Hernandez Family Assessment

Assessment is as essential to family therapy as it is to individual therapy. Although families often present with one person identified as the “problem,” the assessment process will help you better understand family roles and determine whether the identified problem client is in fact the root of the family’s issues. As you examine the Hernandez Family: Sessions 1-6 videos in this week’s Learning Resources, consider how you might assess and treat the client family. Psychotherapy with groups and families essay assignment papers and exams.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Assess client families presenting for psychotherapy

To prepare:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide on family assessment.
• View the Hernandez Family: Sessions 1-6 videos, and consider how you might assess the family in the case study.

Note: For guidance on writing a comprehensive client assessment, refer to pages 137–142 of Wheeler (2014) in this week’s Learning Resources.

The Assignment

Address in a comprehensive client assessment of the Hernandez family the following:

• Demographic information
• Presenting problem
• History or present illness
• Past psychiatric history
• Medical history
• Substance use history
• Developmental history
• Family psychiatric history
• Psychosocial history
• History of abuse and/or trauma
• Review of systems
• Physical assessment
• Mental status exam
• Differential diagnosis
• Case formulation
• Treatment plan

Note: Any item you are unable to address from the video should be marked “needs to be added to” as you would in an actual comprehensive client assessment

By Day 7

Submit your Assignment.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK2Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click the Week 2 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click the Week 2 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK2Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 2 Assignment Rubric

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:

Submit your Week 2 Assignment draft and review the originality report.

Submit Your Assignment by Day 7

To submit your Assignment:

Week 2 Assignment

Assignment 2: Practicum – Week 2 Journal Entry

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Apply documentation skills to examine family therapy sessions *
• Develop diagnoses for clients receiving family psychotherapy *
• Analyze legal and ethical implications of counseling clients with psychiatric disorders *

* The Assignment related to this Learning Objective is introduced this week and submitted in Week 3.

Select two clients you observed or counseled this week during a family therapy session. Note: The two clients you select must have attended the same family session.

Then, address in your Practicum Journal the following:

• Using the Group Therapy Progress Note in this week’s Learning Resources, document the family session.
• Describe (without violating HIPAA regulations) each client, and identify any pertinent history or medical information, including prescribed medications. Psychotherapy with groups and families essay assignment papers and exams.
• Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), explain and justify your diagnosis for each client.
• Explain any legal and/or ethical implications related to counseling each client.
• Support your approach with evidence-based literature.

By Day 7 of Week 4

Submit your Assignment.