Case Conceptualization and Treatment Plans when Working with Children and Adolescents
In Weeks 4 and 5, you completed case conceptualization and treatment planning for an adult. Recall that the approaches and techniques you selected were chosen from those within the therapy approach that you selected to apply to the case (either CBT or REBT). To complete case conceptualization and treatment planning for children and adolescents (as well as adults with developmental disabilities), psychologists also must consider how to adapt standard CBT/REBT techniques so that they are developmentally appropriate for individual clients.
Clients in the pre-operational stage of cognitive development may not be able to understand logic or problem solving, but can engage in role play and use realia as symbols. Adolescents in the formal operational stage of cognitive development may be able to reason abstractly and test alternate viewpoints, but may display poor ability to identify emotions. They may also be hesitant to disclose information to adults (especially parents) or risk embarrassment. Adapting techniques for developmental level and specific disorders requires creativity and flexibility on the part of the psychologist. It is important to note that for some age groups and issues, there are empirically supported products available for purchase. A good example of this is Coping Cat, a CBT program for children with anxiety disorders.
For this Assignment, you complete a case conceptualization for an adolescent named Suzanne.
To prepare:
- Review the case study of Suzanne in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider the irrational beliefs that she might have. Are there multicultural issues present? Would you assign homework? What is the best approach for communicating with Suzanne’s mom?
- Choose either the CBT approach or the REBT approach for working with this client. Download the appropriate case conceptualization document from the Learning Resources.
- Complete the appropriate case conceptualization handout for Suzanne’s case. Consider how you might adapt techniques from your selected approach for inclusion in treatment planning for this client.
To complete this Assignment:
- Complete either the CBT Case Conceptualization handout or the REBT Case Conceptualization handout for Suzanne’s case, based on the approach you selected.
- Complete a treatment plan for this case study.
Required Readings
Crawley, S. A., Podell, J. L., Beidas, R. S., Braswell, L., & Kendall, P. C. (2010). Cognitive-behavioral therapy with youth. In K. S. Dobson (Ed.), Handbook of cognitive behavioral therapies (3rd ed.) (pp. 358–360). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Ishikawa, S. (2015). A cognitive-behavioral model of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Japanese Psychological Research, 57(3), 180–193. doi:10.1111/jpr.12078
A Cognitive‐behavioral Model of Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents by Ishikawa, S., in Japanese Psychological Research, Vol. 57/Issue 3. Copyright 2015 by John Wiley & Sons – Journals. Reprinted by permission of John Wiley & Sons – Journals via the Copyright Clearance Center.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
Palermo, T. M., Bromberg, M. H., Beals-Erickson, S., Law, E. F., Durkin, L., Noel, M., & Chen, M. (2016). Development and initial feasibility testing of brief cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in adolescents with comorbid conditions. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 4(2), 214–226. doi:10.1037/cpp0000140
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
Shea, D. (2016). A case illustration using REBT/CBT. Cognitive behavioral approaches for counselors (pp. 75–86). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Cognitive Behavioral Approaches for Counselors, 1st Edition by Shea, D. Copyright 2016 by Sage College. Reprinted by permission of Sage College via the Copyright Clearance Center.
Document: Case Study of Suzanne (PDF document)
Document: CBT Case Conceptualization handout (Word document)
Document: REBT Case Conceptualization handout (Word document)
Optional Resource
Bernard, M. E. (2008, September). Albert Ellis and the world of children. Paper presented at the 43rd Annual Conference of the Australian Psychological Society, Tasmania.
Answer preview
Modern-day psychology practice brings a myriad of challenging situations that a practitioner has to sort out. Given each individual’s uniqueness and their accompanying problems, a therapist needs to contextualize the person’s behaviors, traits, and experiences before deciding on the most appropriate treatment intervention. Case conceptualization provides the framework for a behavioral therapist to understand the cause of a problem, its manifestations, and factors that aggravate it (Crawley et al., 2010). This paper embraces a cognitive behavioral therapy approach to conduct a case conceptualization on Suzanne’s case.
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