Draft of Introduction and Data Analysis

The first step to creating a professional psychological report begins with considering the client's background and reason for referral and the conditions surrounding why an assessment is needed, who the stakeholder of the assessment is, and whether or not the factors surrounding the client's situation could impact the assessment.

In this milestone, you will choose a case study and describe how you will be analyzing your data. The work you do in this milestone will impact the analysis and recommendations you will make in future milestones.

In Module Two, you will submit a two- to three-page draft of the Final Project's Introduction and Data Analysis section. The first step to creating a professional psychological report begins with considering the client's background and reason for referral and the conditions surrounding why an assessment is needed, who the stakeholder of the assessment is, and whether or not the factors surrounding the client's situation could impact the assessment.

In this milestone, you will first be choosing a case history to analyze, either Arthur A. or Barbara B., and you will also need to describe how you will be analyzing your data. The work you do in this milestone will impact the analysis and recommendations you will make in future milestones. This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric.

In Milestone One, specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Introduction and Data Analysis

1. a) Introduce the client's case you chose by briefly recapping the background of the client you are assessing. What is the reason for referral?

State the presenting problem and the questions to be addressed through your evaluation of the data. Relate the problem to the APA Ethical Code and the psychological assessment issues that could be encountered.

2. b) In your response, consider who is making the referral and how this impacts your assessment of the data; is the intended consumer of the report a parent, a school system, a mental health practitioner, a probation officer, or another stakeholder?

3. c) Describe how you will analyze your data by considering the following questions. What is the best way to organize your data to address your

referral question? How do you make this technical information useful and understandable for the intended reader? Justify your choice of method with other research.

Guidelines for Submission: Milestone One must be submitted as a two- to three-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format.

Case History:

Case History Two-Barbara B.

Presenting issue: Barbara B. is a 22-year-old recent college graduate. She is currently employed as an entry-level account representative in a large advertising agency, a job she recently started in a large city in the Northeast. She made a self-referral for assessment, reporting that she has been feeling tired and lacking in energy for about four weeks. She has reported a loss of interest in socializing and performing daily routines, such as exercising. She is questioning her vocational choice and finds she has difficulty keeping her mind on her work. Psychological assessment was requested to gain more information about her present functioning and to aid in intervention planning for Barbara.

Background: Barbara graduated with honors with a degree in advertising from a small southern college. She described a busy social life, with involvement in many clubs and activities, including the soccer team.

Observations: Barbara arrived for her appointment on time and was open in discussing her history and present concerns. She did note that she had overslept and rushed to keep the appointment, so she had not eaten that morning. She completed the assessments in a thoughtful manner, occasionally asking clarifying questions. She had some difficulty in responding to the projective tests, stating she was worried she would give incorrect answers.

Test results: Barbara received two projective personality tests and completed a depression-screening questionnaire.