Diagnosis

Be sure to refer to rubric below when completing this assignment.

1. Choose a client from your current field internship or place of employment. Be sure to change the name to protect confidentiality.

2. Briefly describe the agency setting and the source and reason for referral.

3. Briefly identify your client’s age, living situation, work situation, and family and cultural background. Do not include information that would make your client easy to identify.

4. Generate a diagnosis. Please remember that the DSM 5 is a reference manual. Using your understanding of the DSM and the organization of the manual including major classifications of disorders and criteria for determining the “presence” of a particular disorder, consider the whole book potentially useful to your work, including categories we have not yet covered.

5. Document your process. For example, which major categories did you consider initially? What key features did your client exhibit that suggested a particular category of disorder? How did you rule in or rule out particular disorders. Do you need additional information to rule in a particular disorder? If so, what information do you need and for what purpose?

6. Identify and discuss examples of specific criteria involved in the diagnoses you considered that require an evaluative judgment to be made, based on such things as varied understandings of normative behavior, language that is open to interpretation, and a clinical threshold that is represented in non-specific terms. This is the reliability question as it relates to the DSM.

7. Using literature available on your selected diagnosis and/or symptom focus (peer reviewed e-journals found in the Touro College DATABASES/LIBRARIES are appropriate but not Wikipedia or other internet sites), identify and briefly discuss two treatment approaches found to be effective either in addressing prominent symptoms displayed by your client or a specific disorder you have ruled in based on DSM 5 criteria. You may not reuse a previous assignment—it is important that you use this part of the paper to broaden and/or deepen your understanding of interventions and their rationale for use in particular circumstances. Please note: While psychopharmacological interventions may be indicated, do not select psychopharmacological interventions for the purpose of this paper. Select interventions a social worker might employ. You may use articles from the course bibliography if appropriate to your topic. Be sure to document your sources using APA publication style for your in-text citations and reference list.

Rubric for HBSE III Paper

Assignment

Elements

Excellent

Competent

Needs Work

1.

Brief description of agency setting

Type of agency, mission of agency, and clientele served by agency (and specific program, if applicable) all stated clearly and concisely. Significant factors of neighborhood and/or community context of agency included.

Type of agency, mission of agency, and clientele served by agency (and specific program, if applicable) all stated clearly and concisely.

Type of agency, mission of agency, and/or clientele served by agency (and specific program, if applicable) insufficiently or inaccurately stated.

2.

Referral source and reason for referral

Both referral source and reason for referral stated clearly and concisely without extraneous information.

Both referral source and reason for referral stated but additional information “thrown in.”

Referral source and/or reason for referral left out or inaccurately stated (i.e. reason for referral confused with information derived from needs assessment).

3.

Brief description of client background

Client’s age, living situation, work/school situation, family, and cultural background stated clearly and concisely and in a way that protects confidentiality.

Information on client’s age, living situation, work/school situation, family, and cultural background provided in a way that protects confidentiality. Some difficulty communicating clearly and concisely.

Insufficient information re: client’s age, living situation, work/school situation, family, and/or cultural background provided and/or insufficient attention to protecting confidentiality.

4.

Diagnosis

Client presentation and history warrant particular diagnosis according to DSM 5 guidelines.

Client presentation and history warrant particular diagnosis according to DSM 5 guidelines or comes close (i.e. disorder under same major classification with slight variation in duration, number of symptoms, etc.).

Client presentation and history do not warrant particular diagnosis according to DSM 5 guidelines.

5. Documentation of process

Thought process made explicit. All of the following steps completed effectively: a) Sound rationale for starting point (disorder categories initially considered) identified. b) Process of ruling in and ruling out specific disorders described in detail considering all criteria for each diagnosis under consideration. c) Additional information needed to make most accurate diagnosis identified. d) Specific purpose of information stated.

Thought process made explicit. Most of the identified steps completed effectively.

Thought process not made explicit. Few of the identified steps completed effectively.

6. Consideration of evaluative judgments made in applying DSM 5 diagnostic criteria

Examples of specific criteria which require an evaluative judgment to be made based on such things as varied understandings of normative behavior, language that is open to interpretation, and clinical threshold represented in non-specific terms are identified and briefly discussed in a sophisticated and nuanced way.

Examples of specific criteria which require an evaluative judgment to be made based on such things as varied understandings of normative behavior, language that is open to interpretation, and clinical threshold represented in non-specific terms are identified and effectively discussed.

Examples of specific criteria which require an evaluative judgment to be made based on such things as varied understandings of normative behavior, language that is open to interpretation, and clinical threshold represented in non-specific terms are not provided or are incorrectly identified and discussed.

7. Identification and discussion of literature on relevant treatment approaches

Articles utilized present two distinct treatment approaches potentially used by social workers found to be effective either in addressing prominent symptoms displayed by client or a specific disorder ruled in based on DSM 5. Discussion clearly presents strong rationale for use of particular approaches without over reliance on direct quotes.

Articles utilized present two distinct treatment approaches potentially used by social workers found to be effective either in addressing prominent symptoms displayed by client or a specific disorder ruled in based on DSM 5 criteria. Rationale for use of particular approaches identified.

Either one or both articles utilized do not present two distinct treatment approaches potentially used by social workers found to be effective either in addressing prominent symptoms displayed by client or a specific disorder ruled in based on DSM 5 criteria. Discussion identifying rationale for use of particular approaches is absent or inaccurately stated.

8. Documenta-tion of sources using APA publication style

All references and citations within text are present and correctly formatted.

Most references and citations within text are present and correctly formatted.

Few or no references and citations within text are present and correctly formatted.