Owner, Supervisor, Consultant, Psychotherapist Intuitus Group Counseling Clinic, PLLC & Independent Professionals Cedar Park, Texas, United States
Abstract: Practitioners commonly struggle to develop a nuanced and personalized approach to screening and diagnostic assessment in clinical practice, despite its potential to inform and clarify the direction and process of treatment. How screening and assessment tools are introduced and administered can make a tremendous difference in both the therapeutic process and the therapeutic relationship.
This workshop will raise and invite participants to consider several questions:
How do you think and feel about diagnostic assessment? What is the purpose of screening or assessment, and how might that vary case by case? Given that purpose, what questions do I need to ask? How does this client/patient respond to forms, direct questions about experience, etc.?
Given that, what is the best approach and corresponding tool? What kind of amnesia is the client experiencing, and what does that mean for diagnosis and treatment?
Part one of this workshop will discuss practical challenges in screening and assessment of dissociative symptoms, and indicators that the tool or its administration are ‘too big’ or ‘too small’ for the specific person, presenting issue, setting, or treatment goal. Examples of personalized and right-sized screening and assessment will be discussed to illustrate a process that is both effective in accomplishing the immediate goal and supportive of the therapeutic process as a whole.
Part two will begin with an overview of available screening and assessment tools to maximize familiarity with currently available options and consider their various strengths and limitations. When the ‘right sized’ tool is selected, effective application is the next step. Challenges that arise in screening and assessment of dissociative symptoms will be discussed, such as self-diagnosis, past diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and other secondary and tertiary gains and obstacles. Participants will be invited to refine and deepen their skills in choosing the best available tool and applying the results to inform treatment.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this session participants will be able to:
Describe indicators that a screening or assessment tool may be too big, too small, or just right for a certain setting or situation
Dicuss common challenges in assessment of dissociative symptoms and disorders
List three strategies to support effective and personalized implementation of dissociation screening tools
Name three available dissociation screening tools suited for a variety of therapeutic settings
Discuss process factors that can help integrate assessment into the therapeutic process
