In this third assignment, you will again provide a case summary and treatment plan (based on a Case Study we will provide for you on the Course Home Page), but will add a theoretical “case conceptualization” where you outline the theoretical orientation that you have used to understand the etiology of the patient’s symptoms and develop your treatment plan. This case conceptualization might be thought of as the framework that aligns your case summary to your treatment plan. It will be based on scientific evidence and will provide a coherent hypothesized explanation for the patient’s symptoms, the factors that maintain these symptoms, and the treatment(s) you would recommend. Keep in mind you should be supporting your ideas with evidence.
The purpose of the Case Conceptualization is for you to be able to:
- Use scientific evidence and psychological theory to develop a hypothetical explanation for the etiology and maintenance of the patient’s symptoms (“case conceptualization”).
- Use your case conceptualization to align your Case Summary with your Treatment Plan.
CASE SUMMARY
Provide information and empirical evidence to assist in making diagnostic, etiological, and treatment decisions
- What symptoms is the patient currently exhibiting and what diagnostic symptom clusters do these belong to?
- What is the most accurate DSM V diagnosis for these symptoms? What led you to rule out other possible diagnoses?
- What information (if any) is still needed to strengthen the diagnosis? How will you obtain this information?
- What factors may have contributed to the onset/etiology of the disorder?
- What current factors might be maintaining the disorder?
TREATMENT PLAN
- What are your treatment recommendations and why?
- Given the diagnosis, what is the scientific evidence supporting this treatment recommendation?
- If there have been previous unsuccessful treatments, how will your plan differ?
- Are there factors that might stand in the way of treatment success? If so, how will you get around them?
- Are there other individuals (e.g. family members, outside health care professionals) who will have to be incorporated into the treatment plan?
- How will you judge the success or failure of your treatment approach?
CASE CONCEPTUALIZATION
- Based on the case details, provide a plausible, theory-based hypothesis for the etiology and maintenance of the symptoms (“case conceptualization”). What scientific evidence supports this hypothesis?
- How does this case conceptualization lead to your treatment plan?
- What future evidence would support or disprove your case conceptualization?
Your Case Conceptualization is likely not the only plausible case conceptualization. It is, for example, possible (and, in fact, pretty much certain!) that cognitive and biological factors are both contributing. Thus, a cognitive-behavioural case conceptualization does not preclude any particular biological conceptualization. It is important, however, that rather than trying to mention every possible etiological factor, that you form a coherent approach that can guide treatment decisions. It is recommended, therefore, that you adapt a primary case conceptualization. If you choose to adapt elements of another theoretical orientation, they should be coherently adapted into your primary conceptualization. So, for example, if you choose a cognitive behavioural case conceptualization but want to include a particular biological hypothesis (e.g. serotonergic imbalance), you might mention how that biological factor might contribute to the maladaptive cognitive style and how you expect any related treatment recommendations (e.g. SSRI) to impact that cognitive style.
NOTE: Remember that your Treatment Plan and Case Conceptualizations should be firmly grounded in empirical evidence.