NSG 6440 Week 2 Adolescent-Client Essay
This week you learned about common conditions in the adolescent client. Please review the following case study and answer the following questions.NSG 6440 Week 2 Adolescent-Client Essay
A fifteen-year-old female presents to your clinic complaining of shortness of breath and a nonproductive nocturnal cough. She states she used to feel this way only with extreme exercise, but lately, she has felt this way continuously. She denies any other upper respiratory symptoms, chest pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, or urinary tract symptoms.NSG 6440 Week 2 Adolescent-Client Essay Her past medical history is significant only for seasonal allergies, for which she takes a nasal steroid spray but is otherwise on no other medications. She has had no surgeries. Her mother has allergies and eczema, and her father has high blood pressure. She is the only child. She denies smoking and illegal drug use. On examination, she is in no acute distress and her vital signs are: T 98.6, BP 120/80, pulse 80, and respirations 20. Her head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat examinations are essentially normal. Inspection of her anterior and posterior chest shows no abnormalities. On auscultation of her chest, there is decreased air movement and high-pitched whistling on expiration in all lobes. Percussion reveals resonant lungs.
What is the chief complaint?
Based on the subjective and objective information provided what are your 3 top differential diagnosis listing the presumptive final diagnosis first?
What treatment plan would you consider utilizing current evidence based practice guidelines?
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.NSG 6440 Week 2 Adolescent-Client Essay
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
It is increasingly acknowledged that confidentiality is relative rather than absolute in any counseling relationship. This is particularly the case for minors receiving counseling at school, where third parties such as parents and teachers frequently have access to information about an adolescent client. The Australian Psychological Society’s Code of Professional Conduct (1986) states that minors are unable to provide voluntary, informed consent in consulting relationships, although current research does not necessarily support this view. The current study investigated adolescents’ attitudes to confidentiality in situations that may commonly arise in school counseling. The study also investigated the third parties to whom adolescents believed information should be disclosed by a counselor. Respondents were 303 male and 254 female students attending three single-sex non government schools. Ages ranged from 13 to 18 years. Results suggested that the adolescents’ attitudes to confidentiality generally corresponded with adult views. Many adolescents wanted more autonomy regarding disclosure of information obtained in a counseling situation than the APS code provides. Parents were the only third party to whom the adolescents generally believed disclosure should be made. There were few age differences, but a wide range of opinions were evident, with female adolescents consistently more strongly in favor of confidentiality than males.NSG 6440 Week 2 Adolescent-Client Essay
Youth work is complex, multifaceted and, by its nature, a stressful profession (Australian Youth Affairs Coalition, 2013). Working with adolescents demands constant energy and often on-the-spot crises response. Time at work is typically spent supporting people through unsafe or difficult experiences. It exposes workers to traumatic circumstances, with the added challenge of having to remain hopeful and impartial when supporting the young client.
Supervision, as a formal practice of insight, provides a platform for workers to better understand their reactions to adolescent clients, their families and environment, and to avoid burnout by addressing signs of hopelessness or vicarious anxieties (Youth Action & Policy Association NSW, 2007). The astuteness and independent reasoning required of youth workers benefits from regular supervision, to assist in examining why decisions are being made and how interactions affect both the client and worker (Bunston, 1997).
This practice guide provides an overview of clinical supervision for practitioners directly supporting adolescents, stressing the significance of reflective practice on worker well being and client outcomes. It emphasizes the prevalence of workers’ exposure to traumatic events and the potential for counter transference of emotions, as well as the documented benefits of identifying issues as they arise (Jenkins on, 2009). The guide highlights the effectiveness of strengthening interventions and pathways of practice through discussion. For managers and supervisors, this resource examines supervision in the context of workplace culture, and introduces current methods and trends in suitable clinical support for youth workers.NSG 6440 Week 2 Adolescent-Client Essay
For the purpose of this resource, the term “youth worker” will refer to anyone who works in a program directly with young people to facilitate their personal, social and learning development (Stone, Garza, & Borden, 2006), such as a child protection worker, a caseworker for a mental health or Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) service, or staff in a youth residential care setting. It is predicted that in their role, the youth worker is required to make complex interpretations about the young person’s circumstances and needs, and contribute directly to an associated intervention.
