Assessment in Marriage and Family Counseling

Complete the following:

• Select one of the scenarios from the Unit 9 Scenarios document in the Resources. The scenario you choose should be based on your program of study. If you are a MFT learner, please select an identified couple or family assessment tool from provided unit readings.

• Identify the primary question the assessment needs to address in order to best serve the client population.

• With support from scholarly literature, provide a clear description of the assessment tool and measure of the identified problem.

• Using measurement constructs, describe how the assessment is scored, interpreted, and linked to the practice of counseling.

• Evaluate how the tool can be used with clients as part of an ethical assessment process.

• Apply your selected assessment tool to your chosen scenario. Describe the process of presenting assessment results with a clear consideration of the client's unique cultural context.

Unit 9 Scenarios:

The Case of Mike-

Mike is 13 years old and lives with his parents. He is an only child. His parents are concerned that he may be abusing alcohol, because they recently discovered a partial bottle of vodka in his bedroom. They report that Mike's friends have changed over the past year and he has quit playing sports that he previously enjoyed. They are also worried about his poor grades. Mike acknowledges that he has been feeling unhappy at home, but insists that the vodka wasn't his and must have fallen out of a friend's bag. He has reluctantly agreed to attend counseling to appease his parents.

The Case of Sophia-

Sophia is 17 years old and a high school junior, hoping to attend college. She will be the rust from her family to attend college. She has above average grades and has exceeded the minimum score for the state university in her SAT scores. Her problem is that she does not know what she wants to do. Other than her teachers, she knows very few adults with college degrees and feels she is entering uncharted waters. The adults in her extended family work together running the family restaurant. They are supportive of her attending college and have many ideas about what she should study based on many of their own unfulfilled dreams. She wonders why she does not seem to have dreams of her own. She is seeking counseling to explore her options.

The Case of Allen-

Allen is a 70-year-old widowed male. He reports that he is still trying to recover from the loss of his wife, who died in an accident a year ago. He is having trouble sleeping and frequently finds himself tearful when he is alone. His children are grown and live in other states. They have expressed concern that he doesn't seem himself and they hate seeing him lonely. They are urging him to move to be closer to one of them, but he reports that he doesn't have the energy to pick up his life and relocate. He is seeking counseling to find out how he can move forward in his life.

The Case of Alicia-

Alicia is 25-year-old female referred by her partner, Sadie. Sadie is concerned that Alicia's eating pattern is unhealthy. Alicia insists that there is nothing wrong and is coming to counseling to humor Sadie. When asked about her weight, Alicia notes that she could still stand to lose a few pounds. She acknowledges that she likes to have a treat now and then, and puts on a little weight, but she can cut back on her eating to compensate. She reports her height as 5 feet, 5 inches and her weight as 120 pounds. Based upon the way her clothing hangs loosely off her frame, her report of her weight is likely an overestimate. Sadie is concerned that Alicia is becoming more moody. Alicia acknowledges that she isn't very happy with herself.

The Case of John and Carmen-

John and Carmen are seeking premarital counseling. They report that they are committed to each other and look forward to having a family of their own some day. Much to their mutual frustration, their respective families are not happy about their plans. John's parents are upper-middle-class African Americans who anticipated that John would be a role model to his younger siblings and cousins after college by living close by and being active in the community. They are not happy that Carmen is drawing John away from being available to his younger brother and cousins. Carmen's family is from Puerto Rico and express strong reservations about Carmen marrying someone who doesn't share their faith. Carmen would like John to convert to her religion. John is uncertain that his conversion will make a difference in how Carmen's family will accept him and knows it is likely to provoke even more resentment on the part of his parents. The tension over their parents' objections is causing friction between John and Carmen. They are hoping that counseling will help them settle on how they can retain what is most important to each of them, so they can build a life together.

The Case of Sara-

Sara is 40 years old and recently divorced. She is planning to return to the workforce in order to support herself and her two teenage sons. She has not worked for fifteen years, as she was the primary caretaker for her sons for the majority of the time she was married. Her only work experience was as an administrative assistant in a small office for five years. She knows her computer skills are quite out of date and fears that no one will want to hire someone who needs training. She questions whether she might like some other type of work more, but doesn't know where to start.