What are the essential areas that encompass a thorough mental status examination?

Assignment 1: Adjustment Disorder, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and Acute Stress Disorder

Adjustment disorders are quite common and potentially very serious because they have been linked to suicide ideation, planned and completed suicide. Consider the important issues of mental status examination and differential diagnosis.

  • What are the differences and similarities among adjustment disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and acute stress disorder?
  • What are the essential areas that encompass a thorough mental status examination?
  • Explain the steps you would take in evaluating symptoms. How would you arrive at a differential diagnosis?

minimum of 300 words.

discuss whether a diagnosis from other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention is warranted.

3:1 Assignment 2: RA: Diagnostic Formulation

Review the case given below case study (Psychological Evaluation for Jessica E. Smith) for this required assignment (RA). On the basis of the information in the case study, provide a principal (primary) and a secondary diagnosis for the person using the most recent DSM codes. You will also discuss your diagnoses in narrative (paragraph) form. Then, identify and discuss at least one differential (possible alternate) diagnosis for the principal diagnosis and at least one differential (possible alternate) diagnosis for the secondary diagnosis that you gave. Lastly, discuss whether a diagnosis from other conditions that may be a focus of clinical attention is warranted.

While you are welcome to list medical conditions that might be a concern, your primary and secondary diagnoses should be psychological conditions listed in DSM-5.

Your paper should have separate sections for:

  • Principal and secondary diagnoses
  • The reasons for selecting the principal and secondary diagnoses
  • Social and cultural factors that may influence the principal and secondary diagnoses
  • Differential diagnoses, including a consideration of whether a diagnosis from other conditions are applicable
  • The reasons for selecting the differential diagnoses
  • Your rationale and justification for why your actual diagnoses are a better fit than your differential diagnoses

Include citations and references in APA style. Your paper should be 5–7 pages in length.

read the case study (Psychological Evaluation for Jessica E. Smith).

Psychological Evaluation

Confidential: For Professional Use Only

Name:
Date of Birth:
Date of Evaluation: Clinician:

Reason for Referral

Jessica E. Smith 7-18-68
4-12-09
S. Freud, PhD

Smith was referred for a psychological evaluation by Bart Jackson of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to assess her current level of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional functioning and to provide recommendations for vocational service planning.

Background History

The following background information was obtained from an interview with Smith and a review of the demographic information sheet that she completed before the evaluation.

Smith is a forty-one-year-old Caucasian female who was referred for a psychological evaluation by the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation to assist with determining eligibility and to assess whether her emotional problems are interfering with her ability to work. She initially requested assistance from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in October 2008 to assist her with maintaining employment. At this time, she is interested in learning new skills to enable her to find full-time work in an office setting.

Smith was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and raised in a small nearby town, Williamsport, Pennsylvania. She is the oldest of three children born to her mother and father following an uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery. Her younger sisters relied upon her for their after-school child care once their mother returned to work when she was twelve years old. She spoke of her mother as having been physically and emotionally abusive in the past, often yelling, hitting her, and pushing her around. While her mother took her frustration out on Smith, her father would drink alcohol in excess. To cope with the difficult situation at home, she began to drink alcohol and cut herself with a straight-edged razor. Smith was active in school-related activities. She did not receive special educational services or have significant behavioral problems in school, describing the classroom as a safe place where she could be a ―kid.‖ Smith graduated from high school and began attending a business college in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

After attending classes for several months, Smith dropped out to spend more time with her friends and to begin working at various part-time jobs. She has worked as a waitress, in a grocery store, and as a babysitter. After leaving school, Smith returned home, where she began spending time with old friends who drank alcohol and used recreational drugs. By the age of eighteen, she had begun to starve herself and burn herself with a lighter. Her second to youngest sister was killed in a car wreck around this time. To assist her with coping, Smith began to drink on a regular basis and rely upon crank (crystal meth) to regulate her mood. She attempted suicide by taking someone else’s prescription medications and slitting her wrists. She was subsequently hospitalized on a psychiatric unit for one week. After discharge, Smith did not follow through with recommendations to follow up with outpatient counseling. Instead, she resumed her alcohol and drug use as a means of coping with the emptiness that she was feeling inside. As her substance use became more problematic, Smith began to participate in inpatient and outpatient substance abuse programming. She met with a counselor at the local community mental health center and was admitted to a residential rehab program. She has remained drug free since leaving the program in 2004; however, she has had difficulty in remaining sober. Smith has been arrested three times for drinking under the influence (DUI) and at times, has temporarily lost her driver’s license. In November 2005, she sought

mental health services again to assist her with remaining sober and to address her underlying history of depression. She continued to attend outpatient counseling on a sporadic basis until August 2006 when she recognized that her depressed mood rendered her incapacitated. Thus, she began attending two individual psychotherapy sessions per week, biweekly psychiatric consultations, and participating in weekly home- based case management services.

