Course Code: COU501
Synopsis
This course is designed to provide a theoretical and practical introduction on the following topics: • Purposes, principles and processes of clinical assessment • Professional issues of assessment • Clinical assessment and initial intake • Mental status examination • Working with client resistance • Role of diagnosis in assessment • DSM-5 diagnostic criteria relating to anxiety, depression and other commonly encountered disorders • Role of case conceptualization in assessment • Case conceptualization: Biopsychosocial approach • Case conceptualization: Cognitive-behavioural approach • Case conceptualization: Solution-focused approach
Level: 5
Credit Units: 5
Presentation Pattern: EVERY JULY
Topics
- Assessment in psychotherapy & counselling
- Basic assessment principles in counselling
- Clinical assessment and diagnosis
- Initial interview communication principles
- Using appropriate assessment tools and measures in counselling
- Ethical and legal issues in clinical assessment
- Issues related to counselling assessment with diverse populations
- Case conceptualizations in counselling: An overview
- Counselling assessment and diagnostic formulations
- Explanations and cultural formulations in clinical assessment
- Treatment planning and treatment formulations in counselling
- Different theoretical case conceptualisations in psychotherapy
Learning Outcome
- Examine the purpose, nature, process and basic principles of assessment in counselling.
- Appraise different theoretical orientations of assessments in counselling.
- Critique the importance of culture and contexts in assessment and formulation in a local context.
- Discuss meaningful selection, administration, scoring and interpretation of assessment results.
- Formulate case conceptualisations through interpretation of assessment results.
- Evaluate the implications of ethical and legal issues in assessment.