Psychology Trauma

WATCH THE MOVIE PRECIOUS AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

ASSESSMENT OF A CASE OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA:  PRECIOUS

PSYC 415  PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA

Technical Instructions:

None of your responses should require more than 1 -- 1½ pages of text.  The maximum page limit for this exam is five (5) pages and the minimum is three (3).  Given this limitation, please answer the questions directly; there is no need to make your exam resemble an essay with an introduction, summary, etc.

Each question is worth 20 points.  Do not skip any questions.

You are required to use APA format.  Your use of APA format along with sound writing skills count as 20% of your exam grade.

Please follow the format of the exam when responding to questions.  Number your responses to correspond to the questions.  Do not combine the questions or your responses.  You do not need to cut and paste or retype questions. 

You may use your notes, lecture materials, handouts and texts freely.  Don’t forget to use proper citations. 

Do not use unreliable i.e., non-scientifically or non-scholarly based web sites for this assignment (any “.gov” and professor sponsored “edu” sites are generally acceptable). 

This is an independent assignment; do not collaborate with other students as you complete this exam.

ASSESSMENT OF A CASE OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA:  PRECIOUS

YOUR CHANCE TO BE THE EXPERT

For the present assignment, you are asked to put yourself in the position of the being an “expert” clinician and theorist.  Specifically, you are asked to provide a four component analysis of the character, Clarice “Precious” Jones.  Successful completion of this assignment will require you to succinctly demonstrate your knowledge of course materials as they apply to Precious to produce a traumatic stress oriented assessment of her difficulties.  The four components of your assessment follows.  Content guidance for the each component is provided in the next section of this assignment.

CONTENT GUIDANCE:

Stick to facts rather than your interpretation of facts: 

• Example “Precious experienced chronic sexual abuse starting when she was three years of age.”  GOOD – FACTUAL

“Precious experienced chronic sexual abuse starting when she was three years of age and this why she has poor self-esteem.” PROBLEM:  We don’t know with certainty that the abuse is the cause of P’s low self-esteem.  It is much more appropriate to state the abuse MAY be a cause of P’s low self-esteem. 

“Mary hated Precious from the time she was three years old.” PROBLEM:  We have no way of knowing if this is true – we do know that Mary was quite abuse and targeted precious and that Mary seemed to believe that P was viewed as desirable in comparison to herself. 

“Precious demonstrated academic potential as she performed well in her math classes and earned a certificate of achievement based on the progress she made with reading.” GOOD – specific examples used to back up statement regarding academic potential. 

Focus on Precious.  Any discussion you present regarding P’s mother or any other characters should be in support of explaining something regarding precious. 

Organization:  Mark sure you are putting the appropriate information in each section of your exam. 

ASSESSMENT:

          I.     RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS (20 points): 

Academic relevance: Relates to discussions regarding risks and protective factors for the development of mental illness. 

Goal:  Provide an overview key variables associated with the client starting with the mother’s pregnancy through the time of referral.  Types of information included (these are just examples, focus on variables that are most relevant to the client you are discussing): 

·      Types and quality of social supports.

·      Type and quality of attachment bonds. 

·      Sociodemographic risk and protective factors (age, race, gender, SES, etc.)

·      Academic performance (problems such as learning disorders, achievements, engagement/enjoyment of academic endeavors, level of academic achievement, estimated IQ – below average, average, above average)

·      Socio-emotional development:  Ability to engage appropriately with family, ability to engage appropriately with peers and authority figures. Psychomotor – anxious, agitated, withdrawn or lethargic, ability to focus and sustain attention, ability to plan and complete various tasks).  Behavioral dysfunction:  disruptive or inappropriate behaviors, risky behaviors (towards self-others), ability to cope with stress, attachment style. 

        II.     THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES (20 points): 

Academic Relevance:  Critical thinking – demonstrate your understanding of the key theoretical perspectives that are included in this course AND your ability to apply these perspectives to Precious.

Goal:  Briefly discuss how each theoretical perspective (psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, humanism/Maslow) might conceptualize Precious’s difficulties.  State a carefully formulated empirically based opinion regarding which perspective best explains Precious difficulties and should be used as a guide in providing psychotherapy.

      III.     BIOLOGICAL DYSREGULATION AND BEHAVIORAL DYSFUNCTION (20 points):

Academic Relevance:  Demonstrating knowledge of course content (emphasis includes concepts presented in the Perry and Resick texts, fight-flight-freeze response, biology and trauma, attachment as a bio based variable). 

Goal:  Consider the Neurosequential Model as discussed by Drs. Perry and Szalavitz.  If Precious was a patient of Dr. Perry, how might he conceptualize Precious’ difficulties?  Successfully answering this question requires that you are specific in identifying observable or suspected (based on observation) biopsychosocial dysfunction and in delineating an intervention.

      IV.     DIAGNOSTIC and CLINICAL CONSIDERATIONS (20 points):

Academic Relevance:  Demonstrating knowledge of course content and critical thinking through the application of key academic concepts to the client. 

Goal:  This section should demonstrate what you are learned about stress vs traumatic stress, psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses, normative and non-normative behaviors associated with exposure to traumatic stress and related efforts at coping.  This is the key section in which you may theorize (or state carefully formulated opinions regarding the causes of a person’s difficulties such as the impact of exposure to overwhelming stressors).