Theory determines what we observe, how we understand the meaning of our observations, and what
we eventually do with this information. Nowhere is theory so critical as in the profession of counseling.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT IS TO WRITE A COHERENT PAPER, WITH APA* REFERENCING
STYLE, DESCRIBING YOUR DEVELOPING VIEW OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR,
PERSONALITY, AND COUNSELING.
Please organize your paper into seven separate sections. The seven roman numerals that follow
contain descriptions of these seven major sections. At the beginning of each section of your paper,
please type the capital, boldfaced words from each roman numeral listed below.
This position paper is designed to allow you to integrate and synthesize material. It is far more
important to put ideas together in useful ways than to simply collect and/or repeat what others have
written. Nonetheless, the paper should be well referenced and scholarly. You should cite primary
sources in addition to any textbooks that you might utilize. Such sources should consist of scholarly
books or journal articles, not popular-press or self-help sources. Please do not cite class lectures.
Although you have been requested to identify seven separate sections in your paper, it will be
evaluated as a total, integrated, internally consistent, and synthetic product in which clarity, logic, and
thoroughness are extremely important. Please number your pages.
I. YOUR VALUE SYSTEM, CULTURE, AND BELIEFS: Please address how your personal
values, cultural identity, and beliefs about the nature of human experience inform your
emerging psychotherapeutic approach. Please be specific, providing examples of these values,
beliefs, and cultural influences, as well as how you believe they will affect your work with
clients. You should also address how issues of bias, assumptions, power, and privilege may
affect your work with clients.
II. MAJOR INFLUENCES: Please present an explanation of the theory (or combination of
theories) that you use to inform your psychotherapeutic approach. We want to know where you
stand theoretically, and how this affects your understanding of clients and focuses yourinterventions. Your explanation should be relatively complete, covering all relevant parts of the
theory (or combination of theories), with particular emphasis on the parts that are most crucial
to your work with clients. Also, describe any specific points of convergence or divergence
between this approach and your value systems, culture, and beliefs from Section I. Please cite
appropriate scholarly references.
III. LIMITATIONS AND ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES: Please discuss groups or issues for which
you believe your above theory or approach to psychotherapy wouldn’t fit as well. Explain at
least one other system of therapy not mentioned in Section II that you believe might fit better
and address why. Please be specific, conveying the major principles of this alternative
approach.
CASE EXAMPLE
In the remainder of the paper, you will be asked to present a case example. Your case
conceptualization, treatment plan, and interventions should be consistent with the theoretical orientation
and values that you presented in Sections I and II.
IV. ASSESSMENT: How would you conduct a complete assessment on a client? Present a real
case example. Describe the client and, using the DSM-5 diagnostic process, render a careful
and complete diagnosis. Be sure to justify the particular diagnosis/diagnoses you chose and the
diagnoses you considered and then ruled out. For 52.5-unit students, use a case example from
practicum or another setting, even if the person was not seen in a clinical capacity.
V. CASE CONCEPTUALIZATION, TREATMENT PLAN, AND INTERVENTIONS: Given your
psychotherapeutic approach and your assessment, how would you conceptualize the case,
plan the treatment, and establish therapeutic goals? Using your case example, describe the
interventions you would make and why. Please note that this is a treatment plan, not a case
report. Thus, if you saw this client as part of a practicum experience, what you write in this
section need not reflect what you actually did with the client. Rather, it should reflect a plan for
treatment that is consistent with your psychotherapeutic approach from Sections I and II.
Please be as specific as possible.
Include all gender, sexual orientation, and diversity considerations. What cultural
considerations are pertinent to the case? Be sure to address these in your assessment, case
conceptualization, treatment plan, and interventions. Within your scope of practice, please also
address any relevant psychopharmacologic issues. If you are not in a 90-unit program and
have not taken the psychopharmacology class, please indicate that with a single line in the text
of your comprehensive exam (i.e. “I am in a 52.5-unit program and have not taken
psychopharmacology. Thus, I will not address these issues in my comprehensive exam.”)
VI. LEGAL/ETHICAL ISSUES: What legal concerns and obligations are relevant to your case
example? Likewise, what ethical concerns and obligations are relevant to your case example?
Please address how you would clinically manage both the legal and ethical issues you’ve
identified. (Please be thorough.)
VII. EVALUATION OF EFFICACY: How would you evaluate the effectiveness of your approach?
Given your theoretical orientation, the goals of treatment, and the client’s diagnosis, please
describe how you could tell if therapy was successful. This may include indications falling into
the categories of symptom relief, intrapersonal or interpersonal functioning, or behavior
change, among others.The comprehensive examination has been designed in the following ways:
1) It is a Take-Home Exam.
2) You will have two weeks to complete the exam.
3) You may use primary sources in addition to any textbooks that you might have.
Such sources should consist of scholarly books or journal articles, not
popular-press or self-help sources. Please do not cite class lectures. In addition,
you may not consult with other people, including faculty. Be certain to reference the
sources that you use in APA* citation style.
4) The paper should be typed, double-spaced, have 1-inch margins, and be between
18-20 pages (not including references and title page). References should follow
APA* style.
5) Do not put your name on your exam paper.
6) On the top of the front page place:
a) Your SCU Student ID number
b) Name of your degree (emphasis) program
c) Number of units in program