Exam Content

As a behavioral health clinician, it is easy to get caught up in the review of symptoms and making a diagnosis; however, it is important for you to be able to integrate theoretical perspectives and research when addressing psychopathology issues with justice-involved individuals.

For this Summative Assessment, choose one of the two cases below as your focus.

Case Studies:

Crystal:

Crystal is a 48-year-old female from a large city. She resides in a resource-constrained area with marked levels of continuous gang violence and inadequate social services, such as insufficient policing. At the time of treatment, Crystal is married with two school-going children and is informally employed. Crystal was referred for treatment after witnessing a gang-related killing of a 23-year-old male in front of her house. Crystal reported to have known the young man who was shot, as he lived in the same neighborhood as Crystal. Since the event, Crystal reported feelings of fear and did not want to leave her house. She reported feelings of anger and shame for not having the courage to prevent the shooting. She avoided talking about the event and could not walk past or look at the location of the killing, which was near her front gate. She reported to have poor concentration and sleep, which resulted in her using medication to fall asleep at night. In addition, Crystal described that she struggled to understand why people could be so cruel to each other. In addition, Crystal reported distress related to her marriage. On assessment, Crystal reported only verbal and emotional abuse, but it later became apparent that she had also experienced physical abuse in her marriage. Crystal is going through an intake after being arrested for drug possession.

Max:

Max is a 54-year-old man who recently had a blood test that revealed elevated blood markers for impaired liver function when investigating the source of his gingivitis. During the initial interview, Max maintained good eye contact, but his affect was of reduced range and reactivity. There was no evidence of psychotic phenomena. Max reported a history of two suicide attempts. He reported lethargy and loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities since the breakup of his relationship. He said that he had difficulty getting out of bed, and his activities prior to his arrest consisted of eating, sleeping, and working. He finds life without alcohol colorless and his work boring. He alluded to having difficulty in distracting himself from dark thoughts but did not elaborate on the content of these thoughts. Max is living alone and had been drinking daily until his arrest. He was arrested for domestic violence. He attributes the breakdown in his relationship to his significant other changing when she became a grandmother and she stopped drinking. He found her insistence that he not only abstain from alcohol but also apologize to her children for his behavior when drinking quite intolerable. He blames Alcoholics Anonymous for her change in behavior.

Assume you are an intern with the psychological treatment center for a local correctional facility.

Your supervisor has asked that you prepare a summary of the client in the selected case, as well as theoretical perspectives and research regarding the disorder with which the client presents.

Include the following in your 700- to 1,050-word summary:

• Complete explanation of symptoms presented by the client
• Description of possible diagnosis of the individual, including criteria used to determine same
• Review of a minimum of 2 theoretical perspectives that explain the disorder
• Review of 2 research studies addressing the theoretical perspectives, assessment methods, and treatment options for the disorder