Progress in Practicum Experience and the Economic and Administrative Pressures

There are 6 students comments on their post 2 students for 6-1 are Christy and Caprina 6-2 there are Scott and Ashley for 6-03 there are Scott and Ashley please put their name by what you are answering because the three questions are different for 6-1,6-2 and 6-3 the three questions are added there are no files but I need good comments and good writing please add at least 45 words to each comments.

6-1     question     As you have progressed in your practicum experience, how has your skill in collaboratively drawing up a treatment plan evolved? What have you found helpful?

Christy   I am only on my second longterm client, so I cannot say that I have progressed at all with my treatment plans.  I do have ideas for my newest client, but I still had to get help from my supervisor with parts that I had no clue where to even start.  My current client has several needs and my supervisor says she is out of my league.  I love the honesty and will do my best in helping her until I can get her to the right person for help.  I have reached out to two different organizations and I hope she will choose one and take their help.  In the future I hope to improve my treatment planning and be able to achieve this on my own.

Caprina    I participate in the progress of the clients at my current intern site by interacting with Clinicians regarding their progress and other issues which they may require assistance such as resources etc., but I have not actually drawn up a treatment plan at this agency, but I know that I have the capability to do so. With the knowledge gained during my previous employment as a QMHP, I have acquired the knowledge to be able to recognize the issues that are presented by the client, most importantly the interview techniques necessary to engage them and probe them appropriately to be able to participate in the process, recognizing that the clients being more involved are more eager to participate in their treatment and will be more willing to adhere to the recommendations of the proposed treatment plan. Being familiar with the clients that I am working with at my intern site will be assets to the treatment plan implementation once the process begins due to familiarity with the necessary knowledge crucial in constructing the treatment plans.

6-2 question     Have economic pressures on the agency trickled down to the line to a counselor who is forced to show progress towards measurable objectives in a short time? Explain. If not, what are your thoughts on this topic? If presented with this situation, how would you handle it?

Scott    I think it is inevitable today for economic pressures to work their way into treatment. I think one way of working around this is short term therapies but those will work only under certain "parameters." If I have a client that can benefit from a short term therapy, I most definitely try to work with them on that level. There are some clients that, no matter what, will not get effective treatment by being "rushed." The client is going to know they are being rushed and could shut down and stop contributing. This would only cause more harm for them. If I felt that my client needed more, I would staff it with my supervisor and take it to one of the people that gets paid to make that decision. I wuold make sure I had a presentation prepared to show why my client needed a longer term treatment.

Ashley     Within my agency, the economic pressures are measured more by the amounts of clients in a group setting. Within the prison, group sizes are 15 clients per counselor, with two groups running each day for 2.5 hours. I would feel more comfortable with 10-12 clients per group. Another aspect that I consider to be economic pressure is in regards to the time expected groups to be completed or for documentation to be completed. When starting a group I am allotted two weeks to complete all necessary screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning within two weeks. This can often be difficult to manage, especially when clients do not show up for necessary appointments.   As far as showing measurable progress within short time frames, many theories offer short term counseling options, which may include using outside assignments in order to make progress on goals. In this instance, we must work toward what will be in the best interest of the client, and documenting when longer term treatment may be necessary.

6-3 question     are there administrative pressures on line counselors to use a cookie-cutter format in treatment planning? Explain. If not, what are your thoughts on this topic? If presented with this situation how would you handle it?

Scott    At my site there is a basic format for treatment planning but it is far from cookie cutter. There are certain things that are required for treatment plans but each client is going to be different in what they are after. If I run into any difficulties, I always staff with another clinician or my supervisor to make sure that I am covering what needs to be covered. Any changes can be done at a later time by the case manager. OUr profession is not going to be successful if we just use "cookie cutter" anything. All of our clients are individuals and their needs will be just as individual. We need to remember this and treat them as individuals.

Ashley      within my agency, there are pressures to use cookie cutter treatment plans, with the expectation that we will also add information to individualize treatment plans for each member of the group. I can see it necessary for the client to understand the goals of the treatment program that they are getting involved in, and to discuss expectations of the group process, but it is very important for the clients to gather their own goals to clearly understand what they are working toward, and that they have the motivation needed to move forward with their goals. If the client has no say in their goals we are not working within their best interest.