Evaluate one of the neurotransmitters covered in this week’s readings.

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Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapters 3 and 4 in your course textbook, and watch The nervous system and the senses video. This week’s required and recommended materials will cover topics on neurotransmitters, receptors, neurotransmitter systems, nervous system structures and function, and neural pathways, with a focus on their role in cognition and behavior (both normal and abnormal). Remember, in this course our focus is on the neurobiology of psychological disorders, and these resources will assist you in completing your coursework.

Please choose either Option A or Option B for your discussion posting.

Option A

Complete the following:

  • Evaluate one of the neurotransmitters covered in this week’s readings.
    • Explain the role it plays in modulating responses to a drug of abuse in Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
      • For example, you could choose the acetylcholine receptor system and discuss the role this neurotransmitter plays in nicotine use disorder (addiction to nicotine).
    • In addition to your evaluation of the specific neurotransmitter and its associated receptor system, discuss the involved neuroanatomical structures (brain regions and neural pathways); the contribution of genetics and environment to the development of dependence, tolerance, and addiction to this substance; as well as clinical treatment interventions (both pharmacological and nonpharmacological).
    • Also in your discussion, imagine you are in a career position that utilizes a degree in psychology, including, but not limited to, that of a social worker, teacher or teacher’s aide, child care worker, psychiatric technician or other behavioral health staff, peer support specialist, social service specialist, probation or parole officer, case manager, or counselor.
      • How would your knowledge of the neurobiology of Substance Use Disorder (substance abuse/addiction) help you in your professional life?
      • How would this knowledge help you better assist your clients, students, or patients?
        • For instance, think of how this knowledge would help reduce the stigma associated with this disorder, or how this might reinforce the need for compliance with recommended treatment.

You must use a minimum of one peer-reviewed or scholarly source that was published within the last five years, documented in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Your post should be a minimum of 250 words. You may cite and reference your textbook, required or recommended reading, or multimedia, but these will not fulfill the source requirement.

Make sure to use terminology from the DSM-5 for the substance use disorder that you select to discuss. Please be sure to access the DSM-5 directly in our library. For further information view The DSM-5: Accessing and Using the DSM-5 in the Ashford University Library (Links to an external site.) screencast on how to access and use this resource, and how to cite and reference the DSM-5.

Option B

Complete the following:

  • Evaluate one of the neurotransmitters covered in this week’s readings.
    • Explain the role it plays in a neurological or psychological disorder of your choice.
      • For example, you could choose the dopaminergic (dopamine) system and discuss the role this neurotransmitter has in the development of schizophrenia.
    • In addition to your evaluation of the specific neurotransmitter and its associated receptor system, discuss how this disorder is thought to involve abnormalities of neuroanatomical structures and neural pathways, as well as the contribution of genetics and environment to the development and clinical management of this disorder.
    • Also in your discussion, imagine you are in a career position that utilizes a degree in psychology, including but not limited to that of a social worker, teacher or teacher’s aide, child care worker, psychiatric technician or other behavioral health staff, peer support specialist, social service specialist, probation or parole officer, case manager, or counselor.
      • How would your knowledge of this information regarding the neurobiology of the neuropsychological disorder help you in your professional life?
      • How would this knowledge help you better assist your clients, students, or patients?
        • For instance, think of how this knowledge would help reduce the stigma associated with this disorder, or how this might reinforce the need for compliance with recommended treatment.

You must use a minimum of one peer-reviewed or scholarly source that was published within the last five years, documented in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Your post should be a minimum of 250 words. You may cite and reference your textbook, required or recommended reading, or multimedia, but these will not fulfill the source requirement.

Make sure to use terminology from the DSM-5 for psychological/behavioral health conditions and current terminology from professional sources for neurological conditions. Please be sure to access the DSM-5 directly in our library. For further information view The DSM-5: Accessing and Using the DSM-5 in the Ashford University Library (Links to an external site.) screencast on how to access and use this resource, and how to cite and reference the DSM-5.

Guided Response: Respond substantively to a minimum of two of your classmate’s original posts, preferably those that have identified neurotransmitters different than you. Each of your responses should address both the neurotransmitter/receptor system and neuroanatomical structures involved for either the drug of abuse or the neurological or psychological disorder that your peer analyzed. In addition, please observe the following guidelines for all responses:

  • Provide a courteous and interactive learning environment.
  • Continue to monitor the discussion board throughout the active learning week and reply to anyone (instructor or classmate) who has chosen to respond to your original post.
  • Your responses should address (at minimum) both the neurotransmitter and receptor system in their discussion, as well as the drug of abuse and/or the neurological or psychological disorder they assessed.
  • Your responses should demonstrate that you have read the existing replies on the board (in your response, mention information and viewpoints already expressed by existing responses to the same post).

Civil Forensic Assessment: Child Custody

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Child custody is a contentious area of forensic psychology and often an area where many forensic psychologists are sued. It is easy to understand why: No matter what the recommendation, at least one of the parties will be extremely unhappy and will perceive that his or her children are being taken away as a result of the professional findings. Unfortunately, children can often be used as “pawns” for the parents, who in their highly emotional state may forget that the best interest of the child is what should matter most. Every day the legal system faces these difficult child custody cases, and professionals attempt to mediate and find solutions to assist in choosing the best alternatives for the children. It is often very difficult for all parties involved.

In this week’s Discussion, you will consider the high-profile case involving Bill O’Reilly and his own legal battle for child custody. How will you as the forensic psychology professional confront the difficulties of the media and the potential sensationalism involved in this case while also understanding the implications for communicating your opinions regarding the findings of the case?

 

Post a response to the following:

  • Explain what areas a forensic psychology professional may likely assess when making specific recommendations involving high-profile situations (such as the Bill O’Reilly case). Provide specific examples.
  • Recommend one juvenile forensic assessment instrument that the forensic professional would most likely utilize in making a decision regarding the case.
  • Provide specific guidelines for effective communication of forensic assessment findings, especially in light of the high-profile status of the case. Your ability as a forensic professional to remain impartial should be an important consideration.

 

Required Readings

Altman, B., & Treneff, C. (2014, May). Old and new solutions in high conflict custody cases. Paper presented at the American Bar Association Section of Family Law 2014 Spring CLE Conference. Retrieved from http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/events/family_law/2014/05/section_of_familylawspringcleconference/11_fri_custody.authcheckdam.pdf

American Psychological Association. (2016a). Guidelines for child custody evaluations in family law proceedings. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/practice/guidelines/child-custody.aspx 

Chasmar, J. (2016, March 2). Bill O’Reilly loses custody of his children in court battle. The Washington Times. Retrieved from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/2/bill-oreilly-loses-custody-of-his-children/

Hans, J. D., Hardesty, J. L., Haselschwerdt, M. L., & Frey, L. M. (2014). The effects of domestic violence allegations on custody evaluators’ recommendations. Journal of Family Psychology, 28(6), 957–966. doi:10.1037/fam0000025
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Patel, S., & Choate, L. (2014). Conducting child custody evaluations: Best practices for mental health counselors who are court-appointed as child custody evaluators. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 36(1), 18–30. doi:10.17744/mehc.36.1.e00401wv7134w505
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Resendes, J., & Lecci, L. (2012). Comparing the MMPI-2 scale scores of parents involved in parental competency and child custody assessments. Psychological Assessment, 24(4), 1054–1059. doi:10.1037/a0028585
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Zumbach, J., & Koglin, U. (2015). Psychological evaluations in family law proceedings: A systematic review of the contemporary literature. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 46(4), 221–234. doi:10.1037/a0039329
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases

Compare and Contrast the ideas between the following 4 Famous Developmental Psychologists:

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Here is the Rubric or Guidelines for you to complete your one, formal, Research Paper for Psychology 230, Life Span Development:

1. Compare and Contrast the ideas between the following 4 Famous Developmental Psychologists: Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, James Marcia and Urie Bronfenbrenner.

2. Show a robust (fairly lengthy) paragraph for each psychologist’s main ideas (that is 4 paragraphs and then a summary 5th paragraph).

3. Write in your own words at least 3 pages or more, double space in a Word Document. No citations, no copy and paste, no footnotes, no plagiarism.

4. After your writing pages, your last page should be a Reference Page showing me where you obtained your information. You should have at least 4 references.

5. Try to use apa writing style, not MLA. Research apa writing style if you are unfamiliar with it. The American Psychological Association has a website at apa.org

6. Font: 12 or 14

Describe how you would implement the solution. Remember to keep the theoretical orientation in mind.

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To prepare:

  • Review and focus on the case study that you chose in Week 2.
  • Review the problem-solving model, focusing on the five steps of the problem-solving model formulated by D’Zurilla on page 388 in the textbook.
  • In addition, review this article listed in the Learning Resources: Westefeld, J. S., & Heckman-Stone, C. (2003). The integrated problem-solving model of crisis intervention: Overview and application. The Counseling Psychologist, 31(2), 221–239. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1177/0011000002250638

Upload your Kaltura video of you presenting your PowerPoint presentation that addresses the following:

  • Identify the theoretical orientation you have selected to use.
  • Describe how you would assess the problem orientation of the client in your selected case study (i.e., how the client perceives the problem). Remember to keep the theoretical orientation in mind in this assessment stage.
  • Discuss the problem definition and formulation based on the theoretical orientation you have selected.
  • Identify and describe two solutions from all the solutions possible. Remember, some of these solutions should stem from the theoretical orientation you are utilizing.
  • Describe how you would implement the solution. Remember to keep the theoretical orientation in mind.
  • Describe the extent to which the client is able to mobilize the solutions for change.
  • Discuss how you would evaluate whether the outcome is achieved or not. Remember to keep the theoretical orientation in mind.
  • Evaluate how well the problem-solving model can be used for short-term treatment of this client.
  • Evaluate one merit and one limitation of using the problem-solving model for this case.

Your 11- to 12-slide PowerPoint presentation should follow these guidelines:

  • Each slide should be written using bullet points, meaning no long paragraphs of written text should be in the slides.
  • Include a brief narration for each slide (i.e., the narration takes the place of any written paragraphs, while the bullet points provide context and cues for the audience to follow along).
  • Record both audio and video for presentation.

Be sure to:

  • Identify and correctly reference the case study you have chosen.
  • Use literature to support your claims.
  • Use APA formatting and style.