OVERVIEW OF ASSESSMENT 2
Description: Case conceptualisation and intervention plan
Word count: 4,000 words
Weighting: 50% of total assessment
Due date:
Monday 2ndNovember, 11:55 pm (Melbourne daylight saving time)
Return date: Monday 30thNovember
This assignment is to be completed individually.
The assignment involves identifying how to assess a client, constructing a formulation for that client, and identifying treatment goals and a CBT treatment plan for the client. It also involves considering how ACT could be used to construct a formulation for the client, and what interventions would be most helpful to the client.
OVERVIEW OF ASSESSMENT 2 Description: Case conceptualisation and intervention plan Word count: 4,000 words Weighting: 50% of total assessment Due date: Monday 2nd November, 11:55 pm (Melbourne daylight saving time) Return date: Monday 30th November This assignment is to be completed individually. The assignment involves identifying how to assess a client, constructing a formulation for that client, and identifying treatment goals and a CBT treatment plan for the client. It also involves considering how ACT could be used to construct a formulation for the client, and what interventions would be most helpful to the client. VIGNETTES You will be provided with some preliminary information about two clients (‘case vignettes’) in the main Assignment 2 section of Moodle. Choose one of these, and complete the tasks as described further below. Please assume that the information in your chosen vignette has been given to you by another counsellor who has either conducted an ‘intake’ interview, or actually seen the client for one session but then had to refer the client onto you. ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION AND INSTRUCTIONS Please apply yourself to the following tasks, using your chosen case vignette as if your client. Please have a cover page for your assignment. Details regarding the formatting of this page and other aspects of the assignment are provided further below. After your cover page, the assignment should have the following labelled sections and content. 1. Assessment State what further information you think is important to obtain in order to construct a sound and helpful CBT formulation for the client, and indicate how you would obtain that information. Justify your planned assessments or methods of conducting them, using references as needed or useful. Guidelines · This should be written like a traditional assignment (i.e., complete sentences with appropriate use of paragraphs). This excludes the use of dot points. Criteria For Marking Choice/selection of assessments and their rationale (section 1) · Your proposed assessments need to be relevant to assisting in constructing a formulation, and sufficiently broad in scope and in depth (given word limit). As noted in the description of this assignment, your assessment is meant to be formulation-focused, and therefore not covering some areas that might ordinarily be covered. · All assessments are entirely relevant to constructing a formulation. Assessment is comprehensive in scope, and sound in depth at all required times. Expression, presentation, and reasoning/critical thinking · Expression has no deficiencies. The assignment is presented as instructed and is well set-out and organised. Reasoning/critical thinking is flawless and rigorous. 2. Case formulation Present a CBT formulation that you have developed for your client. This should include all ‘elements’ or ‘facets’ of a formulation. This formulation should be based on the information provided to you in the vignette, plus information you might have got from the client if you had conducted the assessment described in section 1. You do not need to provide a sub-section where you report on the information you ‘obtained’ from your client. Instead, this information should just be incorporated into your formulation. (Note: the information you ‘obtained’ from your client should not contradict or be in-consistent with information in the case vignette.) Guidelines · Your formulation can be given in whatever format you choose – for example, text only, or a mix of diagrams and associated text. Note: this differs from assignment 1 which required you to provide mix of one or more diagrams and associated text; this time you may choose to present it anyway you wish. Nonetheless, you will probably find a mix of diagrams and text to be the most suitable. · Text which is not part of a diagram should be written like a traditional assignment (i.e., complete sentences with appropriate use of paragraphs). · If you do use diagrams, they will naturally contain labels/headings and some other text, but this should be limited. Text within or part of diagrams are not included in the word count. Excessive text within a diagram will be penalised. Remember that diagrams are primarily meant to be visual aids. Criteria For Marking Scope, detail, and cogency of the CBT formulation (section 2). · The three levels of formulation mentioned below are those described in the week 4 reading (Kuyken chapter). For each level, several elements are involved (e.g., level two involves the elements of triggers and maintaining factors). · Scope and detail: Considers all elements of the three levels of formulation; in application, does so very thoroughly. · Cogency: The formulation is convincing in terms of application of CBT theory to the client. Expression, presentation, and reasoning/critical thinking · Expression has no deficiencies. The assignment is presented as instructed and is well set-out and organised. Reasoning/critical thinking is flawless and rigorous. 