Diagnostics
A 35-year-old woman experiences persistent low mood and fatigue for over two years but never meets criteria for a major depressive episode. She reports poor appetite, low self-esteem, and feelings of hopelessness, but no suicidal ideation. She struggles with daily functioning but continues to work.
Persistent depressive disorder
What is the main diagnostic interview?
SCID-5
What are the two most common anxiety measures?
Beck Anxiety and PhQ9
What are 2 critical ideas when creating recommendations for a client?
Individualized and backed by research
Your client speaks broken English, a proper interpreter cannot be acquired, but their son offers to do it. Saying that he has interpreted in medical settings for your client many times previously.
Linguistic barriers and having a non-professional interpreter for potentially sensitive information
A 29-year-old woman has difficulty controlling fears of contamination, washing her hands dozens of times a day. She knows her thoughts are irrational but feels compelled to perform rituals to reduce anxiety, which interfere significantly with her life and work.
OCD
What domains would you want to assess in an unstructured intake interview? (7 main with optional 8th)
1. Symptoms/ problem
2. Family history
3. Medical history/ Medication/ Previous assessments
4. Social history
5. Psyc history
6. Substances
7. Risk
8. Legal (optional)
What is the main suicide risk assessment and safety plan?
Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale and Stanley Brown Safety Plan
What should you always consider in case conceptualization
Cultural background
Your client was brought in by their spouse for an assessment after a "break down" at work. Later, you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be your client's biological parent, asking for an update on their child.
Consent and giving confidential information
A 22-year-old college student reports mood swings, unstable relationships, and intense fear of abandonment. He engages in impulsive behaviors like reckless driving and binge eating. Self-harm behaviors have occurred during periods of intense stress.
Borderline PD
What personality measure would you give if you were worried about performance/ symptom validity?
MMPI-3
What assessment would you give to assess for substance use disorders?
WHO-ASSIST V3 or alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT)
Why might you want to use motivational interviewing with a client?
To help identify self-motivated treatment goals and create better buy-in for treatment
You determine that your client would benefit most from a trauma-informed, somatic therapy like EMDR. However, they don't have the money to pay for it and ask if you can just do it for them.
Working outside of scope, balancing needs to client and available resources
A 40-year-old man presents with recurrent episodes of palpitations, sweating, chest tightness, and fear of losing control. These episodes develop abruptly and last 10–20 minutes, often accompanied by avoidance of public places. No medical causes are identified.
Panic disorder and agoraphobia
When would you give the MMPI-3, PAI, and Millon Clincal Multiaxial inventory?
MMPI-3: concerns about validity
PAI: forensic settings, lower English reading level, specific focus on anxiety scales
MCMI_IV: Directly linked to DSM-5, when need direct diagnosis
What are two measures used to assess sleep disorders?
Pittsburg sleep quality index, insomnia severity index
What are the 5 sections of a case conceptualization?
Origins, mechanisms, precipitant, problem, and strengths
Your client is an indigenous woman who requires a specific diagnosis and treatment recommendation to receive financial aid to support her children.
Cultural validity, performance validity possibly, financial means, being clear about purpose of assessment
A 50-year-old man presents with a five-month history of disorganized speech, auditory hallucinations, and negative symptoms like social withdrawal and blunted affect, but his episodes last less than six months and symptoms appear only after a severe depressive episode.
Schizoaffective disorder
Who would you want to interview in a typical assessment?
Client, family-informant, possibly close friend and workplace
What are some examples of measures that can be used to assess progress throughout therapy?
daily diaries, BAI/ BDI, PCL-5, consensus sleep diary, etc.
List typical treatments that could be used for clients (name as many as you can and what they would be used for in 30 seconds).
ex. CBT, CPT, DBT, EFT, psychodynamic, person-centered, trauma-informed, EMDR, cog rehab, etc.
Your client arrives to session clearly inebriated. You know that they typically drive to the session and they state their car is in the parking lot.
Capacity, motor vehicle act, calling someone safe/ police