ESSAY: Assessing Client Families

Students will:
Assess client families presenting for psychotherapy
Develop genograms for client families presenting for psychotherapy
To prepare:
Select a client family that you have observed or counseled at your practicum site.
Review pages 137–142 of Wheeler (2014) and the Hernandez Family Genogram video in this week’s Learning Resources.
Reflect on elements of writing a comprehensive client assessment and creating a genogram for the client you selected.
The Assignment
Part 1: Comprehensive Client Family Assessment

Create a comprehensive client assessment for your selected client family that addresses (without violating HIPAA regulations) the following:

Demographic information
Presenting problem
History or present illness
Past psychiatric history
Medical history
Substance use history
Developmental history
Family psychiatric history
Psychosocial history
History of abuse and/or trauma
Review of systems
Physical assessment
Mental status exam
Differential diagnosis
Case formulation
Treatment plan
Part 2: Family Genogram

Develop a genogram for the client family you selected. The genogram should extend back at least three generations (parents, grandparents, and great grandparents).

ANSWER

Family Genogram

Part 1: Family Assessment

Demographic Information

The Hernandez family is of Hispanic descent. It comprises of a father Juan, mother Elena and their two children Alberto and Juan Jr. Juan Jr is eight years old, and Alberto is six years old. A thorough analysis of the family reveals that its members love and care deeply for one another.

Presenting the Problem

An ACS worker has determined that Elena and Juan use corporal punishment when responding to their children’s undesirable behaviors. Corporal forms of punishment are used with the intention of causing physical pain. They include spanking, flogging, and caning. In this case, Elena and Juan would punish the children by making them kneel while holding encyclopedias up. According to the ASC worker, this form of punishment was abusive reason why she recommended that they sign up for parenting classes. Even though they maintain that this form of punishment was right, they did not wish to be separated from their children. For this reason, they agreed to sign up and learn the most suitable parenting approaches for their family.

History of Present Illness

Juan claims that he has no history with drug or substance abuse. However, he does state that he had a history of petty theft as a child. His juvenile petty theft record was effaced in 2010. Elena, on the other hand, is said to be suffering from hypertension and high levels of cholesterol. Because of this, she rarely participates in her family’s physical activity regimens.

Medical History

It can be argued that the Hernandez family’s medical history suffers as a result of the parents’ busy work schedules. For this reason, they are unable to attend the parenting classes as much as they should. Also, these schedules prevent them from attending regular health check-ups. The children attend medical check-ups only when health disorders arise. These disorders are most likely the result of the family’s increasing health-related risks. Nonetheless, the parents claim to have had a long and healthy family life. Furthermore, they are always monitoring their sons’ lives. 

Past Psychiatric History Juan has always been of sound mind. As for the rest of the family, they are all friendly. By communicating well with everyone else, they have been able to form desirable social relationships. As Juan and Elena claim, their family is firmly integrated through good interaction bonds that ensure everyone’s opinions are respected. They have annual medical check-ups where their hearing and sight abilities are examined. There were…