Psy 270

Clinical Assessment

Psychology 270

Mr. and Mrs. Lawson brought their 4-year-old adopted daughter, Clara, to see Dr. Mason, a psychiatrist. Clara was polite in greeting Dr. Mason, but did not smile and kept her gaze down as she took a seat. Mr. and Mrs. Lawson sat next to Clara and began explaining their concerns. They described Clara as a quiet child who has recently begun throwing temper tantrums, during which she is inconsolable. Her sleep and eating patterns have changed, and she no longer wants to go to preschool.

1. What other information would you like to learn during the interview with the family? What questions would you ask?

Have there been any changes in Clara’s home life that might have triggered the tantrums’?

Do you know about her birth family? Do you know if any kind of mental disabilities such as bi-polar or schizophrenia?

How does Clara throw the tantrum? Is it that she is just acting out or is something really wrong? This is important to know because a parent can tell if a child is just trying to get attention.

How long now has Clara been attending this preschool?

Did the parents do research on the school’s employees or did they just pick the first preschool they found?

Have there been any new staff members to start working at the preschool since Clara has been throwing these tantrums?

Have there been any deaths in the family human or animal?

2. In addition to the clinical interview, what other clinical assessment tools should you consider? Why?

Using toys and dolls in roll playing could help shed some light into the foundation of Clara’s troubles. A child sometimes at play with the dolls the way they live their home life because they do not know anything different.

Projective tests could possibly be used to have Clara draw a picture of the things that might be bothering her or the dreams she is having. Children like to draw and if there is a game made of it, the child will find more fun and open up more. There are...