In this lesson we begin to look at how to apply the principles you have been learning with clients. The examples we use are in clinical or health settings, but the same model and principles apply if you are working in coaching, organisational psychology, education, social work or other fields.
In our assessment we do use a lot of generic core skills and we ask very similar types of questions that you might already be familiar with. We ask our client to tell us about what has brought them for therapy, what their problems are, how they began and developed. We emphasise how they are responding to their issues and what the consequences of their responses are, perhaps more than many other models of therapy. We also ask them to talk about what they would most want in life if they weren't struggling with these issues. The learning activities for this lesson are:
ESSENTIAL: Watch this video presentation about assessment and case conceptualisation
ESSENTIAL: Watch these two videos of David working with John, a man with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Video One Video Two Be sure to share reflections or ask questions about these videos in the comments on this page.
ESSENTIAL: Download and review this blank case conceptualisation form that is mentioned in the presentation. Also download this version of the form that has been completed for John (the client with IBS).
ESSENTIAL: Take the time to work through the blank form thinking of a client that you know well. It can be someone you are curently working with or someone you have worked with in the past. Use this form to create a case conceptualisation for that client. In the live sessions you will be gven the option to roleplay being your client in a small group. Be aware of confidentiality and consider changing a few details if you need to to protect that. You will bring these case conceptualisations to the live sessions so keep the form somewhere safe. The idea is to give people a chance to have a practice, so its a good idea to choose someone who your peers in this workshop could work with (its not an opportuntity to show others how complex your caseload is!) That said, you also don't want it to be too easy, try and find a case where the person is stuck and has tried a lot of different things, but that is not so stuck that it will be hard to even get going with them.
This form is to help you think it through, and isn't necessarily something you would share with the client or work with the client on, though you could have it as a guide as you engage in the collaborative process of assessment.
ESSENTIAL: Post in the comments below about the process of thinking through your client this way, and use the comments to ask any questions or clarify anything unclear.