CHYS 2P35 - Clinical Interview Assessment

CHYS 2P35 - Assessment - Lecture 3 Notes

• Clinical Interview Structures: Vary in structure, structured interviews use standardized questions with predetermined wording. Unstructured interviews use open-ended questions.

• Structured Clinical Interview: Developed to assess DSM-5 symptoms. Examples include Anxiety and Related Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-5.

• Clinical Interview Definition: A series of questions, administered face-to-face or via telehealth, to assess a client's reasons for treatment, symptoms, health status, family background, and life history.

• Unstructured Interview: Involves open-ended questions for gathering information.

• Evidence-Based Assessment: Assessment procedures should follow guidelines to support this.

• Assessment Considerations: Multiple problems may be present before a referral is made. Thorough assessment is necessary, and a treatment plan is developed through the process. Assessment is an ongoing process, with the model being revisited as needed.

Case of Alexa

• Alexa: 10 years old describing anxiety-related symptoms that interfere with personal activities.

• Assessment: Anxiety and Related Disorder Interview Schedule (DSM-5) used; Thought records used to observe self-behavior; Assessments directly related to therapy (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), which progresses through treatment.

• Assessment Goal: Determine if social anxiety is present.

Case of Savannah

• Savannah: 14 years old, Grade 9, exhibiting depression, school refusal, stomach pains, wanting to be with mother often, quiet, isolated behavior and poor sleep.
• Reason for Referral: Depression and recent symptoms during mother's hospitalization.
• Assessment: Need for diagnosis of a psychological disorder or multiple disorders.
• Clinical Assessment: Systematic problem-solving to understand symptom causes and relationships to family, school, and other environments. Looks at etiology, treatment, and potential outcomes.
• Etiology Considerations: Root causes of childhood disorders, looking at variables and origins.

Semi-Structured Interview Questions

• Depressed Mood: Questions include "Do you feel sad?" and "Do you get moody?"
• Loss of Interest: Questions include "Have you lost interest in doing things, like your hobbies?" and "Is there anything you look forward to doing?"

Assessment Details

• Clinical Description: Details unique behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that make up psychological issues; looks at factors like intensity, frequency, and severity.
• Multimodal Assessment: Behavior observation and clinical interviews to gather information for assessment used for several factors, including treatment planning.

Adaptive Functioning

• Examples of Adaptive Functions: Communication, social skills, motor skills, self-care, and skills that contribute to independence (evaluated based on age/developmental level).
• Standardized Tests: Vineland-3 used to assess adaptive functioning.

Cognitive Assessments

• Adaptive Functioning: Functional skills an individual performs daily.
• Intelligence Training: Includes overall cognitive evaluation, diagnoses of learning disabilities and giftedness, and prediction of future academic achievement and intellectual disability.

Behavioral Assessment

• Behavioral Assessment: Records actions rather than responses to ratings scales, looking at triggers, setting events, consequences. Uses objective recording of behaviors.
• Antecedents and Consequences: Behavior precedes and follows events; Behavioral Interviewing process evaluates behavior and frequency.

Behavioral Assessments - Target Behaviors

• Target Behaviors: Behaviors of concern that are targeted for change by the client and clinicians.
• Behavioral Observational Data: Allows watching behaviors in a client's natural environment.
• Self-Monitoring: Individualizing experiments for the client to observe, to imply rewards post-treatment.

Mental Status Exam

• Definition: A method of assessing a client's functioning objectively.
• Assessed Areas: Appearance and attitudes, behaviors, mood/affect, speech, thought processes, content of thoughts, perception, cognition, insight, and judgment.
• Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE): A structured screening tool to assess neurological functioning, such as neurocognitive impairments, including memory tasks.