Smith identifies her eight-year-old daughter and her boyfriend as her supports and sources of motivation to remain sober. She describes having had a series of physically and emotionally abusive relationships with men in the past, which have affected her mood and ability to cope with difficult situations. Smith has often become depressed and had thoughts of suicide after a relationship has ended. She acknowledges turning to alcohol or isolating herself when she feels overwhelmed. She initially moved to Jersey City two years ago to get away from the people whom she described as ―bad influences.‖ She has worked part-time at a local grocery store and participated in the vocational rehab program to assist her with returning to work. Despite their interventions, Smith has failed to maintain employment for longer than six months. She has also described herself as having difficulty maintaining friendships and trusting others. Smith currently lives in New Jersey with her daughter. She is unemployed and receives food stamps and Medicaid.

Behavioral Observations

Smith is a Caucasian female of average build who appeared to be her stated age. She was dressed casually and her grooming and hygiene were adequate. She wore small, round-framed glasses with her short-brown hair pushed back behind her ears. She maintained good eye contact with the examiner, often pushing her glasses up on her nose or placing her hair behind her ears as she spoke of something that made her feel uncomfortable. Smith was cooperative during the evaluation, appearing motivated to answer all questions posed to her in an honest and forthright manner. She seemed alert and well rested, relating appropriately to the examiner. Smith often apologized for not knowing an answer to a test item or stated that she could not do something that she perceived as difficult.

Tests Administered

  •   Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale®—Third Edition (WAIS®–III)
  •   Wide Range Achievement Test—Third Edition (WRAT-3)
  •   Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory: Second Edition (MMPI-2)
  •   Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test
  •   Clinical Interview
    Mental Status Examination Results
    Smith reports an extensive history of mental health treatment, having received inpatient and outpatient treatment for depression and substance abuse. She has been prescribed Prozac, Paxil, Remeron, Klonopin, Xanax, Valium, and Librium to assist with managing her depressive symptomology and difficulties with controlling her anxiety and physical withdrawal from alcohol and methadone. Smith’s attitude toward this evaluation seemed quite positive as evidenced by her interest in participating in the evaluation and self- report. She appeared to answer all questions honestly and did not appear to be irritated with the evaluation process. Her responses were spontaneous and she needed minimal redirection to respond to the questions that were asked of her. Smith was oriented to person, place, and time and denied having experienced auditory or visual hallucinations. She denied current thoughts of suicide; however, she acknowledged having attempted suicide as a teen. Smith reportedly used a razor blade to slash her arms, hit herself with a hammer in the face, took someone else’s prescription medication, and burned her arms with a lighter after fighting with her mother, breaking up with a boyfriend, feeling rejected, and losing her younger sister. She reported having had a couple of mutually fulfilling relationships in the past, although she indicated that she had difficulty getting along with people. Her remote and recent memory showed no signs of impairment; however, her ability to make realistic life decisions was marred. Medical history is significant for a back injury that occurred following a car wreck (1984) and removal of her gall bladder (1996). Since the car wreck, Smith has experienced lower back pain when lifting heavy weights or moving in an awkward fashion. Assessment Results and Interpretations

Psychological Evaluation

2

Intellectual Functioning

The WAIS®–III was administered to obtain an estimate of Smith’s current level of cognitive functioning. The results from this evaluation suggest that Smith is functioning within the Low Average range of cognitive functioning with no significant difference evident between her verbal and nonverbal reasoning abilities. Overall, Smith demonstrated abilities ranging from the Low Average to Average range with relative strengths in her word knowledge, categorical thinking, and ability to distinguish essential from nonessential details with a relative weakness in her abstract reasoning skills.

Smith’s WRAT-3 performance showed high school–level reading, eighth grade–level spelling, and fifth grade–level arithmetic skills. She achieved a Low Average range standard score on the reading and spelling subtests with a Borderline range standard score on the arithmetic subtest. She reported having had difficulty with arithmetic in school and often becoming too anxious to complete her assignments or finish test items. Thus, this score is likely an underestimate of her current level of functioning. Results suggest that her fundamental academic functioning is below average; however, due to the lack of discrepancy between her achievement and intelligence test scores, the presence of a learning disorder was not evidenced.

