What would you say is Lona’s primary diagnosis? Be sure to cover areas such as;  former level of functioning, current level of functioning, stress factors, medical, personality disorder, primary diagnosis)

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Case Study

Purpose

In this activity, you will demonstrate your understanding of the basic theories and techniques of abnormal psychology.

Guidelines

Lona is a married 35-year-old mother of one child (age 5). She has been married for ten years. At the onset of their marriage, Lona and her husband enjoyed their budding careers and great income. They drove the cars they liked, lived in the home they liked, and bought the material goods and services they liked. For most of the marriage, Lona has been the primary breadwinner (although both make six figures).

Lona became pregnant with their first child after five years of marriage. She was a doting mother of a very healthy baby girl. Her focus shifted from her career, but she tried to the best of her ability to be a jack of all trades. She was a great mother, housewife, and professional.

Soon, however, Lona became exhausted from her pace. She did not eat as well as before. She did not sleep as well as before (largely because she attempted to do all of her work while the baby was in bed). She found herself making a tremendous to-do list each day that never seemed to get done.

Lona arranged her schedule so that she did not need a babysitter. She mothered during the day and worked long into the night to meet the needs of her household. She endured this schedule for four years almost flawlessly. However, she became irritable, sickly, and seemingly “wilted.” She continued to dote on her child, but her marriage suffered. She was too tired for intimacy and resented her husband for daring to state that he was tired. He seldom helped around the house, and their daughter was so attached to Lona that she could not be soothed by her father for long periods of time.

Lona became sullen and very tired. Her allergies returned after a ten-year hiatus. She stopped doing the things she enjoyed and began to do whatever she could to simply stay awake. She decided to quit her high-paying job to work for a lesser salary at home. She stated repeatedly that it was her husband’s turn to pick up the slack.

Lona only spoke to her sister and mother of her anger, resentment, and fatigue. She discontinued exercise due to her inability to get up in the morning early enough to go jogging. This has left her twenty pounds heavier than before.

Lona states upon meeting you that she feels she is going downhill and needs some help to figure out a solution to her problems. She is very cooperative and willing to work hard to feel better for the sake of her child.

Lona has not ever been in therapy before, but several of her friends have found it beneficial and enlightening.

Lona’s aim is to keep her family intact and work on her problems to feel better.

The completed work should be 6–8 pages long.

Grading criteria for this assignment:

You are giving Lona a preliminary diagnosis. This is your first session/intake, so your information is limited to the above.

  1. What would you say is Lona’s primary diagnosis? Be sure to cover areas such as;  former level of functioning, current level of functioning, stress factors, medical, personality disorder, primary diagnosis)
  2. Discuss your diagnosis and provide justification using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes and least one additional relevant source. (40 points)
  3. Discuss your symptoms and provide justification using the
  4. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) and at least one additional relevant source. (20 points)
  5. List each treatment goal and discuss each separately and in detail. (10 points)
  6. List each Strength and your idea of how it could be used to support Lona in her treatment. (10 points)
  7. List each area of improvement and your idea of how it could be changed to support Lona in her treatment. (10 points)
  8. List each homework assignment and how it will support Lona in her treatment. (5 points)
  9. List your reasons for exploring these areas and discuss how this will assist Lona in her treatment. (5 points)
  10. What are the key symptoms that led you to this diagnosis? Explain and be specific.
  11. What are your treatment goals for Lona?
  12. What are Lona’s strengths as you see them (look for these to assist you in being a good helper for her)?
  13. What are areas for improvement for Lona?
  14. List two homework assignments you will give Lona to work on for her next appointment with you.
  15. What are some areas you will explore next (e.g., Lona’s relationship with her husband; professional goals)?

Post your response to the question, “To what extent is mixed methods research simply taking a quantitative design and a qualitative design and putting them together?”

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Mixed methods research designs refer to a set of designs that purposively mix or integrate both qualitative data and quantitative data. As with quantitative research and qualitative research, the choice to use mixed methods research is influenced by the researcher’s philosophical orientation.

This week’s readings provide an overview of various types of mixed methods research designs. As with previous discussions on design, the selection of the most appropriate mixed design is guided by the study’s purpose and research questions and/or hypotheses. The choice of design links the research questions and/or hypotheses to the data that will be collected achieving alignment among research components.

In this Discussion, you will explore the basics of mixed methods research designs, calling upon your growing understanding of both quantitative and qualitative research.

With these thoughts in mind:

By Day 4

Post your response to the question, “To what extent is mixed methods research simply taking a quantitative design and a qualitative design and putting them together?” Next, explain the types of research questions best served by mixed methods research. Then, explain one strength and one limitation of mixed methods research. Finally, provide a rationale for or against the utility of mixed methods research in your discipline.

Be sure to support your Main Issue Post and Response Post with reference to the week’s Learning Resources and other scholarly evidence in APA Style.

Read a selection of your classmates’ postings.

 Choose one phenomenon or issue that a client may be dealing with (for example, depression, anxiety, or family conflict).

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The center point of research studies is the body of data collected to answer the research question. These data must be measured, which is the act of taking an abstract concept (e.g., depression, anger, etc.), sorting them out and quantifying them in some cohesive way in order to construct meaning—but how can you measure something that is not easily quantifiable?

Choosing an appropriate measurement tool requires consideration of a number of different issues including reliability, validity, appropriateness for use with a specific group or culture, availability, and potential cost. Sometimes, social workers will attempt to create their own set of questions to tap into or measure a concept. This may appear to be an easy thing to do; however, writing questions to measure a phenomenon is more challenging than it would seem. For example, how do we know it measures what we want it to measure?  In the first discussion this week, you will have the opportunity to create your own questions to measure a phenomenon of your interest. In the second discussion, you will compare the measure you created with an existing instrument that measures the same phenomenon.

To prepare: Choose one phenomenon or issue that a client may be dealing with (for example, depression, anxiety, or family conflict). Consider how you would evaluate the client’s progress in this area. Create questions with response options that would capture this phenomenon or client issue.

Yegidis, B. L., Weinbach, R. W., & Myers, L. L.  (2018). Research methods for social workers (8th ed.). New York, NY:  Pearson.

  • Chapter 10, “Measurements Concepts and Issues” (pp. 223-245)
  • Chapter 11,” Methods for Acquiring Research Data” (pp. 246-275)
  • Chapter 12, “Data Collection Instruments” (pp. 277-294)

Develop three experiential interventions that you would use with the Vargas family. It’s time to get creative! You have noticed that the Vargas family struggles with emotional expression

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Read “Topic 6: Vargas Family Case Study.” Develop three experiential interventions that you would use with the Vargas family.

It’s time to get creative! You have noticed that the Vargas family struggles with emotional expression, particularly with congruent emotional expression (i.e., words, actions, and body language being congruent). Using the Experiential Interventions Template, create three unique experiential interventions that you would use with the family and describe how they would be helpful to the family. It may be helpful to refer to the library articles for ideas and inspiration, but do not copy existing interventions. Be sure to fully address each section in the template for each of the three interventions in your paper:

  1. Title of your Intervention
  2. General Goals
  3. Materials Needed
  4. Advance Preparation Needed
  5. Description of the Intervention with the Vargas family
  6. Discussion of the Benefits of the Intervention to the Vargas Family
  7. References (if any)

 

The Vargas family arrives five minutes late for their 6th session. Elizabeth apologizes for their tardiness and complains that they had come from an event hosted by her former employer and were having an argument in the parking lot. You notice the children appear somewhat disheveled with red cheeks and grass-stained clothing. They excitedly share stories of coming from a “big picnic” where they “played lots of games and made new friends.” Frank tells you that he was playing Kick Ball and that his team was winning. Smiling and tousling Frank’s hair, Bob adds that he and Frank were “an unstoppable force” who dominated each event at the picnic. Bob and Frank were in the middle of a celebratory high-five when Heidi tells her dad that she wishes he would have been on her soccer team. While still engaged in the celebration with Frank, Bob replies, “Me too; maybe next time.”

Elizabeth states she was “pleasantly surprised” that Bob was enjoying himself, given his strong personal opinion of many of her friends, who are gay. Bob insists that the picnic was “just okay,” and that he “was just trying to be nice.” He tells you he doesn’t have “anything against gays,” but that “they just make me uncomfortable.” Heidi reminds him that he agreed to have her new friend, Dani “and her two daddies,” over for a barbeque. You comment that the family’s mood has changed from how they arrived. Frank explains that his mother got angry at him and admits to running away and hiding from his mother when she said it was time to leave the picnic. Elizabeth immediately denies being mad at him. You ask Frank what made him think his mother was mad, and he replied, “Her eyes were squinty and she had a mean voice.” When asked if his dad was also angry, Frank replies, “He saw me in my hiding place; he was smiling. Then in the car, he yelled at me to ‘listen to your mother.’”

Elizabeth shot Bob an angry look when Heidi shares that she was having fun playing soccer and that she didn’t want to leave either. She adds, “I always listen because I don’t want Mommy to be sad.” She proceeds to blame her brother for “making Mommy and Daddy fight” to which Frank makes a counter-accusation, blaming Heidi for the parental discord. Elizabeth and Bob exchange angry looks, then Bob assures Heidi that, “It wasn’t all your fault.”