3. Goals and treatment plan (a) State possible CBT treatment goals that you might establish with your client. (b) Set out a CBT treatment plan for the client. Justify/provide support for your plan throughout (which will include – but not be limited to – the use of references). · Although your second reading for Week 9 (Ledley, Marx, & Heimberg, 2010) gives an example of a treatment plan on a session-by-session basis, please do not present your treatment plan in this manner (i.e., having particular goals or tasks tied to particular session numbers). · Your treatment plan shouldn’t have tasks linked to session numbers because counselling practice does not usually follow a rigid timetable for what should be accomplished in which session. In fact, such an approach may be un-ethical or at least constitute poor practice since it does not allow for the flexibility that is often required as new information comes to hand, or events occur in a client’s life. · Instead, just present your treatment plan (and goals) as what you would ideally like to do and accomplish over the course of your counselling sessions with your client. Work on the assumption that the counselling sessions continue until reaching a natural ending point. Although counselling in practice generally involves some constraints in terms of the number of sessions, we want to see that you are able to construct a plan that may be able to be carried out in its entirety. · Although your plan ought not to be tied to session numbers as explained before, present your plan in terms of the general order/sequence you would follow over the course of your counselling sessions. Guidelines · You are encouraged to present this section in whatever format you consider most appropriate. You might elect to use any one or more of the following: a table, dot points, or traditional text (sentences). If using dot points, make sure that your meaning remains clear. Criteria For Marking Appropriateness of treatment goals (section 3a); Rationale for, and suitability of, plan (section 3b). · All the treatment goals have the recommended qualities. The treatment plan addresses all the goals, and is entirely based on the formulation. The rationale for the treatment plan is very well-reasoned and justified. Plan is (theoretically) very likely to exert the desired effect (suitability). Expression, presentation, and reasoning/critical thinking · Expression has no deficiencies. The assignment is presented as instructed and is well set-out and organised. Reasoning/critical thinking is flawless and rigorous. 4. Alternative formulation and intervention (a) With the assistance of references, explain how ACT would conceptualise the client’s problems. You should focus not so much on the nature of the client’s problems (i.e., describing them), but how/why the client is having them (explaining them). It will, however, be necessary at times for your formulation to have a descriptive component in the course of providing the explanatory component. Use references as needed to assist you. (b) Describe specific ACT interventions that you think would be most helpful to help your client, and explain how they might be applied to your client. Use references to make a case for your choices. You do not need to provide a formal intervention plan here; rather, this section should be written more like a discussion. Guidelines · Sub-section (a) should be formatted as for section 2. · Sub-section (b) should be written like a traditional assignment (i.e., complete sentences with appropriate use of paragraphs). This excludes the use of dot points. Criteria For Marking Understanding and application of ACT to formulation and intervention (section 4). · Demonstrates entirely accurate understanding of ACT. Formulation is entirely consistent with ACT theory, and effectively explains why/how the client is having her/his problems. Interventions selected are relevant to the formulation and very likely to be effective. Expression, presentation, and reasoning/critical thinking · Expression has no deficiencies. The assignment is presented as instructed and is well set-out and organised. Reasoning/critical thinking is flawless and rigorous. 5. References List the references you have used in your assignment in APA format (current edition). Guidelines · Section 2 is the only section where references are not needed. · You are expected to consult and cite scholarly literature in producing your assignment (e.g., reputable texts, published peer-reviewed journal articles). · There is no requirement for a ‘minimum number of references’, as this fosters an un-helpful view about the role of references. As Masters-level students, you are expected to engage with the literature to an extent that you consider sufficient to helpfully inform your responses. GENERAL FORMATTING AND WORD LIMIT Cover page Please have a cover page for your assignment which states the following information: · Unit Code and name (EDF5531 Cognitive Behaviour Therapies) · The term/semester and year (Semester Two, 2020) · Assignment number and title (Assignment 2: Case conceptualisation and intervention plan) · Whether you are an internal (on-campus) or external (on-line) student · Your assignment’s word count (i.e., as used) · Name of your lecturer · Your full name and student ID number · The name of the client in the vignette you chose. Page and font formatting You should format your assignment as follows: · All margins 2 cm · Font typeface of Calibri, Cambria, or Constantia (all essentially equivalent in character size) · Font size of 12 points · Line spacing of 1.5 General formatting and content specifications · Please do provide page numbers. · Please do not use a running head of the title of your assignment and/or your name. · Appendices are not to be used. · References should be listed in a References section (which doesn’t contribute to the word count) and should be provided in APA format (see below). Referencing and style · Only your citations and reference list need to follow APA style. · APA style does not have to be followed for other aspects of formatting your assignment (e.g., figures or tables) – however you can use this style if you wish. Please number your figures or tables. · Australian/UK spelling (e.g., behaviour, counsellor, prioritise) is preferred over American spelling (e.g., behavior, counselor, prioritize), however students won’t be penalised for American spelling. Word limit · The word limit does not include words used within diagrams, or as part of a diagram (e.g., labels). The reference list and cover page are also not counted in the word limit. · No ‘10% leeway’ is permitted for the 4,000 word allowance – as this effectively renders