Visual Processing and Visual–Motor Integration

Smith’s ability to reproduce or copy designs was assessed on an instrument involving visual–motor integration and fine-motor coordination. She appeared to accurately see the stimulus figures and understand what she saw; however, she had difficulty translating her perceptions into coordinated motor action. She completed the Bender-Gestalt test in two minutes, forty-two seconds and incurred four errors of distortion and rotation. A short completion time such as this is often associated with impulsiveness and limited concentration.

Personality Assessment Results

The MMPI-2 was administered to assess Smith’s personal attitudes, beliefs, and experiences. Smith’s MMPI-2 profile suggests that she acknowledges that she is experiencing a number of psychological symptoms. She is likely to be experiencing a great deal of stress and seeking attention for her problems. At times, Smith comes across as a confused woman who is distractible, has memory problems, and may be exhibiting personality deterioration. Thus, she is in need of intensive outpatient therapy and psychotropic medication to continue to address her long-term personality problems. Smith might be described as an angry woman who is immature, engages in extremely pleasure-oriented behaviors, and feels alienated. She is likely to feel insecure in relationships, act impulsively, and have difficulty developing loving relationships with others. She often manipulates others (men) and may hedonistically use other people for her own satisfaction without concern for them. She has difficulty meeting and interacting with other people, is uneasy and overcontrolled in social situations, and tends to be rather introverted.

Smith has a negative self-image and often engages in unproductive ruminations. She frequently reports having numerous somatic complaints when she is anxious and feels as though other people are talking about her. Under stress, her physical complaints will likely exacerbate. Her insight into her problems is limited and she often attempts to find solutions that are simple and concrete. She may prefer to be alone or with a small group due to feeling alienated from the environment. She often exhibits poor judgement, emotional liability, and impulsivity. Smith may become upset easily and overreact to situations. Her profile reflects a chronic pattern of maladjustment, which may affect her ability to solve problems and fulfill her obligations. It is likely that Smith has a history of underachievement in school and in the work force due to her inability to cope with difficult situations.

discuss your position on whether the state should pay for the gender change surgery for an incarcerated individual with gender dysphoria?

  • 5:3 Discussion Topic

Activity: Reconstructive Surgery for Gender Dysphoria: Self-Directed: Nongraded
Activity: Reconstructive Surgery for Gender Dysphoria: Self-Directed: Nongraded
To complete this activity, read the following scenario:
Michelle is a thirty-four-year-old Caucasian female who is incarcerated for five years on charges of serious domestic assault on her sister. She has four years remaining of her sentence. She has a documented case of gender dysphoria. She is a female physically, but all her life, she has felt like a male emotionally and mentally. She takes hormone therapy (testosterone) to help her acquire some of the physical characteristics of a male. Just as with needed dental and medical services, the state correctional facility is required to provide Michelle with hormone therapy (medication) as well as weekly therapy sessions to discuss her emotional distress related to her gender dysphoria. Michelle wants to proceed with full gender reconstruction surgery to permanently alter her anatomy from female to male in order to become Michael. Since her prison therapist has reluctantly admitted that becoming a male would alleviate a fair amount of Michelle’s emotional distress, Michelle decides to ask the state to pay for her gender change surgery. The state declines to do so. Michelle is now suing the state to pay for her gender reconstructive surgery to physically become a male.
After reading the scenario, discuss your position on whether the state should pay for the gender change surgery for an incarcerated individual with gender dysphoria? Why or why not?

Are there ways you can relate the information to everyday life?

Reaction Report Assignment Instructions

Don’t forget that each reaction report must be at least a page long, typed using size 12 Arial or Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and include your thoughts on the video.

Suggestions as to what to include in your report:

Was the material understandable?

Are there ways you can relate the information to everyday life?

What are the implications of the information?

Did the information from the Ted talk help you to better understand some of the concepts covered within the unit?

How did you feel about the topic – agree or disagree?

Do you have any critiques regarding the topic or information presented in the video?

 

how might you need to continue addressing the issue of medication in your work with a client over time?

Case Study Treatment Plan: Treatment Goals

I have also upload my other paper that is the first part of this paper

For this assignment, you will submit additional components of your treatment plan based on the case study you selected. You can view the case studies in the Case Study Treatment Plan multimedia piece, available in the Resources. Complete the following components of the Case Study Treatment Plan Template:

Treatment plan literature review.

Goals and interventions.

Communication with other professionals.

Medications.

Legal, ethical, and other considerations.

References.

Unit 9 Assignment: Complete the last five sections of the template, plus your reference list, for the Unit 9 assignment. Although your instructor will only review the last five sections to score your paper for Unit 9, please retain the information you have already written in the first sections within the template so your instructor can refer back to this when reading your Unit 9 assignment. When the full template is completed, save it as a Word document with your name (for example, Smith Unit 9 assignment) and submit it to the courseroom assignment area by the deadline for the Unit 9 assignment.

Unit 9 assignment sections: Treatment Goals (4–6 pages, plus references)

This client has been diagnosis with Bipolar II Disorder with Major

Depressive episodes 296.89(F31.81).

Section 1: Treatment Plan Literature Review

Review the current research and best practices presented in the professional literature that relate to types of clients and presenting issues that are similar to the case you have selected. What does the literature have to say about the most effective types of counseling approaches used with clients who are similar in age, gender, stage of development, and share similar social-cultural backgrounds, history, current situations, symptoms, and/or presenting problems? Be sure to address the impact of diversity (age, gender, social-cultural background, et cetera) on the choice of counseling approaches and interventions, and include reference to clients who have addictions or co-occurring disorders. Summarize your review of the literature so it provides clear support for your choice of counseling approach, goals, and interventions that you will be presenting in the sections below. Keep direct quotes to a minimum; you should paraphrase the information you have reviewed in your own words. Remember to use correct APA format for all citations. This section should be a minimum of one page in length.

Section 2: Goals and Interventions

Based on the information you have reviewed about the client’s history and presenting issues, list four possible goals that you will work on with this client during the first three months of counseling. Your goals should include reference to the client’s addiction or co-occurring disorder, as well as to other issues the client has presented. Present these goals in concrete and specific terms. In other words, how will you and the client know when progress is being made toward a goal, or when a goal has been reached? What will be evident in the client’s thoughts, emotions, behaviors, interactions with others, et cetera?

For each goal, list two specific interventions that you will use during counseling sessions to assist the client in making progress towards that goal. Describe your rationale for selecting these interventions and what changes would you expect to see in the client during sessions if the interventions were effective. Be sure your interventions reflect the effective practices that you described in your treatment plan literature review; address how your approaches will also take the client’s sociocultural background into account and their appropriateness for addressing addiction and co-occurring disorders. ( would like to use CBT for the depression and ISRT (Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy) should be used in this case since it helps in treating patients with bipolar disorders and other types of depression.

Section 3: Communication with Other Professionals

How will you develop and maintain a collaborative relationship with other professionals who are engaged in your client’s treatment? Describe with whom you will consult with as you develop your client’s treatment plan and begin to work with him or her in therapy (for this segment, assume that you have a written consent from the client to do so). This might include other medical or mental health professionals currently working with the client, as well as previous therapists; it could also include experts in the field with whom you may want to consult about the client’s presenting issues. You may also decide to consult with members of the client’s family. What is your rationale for consulting with these persons and how might this information inform your work with the client?

Section 4: Medications

Discuss in the section any medications your client is currently taking or has taken in the past. What impact might these medications have on the client, such as side effects, improvement in symptoms, interactions with other substances, et cetera? What additional information will you need to obtain about the client’s use of medication and with whom will you consult about this? What information do you want to provide to the client about these medications and how might you need to continue addressing the issue of medication in your work with this client over time?

Section 5: Legal, Ethical, and Other Considerations

Describe any potential legal or ethical issues that may arise as you work with this client and how you will address them. Refer to the specific state laws or ACA ethical standards in your discussion. Also list any other potential red flag issues that you have identified and the ways in which you may need to address these issues with the client.

This is a fake client

The case of Stella

Stella is a 38 year old woman who has just been assigned to you as a client. You are currently working as a counselor for your county community mental health agency that has a contract to provide continuing treatment for patients who have just been discharged from a local psychiatric facility. Stella was discharged last week after a 7 day hospitalization. You received the following information about her as background and history.

Stella is the only child of a Caucasian couple who are now deceased. She was adopted by this couple as an infant in a closed adoption, so that very little information about her parents has been made available to her beyond a birth record noting her mother was African American and her father was Caucasian; both are listed as being 16 years old.

