt 1988; W.R. Miller 1989 b; Institute of Medicine 1990; Donovan et al. 1994; Gastfriend and McLellan 1997). Among these dimensions are treatment setting (e.g., inpatient, residential, outpatient), treatment intensity, specific treatment modalities, and the degree of therapeutic structure. A number of possible variables may interact with these dimensions to lead to differential outcomes, making the clinician’s task more difficult.
What is Shiffman's theory of relapse proneness?
Shiffman (1989) suggested that three levels of information are necessary in order to gain a sense of the individual’s “relapse proneness,” and thus are relevant to treatment planning. These fall along a continuum of their proximity, in both time and influence, to the probability of relapse.
What are the stages of alcohol abuse?
The first two stages involve screening, case finding, and identification of a substance use disorder; an evaluation of the parameters of drinking behavior, signs, symptoms, and severity of alcohol dependence, and negative consequences of use; and formal diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence.