Treatment Planning in Mental Health Counseling

Treatment Planning in Mental Health Counseling

During your master’s program, you have had several opportunities to review the main theories of counseling and to consider the key interventions used by therapists who employ each of these theoretical approaches. You have also completed discussions, exercises, and assignments that have asked you to describe your own current approach to counseling and to align it within the main theories being used by mental health professionals.

Treatment Planning in Mental Health Counseling

For this discussion, you will reflect upon how one’s theoretical approach may influence how a counselor develops a treatment plan. For example, a counselor using a strengths-based, solution-oriented approach may think about a client’s presenting issues, goals, and choice of interventions very differently from a counselor who identifies as a psychodynamically oriented therapist. To begin, review the main elements of a treatment plan described in the unit introduction and consider how a counselor’s particular theoretical approach would influence the way in which each element is presented. What would be emphasized or omitted based on the theoretical approach being used? How might the language used be different in each element, based on the key assumptions and concepts included within the theoretical approach?

Complete the following:

Describe briefly your own theoretical approach to counseling (or the approach used in your current fieldwork setting). (This should be no longer than 1–2 sentences.)
Write a brief entry for each of the following items that demonstrates how you would present the treatment plan from the theoretical approach you are using. For this, use one of the clients with whom you are currently working. You can use bullet points to keep your information concise. Important: Be sure the language you use matches the theory you have selected. Include the following in your entry:
A brief description of the client. (Please limit this to one paragraph and omit any information that would identify this client—do not use the client’s name.)

Treatment Planning in Mental Health Counseling
The main presenting issues. (Be succinct. How would you describe each issue in a few words?)
Two immediate goals (such as those for sessions 1–4). Just one sentence for each goal.
Two specific interventions used to reach these immediate goals. Each intervention should be 1–3 sentences. Be sure the intervention is consistent with the theoretical approach.
Two short-term goals (such as those for sessions 5–12).
Two specific interventions used to reach these short-term goals.
A brief description of the methods you would use to document the client’s progress. How would you document this? For example, would you rely on your observations of the client during the sessions or on specific behaviors that the client reports to you? Would you use any self-report instruments or other assessments to document change?

Treatment Planning in Mental Health Counseling

By admin in Essays on August 5, 2016