Stella currently lives in a small city of 150,000 people where she is employed as a book-keeper for the local produce packing plant. She has worked there for 3 years. Her educational background includes an associate’s degree in accounting and continuing education in tax preparation. Before working for this plant, she was employed as a tax preparer for a national company. She enjoys her work, saying that numbers are easier to get along with than people.

She has been married to her husband (Doug) for 18 years. They have no children due to medical issues that Stella reports have made it very difficult to get pregnant and carry a child to term. Her husband is a long distance truck driver. He is often away from home for two weeks at a time. He is then at home for only 4 or 5 days before he leaves on another trip. Stella reports that she feels “lonely and blue” when her husband is away. She finds it difficult to motivate herself to do anything when he is on the road beyond going to work and coming home. She has few friends beyond acquaintances at work and only occasionally participates in activities at her local church.

Stella reported that her problems began when she was in early adolescence. She started sleeping and eating excessively. She missed many days of school because she couldn’t get out of bed and gained 25 lbs. over the course of 2 years. Because Stella felt unattractive due to the weight gain she experienced, she obtained some methamphetamines from a friend of hers in school so she could lose the weight quickly. She was able to do so, but found that when she stopped taking the pills she felt even lower than before. She asked her friend for more pills, but her friend refused to provide them. Stella’s mood continued to decline; she believed she was a failure, that she would never be successful at anything, and stopped talking to her friends. She stated that she felt “blue” during this time, a word she frequently uses to describe her mood. This episode lasted about one month until school ended for the summer. During the summer, she felt better because she had a summer job as a stocker at the local grocery store where she became involved with a boy from a local school. The following year, she once again became “blue” and this time she took 25 aspirins in a suicide attempt. She panicked and told her mother, who took her to the emergency room to have her stomach pumped. Stella started to see a counselor after this incident, but when she began to feel better, she stopped her counseling.

Stella was able to successfully graduate from high school and earn an associate’s degree at the local community college. Her first full-time job was back at the grocery store, where she worked in the office preparing bank deposits and reconciling bank statements. She reported that she enjoyed this job and felt better about herself. She reconnected with her previous boyfriend and they married. However, after 3 years, she again experienced depression, this time more severely than ever before. “It felt like my ‘blue’ had taken over my whole world and I couldn’t see anything else. I just wanted to die. That had to be better than how I was feeling.” Her suicide attempt this time was more serious; she cut her wrist in the bathroom at work. A co-worker found her and called 911. She spent four days in the hospital and was referred to a psychiatrist for follow-up care. The psychiatrist prescribed an SSRI for the depression and referred Stella to her previous counselor.

Stella began to feel much happier and energized. She made some new friends who liked to “party” – and was out most nights when her husband was away. She drank excessively at night and then smoked marijuana during the day to “take the edge off and calm down.” She also spent money on new clothes, until she had maxed out her credit cards and borrowed money from her parents. Her performance at work became erratic and her employer began to suspect that money was missing. He was unable to prove the missing money, but became so uncomfortable with Stella’s change in behavior and her deteriorating performance that he let her go. Stella was devastated. When her husband returned home, he took her to her psychiatrist, who made adjustments to her medication regime, adding a mood stabilizer. Stella improved over the next several weeks, but was not fully compliant with taking her medications and continued to smoke marijuana from time to time.

Since that time, Stella has had a series of jobs, most of which she was able to keep for several months and, on one occasion, for over a year, until her mood changed and she either “acted out” or became too “blue” to function effectively. She feels very fortunate to have kept her current job for so long. She attributes this to a “kind boss,” who has kept her employed through her highs and lows. Her boss has asked her to continue with treatment on a consistent basis and since being employed there, she has managed to stay on her medications. Recently, though, her counselor closed his practice and moved to another city. She was distraught by this and refused to find another counselor. Gradually, her behavior and mood became more and more unstable over time.

This most recent hospitalization came after she was found at her work desk, sobbing uncontrollably and saying she wanted to die. The work site placed her on medical leave and required her to get treatment before she could return. Stella admitted herself to the hospital, where she saw a new psychiatrist, who changed her medications. She stayed in the hospital for 7 days until her mood stabilized and she was no longer considered to be a threat to herself. Stella is positive that she will be able to stay on the new medications and that she does not plan to drink or use any drugs. She has asked for a report of her progress to be given to her employer so she can go back to work as soon as possible.

Her husband is very supportive of her getting care and has met with both the new psychiatrist and your agency’s intake case worker. He reported that his sister has volunteered to go walking with Stella each day when he is out of town and will help her manage her medication. His sister has a 5 year old daughter whom Stella adores and he thinks being around the child will cheer her up.

You will now be Stella’s counselor. After reviewing her hospital records and the intake report, you are ready to begin developing a preliminary treatment plan that will address, among other issues, medication and treatment compliance, and stabilization. You have spoken with Stella briefly by phone and plan to meet with her next week.

Evaluate the importance of basing results of the assessment on normative data

M4 discussion

Assignment 1: Forensic Assessment Report Writing

Evaluation report writing is an essential component of a psychology professional’s work with clients in the legal system. The results of evaluations have to be reported accurately to third parties and have to be written in a clear and plain language that reflects the information obtained from all relevant sources, including the evaluator’s subjective opinion, the collateral information, and the objective test data. Accurate reporting of information to courts is crucial since it will potentially have great influence on the outcomes of the relevant legal proceedings.

in about 350 words) and present a risk assessment to the parole board, considering the following:

  • The influence of the Daubert Standard on the written report
  • The concept of reasonable certainty in reporting objective and subjective data in the report
  • The importance of basing results of the assessment on normative data
  • The reporting of client’s response styles during the assessment
  • Your preparedness to conduct a peer review of the written risk assessment

provide an analysis of factors relevant to custody evaluations or evaluations for termination of parental rights.

M4:2 Submission

Custody Evaluation

Forensic professionals are often called upon to provide opinions about custody in cases of divorce, parental termination, and reestablishment of custody after a child has been removed from the custodial parent’s home. Specific ethical and legal parameters govern when and how a professional should offer such an opinion in a legal setting. For this assignment, you will be asked to provide an analysis of factors relevant to custody evaluations or evaluations for termination of parental rights.

Tasks:

In a 3- to 4-page paper, address the following:

  • The best interests of the child, with a specific focus on how this is defined in the APA guidelines
  • The manner in which the best-interest decisions are influenced by the wishes of the child
  • The difference between a fact and an expert witness in the cases of child custody
  • The specific procedures, including parent interviews, child interviews, observations, and objective tests, used in custody evaluations
  • The issues surrounding confidentiality, privilege, and privacy in custody evaluations
  • The court testimony in custody evaluations, with emphasis on the collective use of data and opinion versus fact in reporting the results

Use three additional resources

Discuss the individual client factors that might influence prerelease decisions made by psychology professionals in a corrections setting

M5:1 discussion

Conflicting Roles in the Forensic Setting

Correctional psychology is a specialty area within the field of forensic psychology. Work in this setting can present specific challenges for evaluators and treatment providers. For example, a psychology professional working in a corrections facility might serve in dual roles with clients since he or she will likely provide them treatment and evaluate them for early release, risk for dangerousness, and to make recommendations for postrelease conditions. This assignment will introduce you to the specific challenges faced while writing a risk assessment report on a client you have treated during his or her incarceration and presenting the data to the parole board for the purpose of early release. The client has served two years of his four-year sentence for aggravated assault; during this period, he or she has made significant progress, while under your care, with impulse control, anger management, and the ability to challenge his or her criminal thought patterns. You have conducted your risk assessment and are now ready to write your report. Before you write your report, you will have to think about these important factors. Discuss them in your initial post.

Using your textbook ,online library resources, minimum 200 words:

  • The APA stance on dual relationships for psychology professionals in a correctional setting
  • The inherent conflict a psychology professional in a corrections setting might experience by being in the dual role of a treatment provider and an evaluator
  • The individual client factors that might influence prerelease decisions made by psychology professionals in a corrections setting

What tests or assessments would you recommend to provide a comprehensive diagnostic assessment?

M5:2 Submission

Case Scenario

Background:

The defendant is a forty-year-old, single, black female charged with a first-degree assault. Specifically, she is alleged to have splashed liquid fire, a liquid drain cleaner, onto another woman’s face, thus incidentally splashing five bystanders. Per the court order you received, Ms. Tyler was referred some time after the alleged crime for evaluation of her criminal responsibility. Her competency to stand trial (CST) was also at issue. At the time of the evaluation, Ms. Tyler was being held at the Southern County Detention Center. You met with Ms. Tyler. The defendant was informed that the results of the evaluation will be released to the court and that the results may be used against her in the court. Ms. Tyler gave her written consent to be evaluated.

