Review the web article, “Issue Brief 1: Adolescent Legal Competence in Court.” Think about how this information might assist a forensic psychology professional who is tasked with assessing a juvenile’s competency to stand trial.  

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Mental Status Exam and Suicide Risk Assessment

Have you had the opportunity to conduct or observe an MSE and/or suicide risk assessment?

· If so, provide a summary of your reactions.

· If not, discuss with your supervisor how you might find such an opportunity. Provide a summary of your concerns, fears, and anticipations for when you do observe or conduct your first assessment.

In addition, consider the following after watching the Mental Status Exam video from this unit’s studies:

· What are your observations of the fluidity of the mental status exam?

· Does the exam present as less or more structured than anticipated?

· What specific questions or observations are noted to collect information specific to the mental status exam?

· How does rapport-building occur?

· What are the basic attending skills you noticed?

Read the following:

· Read Granello’s 2010 article, “The Process of Suicide Risk Assessment: Twelve Core Principles,” in the Journal of Counseling and Development, volume 88, issue 3, pages 363–371.

· Read Polanski and Hinkle’s 2000 article, “The Mental Status Examination: Its Use by Professional Counselors,” in the Journal of Counseling and Development, volume 78, issue 3, pages 357–364. This article introduces the different contexts in which this exam is given.

*MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice. (n.d.). MacArthur Foundation Reasearch Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice. Retrieved October 2, 2009, from http://www.adjj.org/content/index.php

In this week’s Application Assignment, you examine various aspects of this interesting area of research and how such research can be applied in a court setting.You also explore juvenile development in general and how developmental issues shape the legal criteria of competence to stand trial for juvenile defendants, both of which can have broad application in the courts.

To prepare for this assignment:

  • Review the web article, “Issue Brief 1: Adolescent Legal Competence in Court.” Think about how this information might assist a forensic psychology professional who is tasked with assessing a juvenile’s competency to stand trial.
  • Using the Walden Library, select a research article dealing with the assessment of juvenile competency to stand trial.
  • Review the article you selected and reflect on how the study was conducted as well as how it might assist a forensic psychology professional who is tasked with assessing a juvenile’s competency to stand trial.

The assignment (1–2 pages):

  • Explain the use of forensic psychology research in court settings.
  • Briefly summarize the research study you selected, including how juvenile competency to stand trial was assessed.
  • Explain how a forensic psychology professional might use this research study when assessing a juvenile’s competency to stand trial.

Review the article, “From Single Case to Database: A New Method for Enhancing Psychotherapy Practice.” Pay particular attention to how both quantitative and qualitative research designs are used to evaluate individual case studies.

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Research studies in forensic psychology that utilize quantitative research designs are more common than those using the qualitative approach. As previously pointed out, qualitative designs have only recently been accepted in forensic psychology research. However, many forensic psychologists and forensic psychology professionals are realizing that much can be learned in many areas of study by using qualitative research designs instead of quantitative. Furthermore, the differences between quantitative and qualitative designs are not as distinct as you might imagine.

To prepare for this assignment:

  • Review the article, “From Single Case to Database: A New Method for Enhancing Psychotherapy Practice.” Pay particular attention to how both quantitative and qualitative research designs are used to evaluate individual case studies.
  • Using the Walden Library, choose and review a research study in the area of forensic psychology that uses a quantitative design and another that uses a qualitativedesign. If possible, try to find articles that focus on similar or related topics or research questions in forensic psychology.
  • Consider the similarities and differences between the two studies in terms of the designs of the studies, the data collection and analysis methods, and the nature of the interpretation of results and conclusions drawn.

The assignment (2–3 pages):

  • Briefly describe the quantitative study you selected.
  • Briefly describe the qualitative study you selected.
  • Compare (similarities and differences) the two studies in terms of the designs, the methods of data collection and analysis, the nature of the interpretation, and conclusions drawn.
  • Explain an insight you had or conclusion you now might draw as a result of/based on your comparison.

Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list only for those resources not included in the Learning Resources for this course.

Evaluate the influence of the cultural background of children with high-incidence exceptionalities (such as learning disabilities) on how they are approached by the following:

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The importance of families cannot be overstated in dealing with children with exceptionalities. Despite the high incidence of exceptionalities such as learning disabilities and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, families often feel isolated and experience significant stress.

Using the module readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, research the roles of families and the positive and negative impact children with disabilities can have on the family.

Be sure to review the following article from the readings for this module:

Based on your research, address the following:

  • Provide a brief overview of the main points of the article.
  • Describe at least two things you learned from the article.
  • Describe the potential challenges and benefits for families who have one or more children with exceptionalities.
  • Evaluate the influence of the cultural background of children with high-incidence exceptionalities (such as learning disabilities) on how they are approached by the following:
    • Their families
    • Their schools
    • Their communities
  • Describe the ecocultural perspective. Based on your readings, describe supports or interventions you would recommend from this perspective. Be sure to address families, schools, and communities.

Write a 3–5-page paper in Word format. Be sure to include separate title and reference pages. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

Write a coherent, well-organized paper. Be sure that your paper has an introduction, a main body, which is subdivided by topic and subtopic, and a summary.

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Warm-up Activity 8.1
Access the online text Davis, Stephen F. & Halonen, Jane S. (2001). This text, The Many Faces of Research in the Twentieth Century, covers research reviews in over ten topic areas in psychology, written by the top researchers in the field. You are invited to read all chapters in the book, but be sure to read the chapter that most closely relates to the topic you’ve chosen to study for your own review. Note how the researcher organizes the review, and ends with a conclusion of future directions for research. Consider this a prototype for your own literature review and signature paper. That is, you can learn about the form and organization of a literature review from reading these chapters.

(Note: You will see that because this book was written in the beginning of the twenty-first century, some of the research referred to in the book chapters are now outdated. Further, please note that you will not include ANY references to research in the book chapters in your own literature review.)

Warm-up Activity 8.2
Although you’ve organized your presentation in the outline, when writing, you need to make smooth transitions between sections. For some writing skills to help you deal with this section of your paper visit the Coherence: Transitions Between Ideas website for support on coherence and transitions in writing.

Assignment

Drawing on the references you have collected and following the outline you constructed, prepare your final paper. Refer to the sample research reviews listed in Warm-up Activity 8.1 as models for your own finished product. You will review and report on approximately 50-60 articles of importance in your area of interest. You may find as you are writing that you still need to support some parts of your argument better with more research, or that some research does not really fit with your overall organization and plan.

Write a coherent, well-organized paper. Be sure that your paper has an introduction, a main body, which is subdivided by topic and subtopic, and a summary. Your summary should draw a conclusion, based on your review of the research, as to what type of program would be best to either prevent or intervene in the problem you focused on, in the population that you chose. You may find that there is insufficient evidence to draw such a conclusion, or that a new program needs to be devised to meet the needs of that particular population.

Length: 25-30 pages