Assessing Clients With Addictive Disorders

Required Readings

Wheeler, K. (Ed.). (2014). Psychotherapy for the advanced practice psychiatric nurse: A how-to guide for evidence-based practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Chapter 7, “Motivational Interviewing” (pp. 299–312)

Chapter 16, “Psychotherapeutic Approaches for Addictions and Related Disorders” (pp. 565–596)

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Albrecht, U., Kirschner, N. E., & Grusser, S. M. (2007). Diagnostic instruments for behavioral addiction: An overview. German Medical Science Psycho-Social-Medicine, 4, 1–11. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2736529/

Fisher, M. A. (2016a). The ethical ABCs of conditional confidentiality. In Confidentiality limits in psychotherapy: Ethics checklists for mental health professionals (pp. 13–25). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/14860-002.

To prepare:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider the insights they provide.


• Review the Levy Family video Episodes 1 through 5.

The Assignment

In a 2- to 3-page paper, address the following:

• After watching Episode 1, describe:
  
  
  
  • What is Mr. Levy’s perception of the problem?
  
  
  • What is Mrs. Levy’s perception of the problem?
  
  
  • What can be some of the implications of the problem on the family as a whole?
  
  
  
  


• After watching Episode 2, describe:
  
  
  
  • What did you think of Mr. Levy’s social worker’s ideas?
  
  
  • What were your thoughts of her supervisor’s questions about her suggested therapies and his advice to Mr. Levy’s supervisor?
  
  
  
  


• After watching Episode 3, discuss the following:
  
  
  
  • What were your thoughts about the way Mr. Levy’s therapist responded to what Mr. Levy had to say?
  
  
  • What were your impressions of how the therapist worked with Mr. Levy? What did you think about the therapy session as a whole?
  
  
  • Informed by your knowledge of pathophysiology, explain the physiology of deep breathing (a common technique that we use in helping clients to manage anxiety). Explain how changing breathing mechanics can alter blood chemistry.
  
  
  • Describe the therapeutic approach his therapist selected. Would you use exposure therapy with Mr. Levy? Why or why not? What evidence exists to support the use of exposure therapy (or the therapeutic approach you would consider if you disagree with exposure therapy)?
  
  
  
  


• In Episode 4, Mr. Levy tells a very difficult story about Kurt, his platoon officer.
  
  
  
  • Discuss how you would have responded to this revelation.
  
  
  • Describe how this information would inform your therapeutic approach. What would you say/do next?
  
  
  
  


• In Episode 5, Mr. Levy’s therapist is having issues with his story.
  
  
  
  • Imagine that you were providing supervision to this therapist, how would you respond to her concerns?
  
  
  
  


• Support your approach with evidence-based literature.