Many excellent books and articles address the theoretical considerations involved in the treatment of adolescents and the scope of information required to develop a diagnosis and treatment plan. This paper discusses a formulaic approach to the elements involved in the establishment of a successful treatment environment beginning with the initial phone contact through the first session.
While many of the elements described are universally applicable, they were developed for my specific setting. I practice in an affluent community, perform psychotherapy and medication management for most patients, do not accept patients for pharmacological management alone, and do not accept third party contracts of assignment of benefits. Therefore, my adolescent patients are from more affluent and educated families, which influences the techniques described.NSG 6440 Week 2 Adolescent-Client Essay
Are Adolescents Different?
The adolescence epoch is unique, with characteristics distinct from childhood and adulthood that must be contemplated from the outset of therapeutic contact for an effective treatment alliance to develop. Adolescence is a period of intense growth, emotional and sexual plasticity, and the rapid evolution of feelings, moods and behaviors. Your patients will be seeking answers to new questions, developing new roles, struggling with the shape of their new post-childhood reality and becoming impatient to develop an identity. Doing so involves the struggle for independence from their family, creating stress for the patient and others at home, as adolescents, more than other age groups, act out feelings and are exquisitely sensitive to issues of privacy, independence and identity.
One major consideration is confidentiality. Prepubescent children expect parents to be involved in their care and assume you will share information with their parents. Adults understand the mandate of confidentiality without much explanation. Adolescents under the age of 18 will not know the rules and will wonder what you might tell their parents, especially concerning school adjustment, romantic relationships and substance use. The developmental task of adolescence involves moving from the primacy of parental dependence to the world of peers and external role models. This mandates meticulous delineation of your role with regard to what information will and will not be shared with parents.
A related consideration involves the working alliance with the family. Parents often require some support to appreciate the rapidly shifting moods and behaviors of their child without sacrificing the confidentiality of your patient. Therefore, establishing an effective, trusting relationship with the parents at the inception will ensure that the treatment may continue through troublesome periods. It is with these considerations in mind that I offer my formula for the foundation of a therapeutic relationship with a teen-age patient.NSG 6440 Week 2 Adolescent-Client Essay
The Initial Contact
The initial contact with an adolescent usually occurs when a parent, generally the mother, calls to ask questions and make an appointment. Some referrals come from sources familiar with your work, such as former patients, colleagues or people who have seen you speak. This group will already know something about you and have specific expectations. Others come from remote sources such as the phone book or physicians who supply your name from a list. This latter group of potential clients is less committed to the referral and may require additional information or reassurance during the initial contact.
The most important factor in making initial contact is availability. It is important to return calls promptly, even if only to say “Hello” and arrange another time to phone back. Among lost referrals, the most common theme is, “Thank you for returning my call, but I’ve already made an appointment with Dr. X.” By the time a parent finally has decided to call, it is frequently because a crisis has developed, and the sense of urgency experienced by a distraught parent demands immediate acknowledgment and attention.
The Return Call
It is critical to spend sufficient time on the phone in order to accomplish several goals. I try to set aside a minimum of 10 minutes to confer by phone. This first contact sets the tone for all future work, and the time involved is well spent. Once the family has explained their problem, they feel relief from the understanding and acceptance you have already imparted to them by phone. In addition, they will feel appreciative for what they realize is an expenditure of time on their behalf, and this factor goes a long way toward establishing a basis of trust. You are experienced by them as having an interest in their problem above other considerations. Because it will be the adolescent patient rather than the parent who will be coming for sessions, the brief time spent with the parent will create a permanent impression and increase the likelihood of their cooperation with the treatment.NSG 6440 Week 2 Adolescent-Client Essay
Additionally, you may establish that the patient must be seen at once, such as a suicidal child whose parent is in denial and may not recognize the potential danger of waiting a week for an appointment. Or, on the other hand, you may determine that the referral is inappropriate, such as a child with unique problems that require specialized settings. Simply put, looking at your appointment book without attending to the factors surrounding the referral can introduce many problems. Even when the call does not result in an appointment, the time spent will probably have been helpful to the caller and will enhance your reputation as a caring professional.