Psychosocial History:

Only limited information is available regarding Ms. Tyler’s background. She is a lifetime resident of the state. Her mother died of cancer at the age of seventy-nine years. Her father, L. Defendant, is eighty-four years old and is a retired farmer. Ms. Tyler has five living sisters, four living brothers, and two deceased siblings. Three of her sisters have received inpatient psychiatric treatment. One sister lives in Close Town, one in Europe with her husband who is in the military, and one sister died in a drowning accident. One brother committed suicide by hanging himself. There is no history of psychiatric problems among the other brothers.

Ms. Tyler has completed the tenth grade. She is literate. Ms. Tyler has worked on an assembly line for five years until 1988 when the factory closed. She then did an office-cleaning job. Her reasons for leaving this position are vague. She was unemployed for several years and was supported by her family. She lives in rent-free government housing. Her church pastor, A. Reverend, arranged for her to get employment at Helpful Industries through a vocational office at the State Psychiatric Hospital. She was employed at Helpful Industries for approximately two months prior to the incident. Ms. Tyler has never married. She has a thirteen-year-old son who lives with his father.

Psychiatric History:

Ms. Tyler denies any previous psychiatric treatment. Family members and individuals who know Ms. Tyler state that she has a long history of psychiatric symptoms such as loose associations and persecutory delusions. Ms. Tyler’s sister, Ms. Sister, reports that Ms. Tyler has been violent in the past, threatening her niece with a knife. Her emotional difficulties were also apparently common knowledge among her congregation. As stated above, Ms. Tyler has a positive family history for psychiatric illness. Ms. Tyler is currently on haloperidol, an antipsychotic medication.

Ms. Tyler denies any alcohol or substance abuse. She states that she has one previous arrest for prostitution in 1975. She spent six months in jail for this offense.

Report of the Crime:

When asked to report what happened, Ms. Tyler states, “It happened so fast, I just remember, I threw it on her. I didn’t mean to.” She continues, “I threw liquid fire on her. She always caused me trouble . . . She picked with me all the time . . . Sometimes she would step on my feet. I did not mean to do it, it happened so quick I did not understand myself. That morning when I went to church, I was standing by a table and she came over, starting trouble with me . . . Came over and said my name.”

Ms. Tyler was guarded in her responses, and at one point, she asked what the court would do with her if she said, “just didn’t know why I did it.” Her report conflicts with several eyewitness reports. All the eyewitnesses who were interviewed claimed that Ms. Tyler yelled at Ms. Mobly. Mr. Witness 1 states that Ms. Tyler approached Ms. Mobly and said, “I’m getting sick and tired of you picking on me every day at church.” He states that she then started splashing Ms. Mobly with the drain cleaner. Ms. Witness 2’s account is similar. She states, “As soon as Ms. Mobly entered, Ms. Tyler grabbed her purse and started throwing the solution on her saying ‘told you I was gonna get you. I’m tired of you getting me in trouble.'”

Ms. Witness 3’s report of the incident is also similar. Additionally, Ms. Witness 3 states that Ms. Tyler would frequently deny making threats when confronted with an issue, claiming that she did not make such a threat or did not remember making it. Ms. Witness 3 also states that Ms. Tyler reported experiencing auditory hallucinations telling her to get people. However, Ms. Tyler has consistently denied hallucinations.

Tasks:

In a 8- to 10-page report, analyze this case and address the following to the best of your abilities:

  • What tests or assessments would you recommend to provide a comprehensive diagnostic assessment of Ms. Tyler?
  • Provide diagnostic impressions based upon the case and the tests you have recommended. Provide an explanation or a rationale for how you arrived at this diagnosis.
  • What are the psycholegal issues to be assessed? What are the standards used to evaluate these issues (i.e., discuss the relevant court decisions and holdings)?
  • What tests should be administered and why? What is the empirical support for the tests you have suggested?
  • What other information do you need to offer an opinion on whether Ms. Tyler is competent to stand trial?
  • What other information do you need to offer an opinion as to whether Ms. Tyler met the legal criteria for insanity at the time of the offense?
  • What outcomes do you expect will be reached by the court with regard to these issues and why?
  • What are the potential ethical issues involved in this case? How would you resolve these issues?

Use resources from professional literature in your analysis. Professional literature may include relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journal articles, and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, .org, or .gov).