Case Study- Brad
Introduction
An assessment helps in bringing change on an individual when the correct methods and approaches are applied. The assessment takes four significant steps. The steps include determining the outcome, assessing appropriate learning outcomes, analysis of the outcome results, and finally, the adjustment step where the outcomes are adjusted to meet the required result. The paper aims to assess Brad’s behavior and assist him in being a better person or go back to their original best behavior. The aim is to help Brad to talk about his recent behavior and speak regarding most of his psychological problems that may be influencing his negative behavior. It has been stated that Brad had an encounter with an accident in the past, something he has been quiet about and bothering Sandra as it may have influenced his behavior. In addition, the aim is to ensure that adequate and appropriate approaches are used in helping Brad to overcome all his challenges and heed to the advice given to help in becoming the best version of self. Thus, such measures would help Brad in ensuring that he continues with his learning and improve his grades for the better.
Background information of the client
Brad is a college law student who has had a negative behavioral change according to his mother’s description. Brad’s past has been a good one, and the mother provides for him whatever he needs. Brad was given the good life and care that a supportive mother would give since he was taken to one of the best schools in the country. Besides, his mother also sent him for a gap year in England. Upon his return, the mother has noticed that his grades have deteriorated adversely in the last twelve months. The deterioration in his grades has been attributed to most of the behaviors the mother is worried about. Brad is an alcoholic and has engaged in several drinking sprees with his friends. The father was also an alcoholic, something that the mother fears that Brad might have inherited and might end up influencing his current and future behavior if appropriate measures are not taken to rehabilitate him from the disease. Brad is also having difficulty in making his own rational decisions as he keeps referring to his friends as his primary influence. Brad keeps on referring to his friends when asked why he is involving in a certain habit and says that his friends are also engaging in those habits. Hence, indicating that Brad is often overwhelmed with peer pressure, making him unable to make personal decisions without a group influence. Through interactions with the mother, it is evident that Brad is experiencing memory loss, especially when he is overwhelmed with alcohol. He has also had an accident, and he is hiding the details about the accident, which he needs to address for adequate measures to be taken to help him out psychologically, as it can be among the factors that have led to his recent negativities. Moreover, he had also lost his driving license, which he blames to be a normal event or happening.
According to the reports given, Brad has also developed aggressive behaviors and most often does not relate well with others, especially his family members. Further, Brad’s friends have encouraged him for the aggressive behavior and urging him to involve in fights, especially when he is drunk, making him disorderly under the influence. The client has developed a behavior of coming home late, something that is unusual of him, and this has affected his relationship with the family members. Brad has been diagnosed with ADD disease, which interferes with his actions and how he takes care of himself. The sister has also been diagnosed with the same and is soon developing an ADHD condition. When talking to Jack, it is evident that he may be hiding something as his communication is not clear, as shown by the lack of maintaining eye contact when speaking to the counselor. He takes a defensive side for his behavior and, most of the time, blaming his mother for having insecurities concerning his behavior, who is thinking that he might end up like his father.
Issues and Challenges
In the case of Brad, there are some issues and challenges that need to be identified for addressing them through the relevant assessment methods. The issues identified may include alcoholism, which is the major challenge affecting Brad. He is into alcohol, which has become part of his daily activities. Alcoholism is seen to be affecting his life and influencing him negatively. According to Sonya, she believes Brad’s major problem that requires urgent assessment and intervention is his excessive drinking behavior. The other issue identified is negative peer influence. Brad has friends who are negatively influencing him by encouraging him to involve in poor behaviors. According to Brad, when justifying his actions, he claims that his friends also do the same, and it is normal to do the same. Moreover, his friends are promoting some of his behaviors by advising him to behave unruly when drunk.
The third issue identified is Brad’s lack of focus in his education, as evidenced by his recent poor performance. He is a law student, and the past twelve months, his grades have deteriorated immensely, giving the mother worries. Another issue is his poor mental health that has led to him being diagnosed with ADD, which soon may be ADHD if not given maximum attention. Sandra had informed that Brad was suffering from the disease, and the sister, too, had been diagnosed by the same. In addition to the mental health, Sandra informs about Brad’s issue of memory loss. Finally, his behavior, which has turned negative, is the major issue and challenge that needs to be addressed. Brad is aggressive, comes home late, engages in fights, and also does not relate well with people.
Assessment Tools
Assessment may refer to a continuous process where a counselor identifies a client’s problem and finds a solution to such problems (Tadlock-Marlo et al., 2013). There are different disciplines and areas where assessment is needed. Thus the relevant assessment tools such as observation, use of questionnaires, and interviews may be applied. Such assessment tools help in developing practical intervention measures to help in the care of the client. An assessment further helps counselors to identify the extent of the client’s concern and issues and determine treatment or therapy approaches to be applied to the patient (Tadlock-Marlo et al., 2013). The application would ensure the best outcome is achieved at the end of the counseling session, with the client having a positive behavioral change and becoming a better individual. The assessment tools and methods are administered consistently to ensure consistency is achieved in helping the client overcome his problems. Besides, the right assessment when applied would induce clients to have reflections and deep insights concerning themselves and in the end, impact them positively
The assessment that would be applied in the case of Brad would be that of Cognitive and personality assessment. A cognitive assessment would involve an individual to mostly identify his cognitive abilities, which are majorly based on three types. The attributes include the processing of information, decision making, and competencies involved in solution making (Hodges, 2017). The best cognitive assessment would evaluate the abilities of the client to think properly and make well-informed decisions (Hodges, 2017). At the same time, checking if one can perform roles independently without any external influence such as those involving friends, colleagues, or even acquaintances. Thus, this would ensure there is well-analyzed reasoning to help in knowing if one can process information efficiently and make the best ethical decisions.
On the other hand, Personality assessment is a tool used in determining a client’s traits and styles of conducting an activity. The assessment would help in knowing a person more without necessarily asking them concerning how they regard issues. Personality assessment would, therefore, inform the counselor on the expected behavior of the client and, thus, diagnostic measures to help tame such behaviors (Vernon, 2014). In both cognitive and personality assessments, various tests may be taken, and this may include the use of questionnaires to understand the client better.
The assessment tools and methods applied in the case of Brad will help the counselor to understand his behavior adequately. Furthermore, the counselor can determine the abilities of the client and come up with effective treatment measures. Brad’s current situation has involved a wide range of changes as per the description of Sonya and Sandra, which is on a worrying trend. His current behaviors are not clearly understood even though he claims he is ok in the first meeting. However, his agreement to meet the counselor for a second session is evident that he might have seen that he needs help on his side. Therefore, as a counselor who has not yet related or interacted with Brad on most occasions, it would be useful to conduct a cognitive assessment test and a personality assessment test to understand him. The process of assessment may involve the use of questionnaires, interviewing, and administration of a written test (Tadlock-Marlo et al. 2013).
Proposed recommendations
For the case of Brad, various types of interventions can be applied to help him to overcome his “poor” state of health and behavior. The patient would need to undergo a series of therapies accompanied by some medications. The best therapeutic intervention for Brad is one that would ensure that his behaviors are reshaped. Brad would, therefore, benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy, which would help him to have deep insights concerning his behaviors and thus understanding the changes he has undergone that Sandra is worried about. An appointment by the doctors would also mean that the right medication or drugs are administered to suppress most of his behaviors, hence an effective treatment tool (Blader et al. 2013).
Brad’s issues can be solved with appropriate measures put in place so that he can go back to his original self, as the mother suggests. As a psychologist, the best recommendations that should be applied to helping Brad would involve Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a behavioral approach that majorly bases its argument that how one thinks, behaves, and reacts towards issues are interconnected and relate with one another (Tolin, 2010). Therefore, the different body functions are related as an effect caused by one would influence the other to act in a particular way. The method can be used on a vast population consisting of mentally challenged individuals, and it involves a close interaction session with the doctor and talking.
