Assessment Details and Instructions

Assessment Details and Instructions

Purpose:

The purpose of a case study is to present an intensive, systematic investigation of an individual, group, community, or some other unit. In this assessment, students will select one of the mental health conditions studied in this unit to demonstrate professional knowledge and understanding of a person living with this condition.

Students will provide an analysis of a low-prevalence mental health condition covered in this unit comprising presenting problems that the person may bring to counselling, and demonstrate knowledge and skills in case conceptualization, assessment, and development of an evidence-based intervention plan. Ethical issues and potential challenges will be critically analysed.

Process:

Students select one of three case scenarios of selected low-prevalence mental health conditions.

Provide a general overview of the selected mental health condition (SCIZOPHRENIA) (not specific to the case scenario), including key symptoms, risk factors, and prevalence in Australia. Provide a tentative diagnosis based on the DSM-5 criteria for the selected mental health condition

Develop a case conceptualization based on the 5-P model, including presenting issues, predisposing factors, precipitating factors, perpetuating/maintaining factors, and protective factors. Elements from the case study need to be drawn upon here to support the case conceptualization

Suggest validated diagnostic tools that could be used to support diagnosis and suggest an intervention plan based on relevant and highly evidence-informed practice.

Identify and critically evaluate ethical and professional challenges.

The paper needs to include an introduction and a summary/conclusion, and needs to be referenced in APA style (7th ed.)

Case Study

Omer is a 19-year-old university student who was brought to the campus counsellor by

campus security. He was picked up sitting on a ledge on the second floor of a building,

talking to doves, and reporting that he can understand the doves communication and they

talk to him. He denies that he wanted to jump off the ledge and states that, on the contrary,

roofs and ledges are some of the few safe spaces left. He says that he enjoys the doves

company and that he no longer trusts people since he his car and unit were bugged, and

since he is being monitored by secret agents. He said that he no longer uses his phone or

laptop so that he cannot be tracked easily.

Omer successfully completed his first year at university, but his grades declined over the last

six months and he has all but withdrawn from his courses. He says that secret agents started

following him sporadically about a year ago but increased their surveillance after he moved

into his own place about six months ago. He says that he stopped seeing his friends around

that time as he suspects that they were feeding information to the secret service before he

moved out. At the counsellors practice, Omer speaks with a monotone voice and has

restricted affect. He sometimes seems to look up at the corners of the room as if searching

for something. He assures the counsellor that he does not use alcohol or illicit drugs

because I need to stay on the top of my game. He states that his uncle had been

murdered by secret agents at a psychiatric hospital and that he needs to be alert so that

he will not suffer the same fate.