Identifying a Population and Clinical Area of Concern

For this discussion, identify the population and the clinical area of concern that are addressed in the mental health counseling program for which you will propose the program evaluation. The identified population can be general or specific. You may want to identify a specific, underserved group. Examples of populations include the general public, children and adolescents, adults, women, men, veterans, police officers, Hispanic males, Hispanic females, high school students, college students, et cetera.

Once you have identified your population, identify the clinical area of concern that your project will examine. You might select a certain clinical area of concern that is a focus at your practicum or internship site. Examples of clinical areas of concern include, but are not limited to, substance abuse or dependency, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, attention deficit/hyperactivity symptoms or disorders, or PTSD.

Note: You may change the population, clinical area of concern, and the clinical intervention that you address in discussions throughout this course; doing so, however, will require more work on your part, as you will need to go back and research new literature.

In this post, address the following:

• • What population does your hypothetical program serve? Specify age range, gender, ethnicity, race, and so forth to demonstrate the unique characteristics of the population served.

  • What is the clinical area of concern (depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, self-esteem, et cetera) that your program is designed to address?

  • Integrate, cite, and reference at least one peer-reviewed journal article that describes how your hypothetical population has unique needs in this area of clinical concern. For example, your hypothetical program could be designed to assist female law enforcement officers who have developed PTSD. In this case, you would find at least one article that describes the particular issues that female officers might face in developing or getting treatment for PTSD.