PCN807 All Weeks Discussions Latest 2018 November

PCN807 Psychopathology Behavioral Assessment, &  Interventions

Week 1 Discussion

DQ1 Luborsky, Singer, and Luborsky (1975) compared a number of psychotherapies and found that no organized theoretical orientation worked better than any other. This was called the dodo bird verdict: “Everyone has won and we shall all have prizes”. If no specific psychotherapy works better than the others, should theoretical orientations should exist at all? Why or why not? If everyone gets better anyway, is the training of clinicians meaningful? Support your view.What is psychopathology? What do you know about mental illness? Why does a leader need to have a working knowledge of the scientific method as applied in the clinical environment?

DQ2 To be a Christian counselor can mean counseling using information gathered from the Bible and biblical scholars, counseling using a Christian world view along with the theories developed by psychologists, or being Christian while providing counseling services. Which of these perspectives best fits your personal philosophy? Why? Can a person act as a Christian counselor without imposing his or her philosophy on the client? Why or why not?

 

PCN807 Psychopathology Behavioral Assessment, &  Interventions

Week 2 Discussion

DQ1 The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is revised about once a decade. Who makes the final decisions regarding what to include or exclude from each edition? How do these choices influence diagnosis, treatment, funding, and society? Why is there so much controversy surrounding the choices? Who benefits most from the changes? Support your view.

DQ2 There are a number of evidence based treatments in psychology. How can a leader who is not a practicing clinician most effectively stay up to date with current treatment recommendations and methodologies? How do you respond when a clinician working under you uses a treatment that you know little about or with which you are uncomfortable? Explain.

 

PCN807 Psychopathology Behavioral Assessment, &  Interventions

Week 3 Discussion

DQ1 Review the childhood and neurodevelopmental disorders listed in the DSM-5. Identify two diagnostic tools for each of these categories of disorders. Are these the most effective tools for diagnosing disorders in these categories? Why or why not? What caveats are aligned to each of the instruments? How might those caveats influence the effectiveness of the diagnostic tools? Explain.

DQ2 How can a behavioral health leader best create a clinical environment to maximize organizational efficiency as well as comfort for individuals and families encountering childhood and neurocognitive disorders? In creating the environment described, what are the most significant considerations for leaders regarding administrative staff and procedures, space in common areas, time between appointments, caseloads for clinicians, etc.? Support your position.

 

PCN807 Psychopathology Behavioral Assessment, &  Interventions

Week 4 Discussion

DQ1 Many disorders of physiological function are difficult to define due to the need to define physiological abnormality. What sort of issues might a behavioral health leader encounter when a clinician defines a physical behavior as abnormal? How might this affect the operations of the organization? Explain.

DQ2 To what extent can leaders in behavioral health influence the public health crisis of the opiate epidemic? Explain. What are the best primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions? How can behavioral health organizations manage the costs of these interventions? Support you view with concrete examples of what behavioral health centers can do to help the community.

 

PCN807 Psychopathology Behavioral Assessment, &  Interventions

Week 5 Discussion

DQ1 Mood, anxiety, and stress disorders are among the most common reasons people seek out behavioral health care in the United States. Do demographics (race, gender, socioeconomic status, disability status, etc.) influence the prevalence of diagnosis and treatment of these disorders? Why or why not?

DQ2 Behavioral health care administrators are often under a great deal of stress. What are the best ways for behavioral health care administrators to recognize higher than normal levels of stress in themselves? Explain. Once stress is recognized, what are some positive ways the administrator can cope with stress? Explain.

 

 

 

 

PCN807 Psychopathology Behavioral Assessment, &  Interventions

Week 6 Discussion

DQ1 Individuals experiencing personality, impulse control, or dissociative disorders do not often seek treatment for themselves when diagnosed. What systems might be involved in securing and providing treatment for these individuals? Is this involvement necessary? Why or why not?

DQ2 Personality, impulse control, and dissociate disorders are exceedingly difficult for clinicians to treat for prolonged periods of time. What are the best tactics behavioral health leaders can apply to help clinicians avoid becoming burned out when working with these clients? Explain.

 

PCN807 Psychopathology Behavioral Assessment, &  Interventions

Week 7 Discussion

DQ1 What agencies need to be contacted to complete an involuntary commitment? Give specific examples for your geographic location. Involuntary commitment is essentially removing or overriding an individual’s constitutional rights which could have a significant life-long impact. Who should be allowed to have this power over others (Individual citizens, clinicians, emergency personnel, no one)? Explain your reasoning.

DQ2 How would you identify burnout/compassion fatigue in behavioral health clinicians? What is the most important thing you as a leader can do for a clinician identified with burnout/compassion fatigue? What is the most important thing for you to do as a leader to prevent burnout in the clinicians serving under you? Support your views.

 

PCN807 Psychopathology Behavioral Assessment, &  Interventions

Week 8 Discussion

DQ1 Tyler is a 35-year-old white male with a history of smoking and heroin injection. He was incarcerated at 33 when he was caught breaking and entering. After he was released from prison, he returned home and engaged in further heroin use. Currently on probation, Tyler is receiving methadone treatment and is strongly being pressured to find employment. Because he is unemployed, he receives some insurance coverage from the state. What do you believe are the most significant influences on his treatment emanating from the expectations of the legal, medical, and managed care systems? Why are these more significant than other influences? Support your position.

DQ2 When working with a client who uses marijuana regularly, the outcome expectations of a therapist, probation officer, physician, and administrator of insurance benefits can differ. In addition, the definition each of these professionals might apply to the concept of “minimum criteria for successful treatment” may differ significantly. As a leader, how can you best help your clinicians simultaneously address the diverse needs of these multiple service providers to provide a fully integrated group of services? Support your ideas. How do these ideas and the other concepts presented in this course help frame your dissertation research? Explain.