SMART goals can be planned and executed according to the knowledge of the psychologist. SMART goals ensure that there is a point of reference to which decisions are anchored by both the client and the counselor (Kennedy & Chen, 2012). Using the SMART goal approach ensures that the worst behaviors or major issues are dealt with accordingly. At the end of the session, there will be a considerable and palpable outcome resulting from the approach or intervention technique (Nachreiner et al. 2015).
- Alcohol Addiction.
Recommendation: Brad would benefit from undergoing cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
Brad is battling alcohol addiction, which has been blamed for his major behavioral change. Therefore, an appropriate intervention measure would apply to help Brad. Brad is in denial that alcohol is affecting his behavior. He hails alcohol as a common behavior; however, much it is affecting him negatively. He indulges in it with the view that it is a better lifestyle and that it helps him to fit in with his friends. Cognitive-behavioral therapy would be applied to treat alcoholism and other substance abuse (McHugh, Hearon, & Otto, 2010). Cognitive-behavioral thinking is essential in minimizing the rate of relapse and also reduce the problem of excessive drinking (Tolin, 2010). The approach would take the form of ensuring that Brad recognizes the thought that has affected his behavior greatly and made him engage in binge drinking. The aim is to change the patient’s behavior by modifying his thought patterns and thereby leading to the patient thinking straight in his actions. In addition, CBT integrates the use of relapse prevention techniques to assist in the therapy process (Craske, 2014).
- Aggressive behavior issue
Recommendation: Brad would benefit and have a positive behavioral change by also undertaking cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
The environment for the therapy should be encouraging and appropriate for the sake of helping the client to relate and connect with it. Aggression is a negative behavior affecting one’s relationship with others (Alcorn et al. 2013). The cognitive approach will help Brad to identify the consequences of his behavior and how the people around him negatively perceive it. Brad has negative feelings and attitudes at the same time battling alcoholism, which may be the root trigger of his aggression, among other issues. Therefore, a counselor would add much value by forming a strong solid bond with him to be free. When the mind is free, then Brand can think of his negative behaviors. The psychotherapy process would also help in realizing and noticing the source of aggression, which would help the client to overcome his behavior. Moreover, the therapy process would be preceded by the use of drugs that would treat the same. With collaboration with a practicing doctor during the therapy process, the doctor would prescribe some medications that would benefit the patient, such as AEDs (Antiepileptic drugs) like those of carbamazepine and phenytoin (Hodges, 2017).
Conclusion
In conclusion, from the case study, it is evident to understand the reasons for involving a psychotherapy session to seek help when experiencing a negative behavioral and mental health development. Helping the individual to get back to his original attitude or behavior is the best outcome that can be achieved from a counseling session. Brad is a college student who has had multiple behavioral changes that are negative and causing concerns to the people around him, notably Sandra and Sonya. The change, therefore, calls for the intervention of a counselor who would then recommend the best treatment measures to be taken. The measures that are taken focus on corrective behavioral approaches, which aid in attaining the aims of helping out the client, such as reducing his drinking habits, developing self-thought processes without group influence, and having a better performance in school. Through cognitive and personality assessment by the use of respective tests, the counselor can understand the client and relate to his behaviors and perceptions, at the same time, how he acts and relates to the environment.
In the process of understanding the client, the counselor can develop various means or strategies for intervention purposes. The strategies would involve determining the relevant treatment and the type of therapy to engage the client. Through assessment, recommendations may be given, and in the case of Brad, whose major challenges are behavior related, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) would be the best approach. The CBT would mean that the individual would, in the end, correct his actions, behavior, and emotions to think straight and be more dependent. Other recommendations, such as administration of drug therapy and prescriptions, would also aid in helping the client’s success.
References
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Blader, J. C., Pliszka, S. R., Kafantaris, V., Foley, C. A., Crowell, J. A., Carlson, G. A., … & Matthews, T. L. (2013). Callous-unemotional traits, proactive aggression, and treatment outcomes of aggressive children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(12), 1281-1293.
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