Questions On Determining Client 's Presenting Problem

Becoming acquainted with a potential client’s history, personality and present concerns is necessary in forming a foundation for counseling interventions. This information gathering phase is referred to as assessment (Mears, 2010). While some mental health professionals will use an interview as their primary assessment tool, others will utilize testing

This intake packet is lengthy. I do believe it would be beneficial to the client if there were not so many questions. People coming in for services already have concerns or issues they are trying to work through. Many times, clients feel overwhelmed or anxious about beginning mental health services. This intake form, with all its questions and nine pages, may contribute to increased anxiety or be overwhelming for people. The questions are

There are some questions within the intake form that can be difficult for the client to follow, as they are heavy with regards to medical terminology. When seeking information regarding substance abuse issues the intake form outlines the medical term for the different types of substances a client can be utilizing potentially making it difficult for the client to determine the types of substances that the client has chosen to utilize. Otherwise, the remainder of the form appears to be written in a way that can be understood among different reading levels.

I currently work at an SMI clinic for TERROS and I selected an intake form off of the internet instead of the intake for my work because our intake is a template that generates into a document once signed by all appropriate parties. I must say this random mental health intake form I found is extremely similar. I think these forms are now somewhat standardized and having just recently started filling out assessments of this nature and doing service plans with behavioral health recipients. I must confess it is difficult to get all of these answers out of clients and to keep their attention long enough to complete this paperwork. I feel often times we must resort to generic answers that do not give us a full understanding f who these people are and what their needs are, but it is a good resource to have a basic understanding of a client and when sharing information with other people on the clinical team good note taking skills and complete forms makes communication and client service much more efficient.

This paper explores three different commonly administered mental health assessments. These three assessments are The Mental Status Exam (MSE) (brief version), The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The MSE is for client mental status. The BDI accesses the level of depression a client is experiencing. The BAI accesses the level of anxiety a client is experiencing. In doing this assignment and the different practice assessments, we will get comfortable with the instruments that are utilized as a part of diagnosing and additionally treating clients with mental health illness issues. These basic tools are helpful for HUS experts to portray and comprehend the mental status of a client. While acquiring these assessments, certain data is required. The purpose, value, and usefulness of these assessments will be explained. For this paper, an anonymous pretend client will be created and a practice MSE assessment will be conducted and reported. The outcomes give a more overall comprehension of what is happening with the client so that the client can get the best treatment for their psychological illness. That overall comprehension accompanies limitations because there is not enough information provided to adequately

I beleive that if I cannot be open and honest with myself then how can I expect the client to be open and honest with me. Through experience I Understand how daunting it is to express your thoughts and feelings, not knowing how you will be judged or how others may react towards you. Personally by offering my clients a safe place to be listened to, showing them unconditional positive regard by showing them understanding and respect and helping them to gain back their locus of evaluation has had a positive effect on me also. I feel reassured that I am a good person that i am useful and happy in the knowledge that i have given my clients a positive experience that I have helped them through a difficult and sometimes dark confusing time I am being who I truely am as this is what I have wanted to do for some time now.

A need assessments systematically document the needs of potential clients who will likely be the recipients of a proposed intervention. Need assessment can answer several important questions about a potential client group, including their needs in a range of areas, their social supports or lack thereof, environmental stressors, important demographic characteristics, and the approximate number of people requesting a proposed intervention or reporting that they will use it if it is available, (pg. 294).

When clients are admitted to the RTC, a legal guardian must accompany them in order to complete the initial intake documentation. Several intake procedures are completed within the first twenty-four hours of the client’s arrival. The intake process begins with consent forms (see Appendix X) that require a signature from the legal guardian, which gives the RTC permission to treat the client. The legal guardian is asked to complete any necessary Authorization for Release of Information (see Appendix X). Next, the lead nurse conducts the Intake Behavioral Health Assessment and Service Plan (see Appendix x) with the new client. Following this assessment, the client is asked to provide a urine sample to test for substances (see Appendix X) and the

The chosen mental health intake form asks the right amount of questions, there are not too many questions and not too few. The form takes as much vital information into consideration without making the process of filling out the form too overbearing for the client. The form allows the client to deliver as much information as possible without having to put too much information down. The form is seven pages long but most of the form is space for writing information and for any questions the client may have. The form also lists out certain medications for the client to identify rather than having the client write down medications they may forget they are taking.

First, we will examine my initial clinical note on 8/15/16 with client, Rhonda Smith, session one. During this first session, I collected Rhonda’s demographic and intake information (Murphy & Dillon, 2015; Reamer, 2001). This included a signed consent for treatment, which we reviewed and all her questions were answered, as well as signed medical releases for previous therapy and agency records, i.e., DVIS, CPS, CASA, that will be requested (Murphy & Dillon, 2015; Reamer, 2001). Additionally, she was informed about HIPAA, patient privacy rights, billing practices, professional boundaries and expectations, and how to contact me during business hours, and after-hours crisis lines, and on-call assistance phone numbers for resources if it is outside of my business hours (Murphy & Dillon, 2015).

Overall, the intake form has some very key components. However, there are a few questions that could be added to obtain clarity and a more comprehensive overview of the client’s presenting problem and background. “The presenting problem and the exploration that follows usually identify key individuals, groups, or organizations that are participants in the client’s difficulties” (Hepworth, Rooney, Rooney, & Strom-Gottfried, 2013, p. 201). Specific information about the frequency, location, reaction, and duration of the presenting problem should be added to the intake

The Mental Health Screening Form-III (MHSF) could provide useful information to help assess the appropriate level of care according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The MHSF is a versatile assessment that can be given to the client to answer or the clinician can orally give it to the client (Center for Abuse Treatment, 2005). The assessment covers a range of mental health illnesses that can prompt additional questions for the clinician to find out more information.

I would rearrange the questions to mimic the funnel technique. The first page of the MSE would remain the same, but would be followed by the major life areas, sleep/appetite, substance abuse, and chief complaint sections. The original form asked whom the patient resides with and considers social supports after the abuse section. I would reformate the document to place these questions under the major life areas. Lastly, the patient would be asked about psychological symptoms, psychosis, and previous abuse, neglect, or trauma. In my opinion, the intake specialist is more likely to gain honest and accurate information from the patient if they have the opportunity to build rapport before asking sensitive questions.

The Intake form asks if the client has any current/past legal issues or if they ever filed a complaint against a professional and to explain if answered yes. This addresses the legal aspect of the assessment. Physician name, current and past health issues, and medications taking are addressed in the form. This allows for the Social worker to see if any health issues are playing into the current presenting

The mental health intake form I chose from the internet was lacking in multidimensional methodology and lacked significant information about client subsystems. Accordingly, the questions that regarded behavioral functioning did not cover presenting problems thoroughly. Specific questions about coping skills, social skills, and parenting skills were absent. Although, one question was asked regarding the client’s relationship with their children (which could insight into parenting skills), it was too open ended to get any major information. The assessment contained a section on legal history that was also not thorough. The spiritual section lacked crucial information. For instance, it did not ask about supportive relationships (i.e. name of a