psychology 644c
I will attach the templete for step 6 later.
The Gehart (2016), pages 31-480, text covers many theories and approaches, including Psychodynamic
(including Brief Psychodynamic Therapy (beginning p 31); Jungian (p 73); Adlerian, (p96);
Person-Centered (p 129); Existential (p 163); Gestalt (p 182); Cognitive Behavioral, both foundational
and evidence-based (beginning p 204); Systemic Family Therapy (p 293); Solution-Focused (p 335);
Narrative and Collaborative (p 368); Feminist and Multicultural (p 412.)
1. Read the entire section on the theory you are using ( some chapters have two theories, and you only need to read one 2. Focus on the “Putting it all together” section for the theory you have chosen and find a template for writing the “theory-specific case conceptualization.” Pay special attention to the concepts described in detail in the “The Viewing: Case Conceptualization” sections of your theory. At the end of the chapter there is a detailed example to show you what the completed treatment plan might look like. 3.Find a client. If you are not yet working in a therapeutic setting, you could find a friend or other student who is willing to participate. While it is not professional psychotherapy, ask the “client” to be authentic and work with the person’s real-life goals, rather than a made-up client. 4. With your client, practice the skill of “Collaborative Goal Setting.” Being collaborative means engaging in a conversation, a dialogue, rather than a monologue by the client or the therapist. The therapist is encouraged to be curious about the client, to suspend thinking from the chosen theory for a period of time, to get to know the client as a person, ask questions about daily life, not necessarily related to presenting problems, to find out what the client is good at, what strengths and resources the client has access to. 5. Explore what kind of life the client would like, encouraging the client to imagine what is wanted, rather than what is not wanted. Encourage descriptions of goals not problems. When the client has articulated a vision of a preferable life, then, using your theory, collaborate with the client to make the goals specific, achievable, and measurable. For some theories, like Cognitive-Behavioral, measurable might mean something more specific and numerical, while for other theories, measurable may mean something different. Any goal can be made more measurable by asking questions such as, “What would we see if this goal was met?” Or “What would I (or others in your life) notice was different? Or other questions that enable both client and therapist to make the goal more visible. You can also explore how achievable the goal is by asking the client what it would take to meet that goal and how committed the client is to take those actions. Questions such as “How likely do you think it is that you will take these actions?” The therapist might be able to increase commitment by asking “What do you think your life would be like if you met these goals?” Or “If you imagine that you have achieved these goals, how might you feel and how do you imagine you would see yourself?’ As the therapist, you could create many other questions that fit with your way of doing therapy and the theory that you are using. 6.Find the Treatment Plan Template, a fillable Word document, attached. Use this template to create your treatment plan for the client you have chosen using the specific theory you have chosen. 7.This is the first of two Signature Assignments for the course. Before submitting your assignment, look it over. Have you considered gender and cultural factors? Does your treatment plan include a social justice orientation? Look back at the section on intersectionality in Module One to help answer this question. Is your treatment plan truly collaborative? Do you honestly believe it will be helpful to you in providing therapy to your client? Will it contribute to better therapeutic outcomes? This last question is key, does a written treatment plan contribute to better therapeutic outcomes?