Interpretation. In more psychological terms, this is called the diagnostic stage. It is here that the counselor begins the process of refining what the client is sharing
This week, we will work on the second major part of your Case Study – Interpretation. In more psychological terms, this is called the diagnostic stage. It is here that the counselor begins the process of refining what the client is sharing. Since this is not a live session, the process of interpretation that would normally happen through clarifying questions by you the counselor, obviously cannot happen. Therefore, your interpretation will need to be entirely drawn from what you perceived through the videos, the Intake Form, and your interaction with your fellow counselors (i.e. classmates & Facilitator).
To start this process, it will help to review the observations you made last week. As you review your observations, do you see patterns, clues, insinuations, specific behaviors, or traces of symptomatic issues? Some of these may be blatant, others may be discovered as you develop connections between what seem to be isolated statements or thoughts. Eventually, these insights will help you develop diagnostic impressions, which will then be used to develop an actual diagnosis.
Depending on the level of perceived severity or even just for clarity, it will be helpful to leverage the DSM to help you in your diagnosis. A summarized version of the major diagnostic categories can be found here: Diagnostic Categories. You may also find it useful to directly cite the DSM.
When making a diagnosis, keep in mind that diagnoses are to be ordered. According to the DSM-5, the first diagnosis (if there are multiple) is called the principal diagnosis. It is viewed as the primary issue. If there are other diagnoses, these should be listed in order of clinical need. Feel free to use Subtypes, Specifiers, and Severity as part of your diagnosis, if you feel comfortable using these elements of the DSM.
It may be that you believe that there are indications of an issue, but you are not comfortable just pronouncing a diagnosis. The DSM allows for that. If this is true, simply designate your diagnosis as provisional. . You can then describe what more needs to be considered before confirming the diagnosis. Based on your Rubric, the Interpretation Section of this analysis should address each of the topic/issues below.
Things to keep in mind (and help) as you develop your Interpretation Section:
- 1. Some issues may be comorbid (co-occurring). If you believe that there are comorbid issues, it will be essential that you describe the etiology and diagnosis for both, including a description of how the two orders may exacerbate each other.
- 2. Be sure to discuss the psychosocial and environmental factors that may be influencing the client. One of the things you have learned through your interaction with the College is our focused on a holistic understanding of people (Fit Heart, Fit Mind, Fit Body, and Fit Soul). It is no different here. If there are issues that are influencing the well-being of the person, it is your task to recognize and articulate those, describing the possible effects.
- 3. Have you considered the cultural perspective? Symptomology can be effected by our cultural heritage. It may also affect how we interpret the behaviors of others. In other words, are you ensuring that the culture of the client is being considered?
- 4. When discussing psychological perspectives, be sure to cite your sources. This will help you in justifying your approach, as well as help the Facilitator understand your interpretation.
- 5. You will need to justify your psychological perspective and highlight how that perspective influence your diagnoses.
- a. EXAMPLE: Applying Erikson’s Psychosocial Stage of Development (CITE), the client is struggling through the Generativity vs. Stagnation phase. Specifically, the client wrestles with feelings of inadequacy, pride in accomplishment, and sense of unity with fellow coworkers and peers. This has led to anxious behavior and depressive ideology.
