Assessing Clients PRAC 6640-35

Assignment: Practicum – Assessing Clients
Learning Objectives
Students will:
 Assess clients presenting for psychotherapy
 Develop genograms for clients presenting for psychotherapy
To prepare:

 Select a client whom you have observed or counseled at your practicum site.
 Review pages 137–142 of the Wheeler text and the Hernandez Family
Genogram video in this week’s Learning Resources. Reflect on elements of writing a
Comprehensive Client Assessment and creating a genogram for the client you
selected.
The Assignment
Part 1: Comprehensive Client Family Assessment
With this client in mind, address the following in a Comprehensive ClientAssessment
(without violating HIPAA regulations): Assessing Clients PRAC 6640-35
 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/trauma
 Review of systems
 Physical assessment
 Mental status exam
 Differential diagnosis
 Case formulation
 Treatment plan
Part 2: Family Genogram
Prepare a genogram for the client you selected. The genogram should extend back by at
least three generations (great grandparents, grandparents, and parents).
By Day 7 of Week 3
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 “WK3Assgn+last
name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
 Click the Week 3 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the
Assignment.
 Click the Week 3 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 “WK3Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and
click Open. Assessing Clients PRAC 6640-35
 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 3 Assignment Rubric
Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:
Submit your Week 3 Assignment draft and review the originality report.

Submit Your Assignment by Day 7

To submit your Assignment:
Week 3 Assignment

Week in Review
Now that you have:
 Assessed clients presenting for psychotherapy
 Developed genograms for clients presenting for psychotherapy
Next week, you will:
 Develop diagnoses for clients receiving psychotherapy
 Evaluate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for clients
 Analyze legal and ethical implications of counseling clients with psychiatric
disorders
Next Week

To go to the next week:
Week 4

Learning Resources
Required Readings
Wheeler, K. (Ed.). (2014). Psychotherapy for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse: A how-
to guide for evidence-based practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing
Company.
Required Media
Laureate Education (Producer). (2013b). Hernandez family genogram [Video file].
Baltimore, MD: Author. Assessing Clients PRAC 6640-35

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 3 minutes.

Accessible player
Optional Resources
American Nurses Association. (2014). Psychiatric-mental health nursing: Scope and
standards of practice (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental
disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.