If the parent has not already given this information, I inquire about the nature of the problem and what prompted the call at this time. Some people may be reluctant to give information and reply that they are calling to make an appointment. They may be reticent about speaking with someone they have not met, or else may feel that they have no right to use up your time and so on. I explain that the reason for inquiring is to determine the urgency of their situation in order to decide when to see them. This is usually sufficient to encourage them to provide the essential information. Most people are willing to speak freely, so this situation concerns itself with those instances where there is an initial hesitancy.NSG 6440 Week 2 Adolescent-Client Essay
There are gender differences: Mothers are generally less guarded and will report information about their family and their feelings, whereas fathers are often quite businesslike and elect simply to establish the time and location of the appointment. Mothers prefer to know something about the person to whom they are bringing their adolescent, and they will make inquiries designed to detect whether you are the right psychological “fit” for their child. Fathers appear, at least initially, to expect that, as a “professional,” you will appreciate the correct approach automatically, or else that one professional is much the same as any other. Fathers, who are generally home less of the time, frequently feel they do not have a sufficient grasp of the problem and all of the details and often feel insecure about discussing things of this nature. While not valid in all families, these observations are pretty consistent.
Additionally, either parent may have feelings of guilt or embarrassment that block open communication. It is important to address these issues right away and to make them feel understood and therefore less fearful about coming in. It is crucial to convey that their feelings and opinions are valued and that they are going to be an important part of the treatment.
Arranging the Appointment
Having established the reason for the consultation, the referral source, the appropriateness of the referral and the urgency of the situation, I request that both parents come in with their teenager for the first visit. If other family members are directly involved in the presenting problem, I ask that they be present for the initial consultation as well. There is sometimes an unwillingness on the part of one parent to come in (as related by the other), and I have used various methods to overcome this.
Often the reluctant parent would be willing to participate if they felt their contribution would be valued. This resistance occurs often in families where the father has managed, for any number of reasons, to remain an outsider in the family. In those situations where the mother is unable to persuade him to cooperate (or covertly discourages his participation), it is possible to challenge the resistance by phoning the hesitant parent directly and requesting participation.NSG 6440 Week 2 Adolescent-Client Essay
It is essential to meet both parents and allow them the opportunity to meet you, because it is common for non-involved parents to sabotage treatment when they do not know anything about the work and feel left out. In a face-to-face situation it is easier to persuade a parent to permit your work to go on, albeit reluctantly, even though they may remain unwilling to help actively with the treatment recommendations.
It is often difficult for a parent to relinquish control of their child to a stranger, even a “professional.” Some parents are resentful when their child “gets better” during treatment because it makes them feel inadequate as parents and competitive with the therapist. It is therefore a goal during the initial call to form a working relationship with both parents, and this phase of the phone conversation addresses that by emphasizing the importance of their presence. A common error in adolescent work occurs when the therapist aligns with the interest either of the parents or the teenager and fails to address the legitimate needs of the other. If the parents are mistrustful, or if the youngster is turned off, the treatment will fail.
Next I suggest appointment times. After a date and time is selected, I explain the directions to my office and mention that if their co-parent or the adolescent wants to do so, they may phone me prior to the appointment. In the event that the parent attempts to use the call as a therapy session, I simply explain that my time is limited and that it would be best to use the remaining minutes to decide on whether and when to schedule an appointment. Finally, I ask for a telephone number where they may be reached immediately prior to the appointment time in the event of an emergency.NSG 6440 Week 2 Adolescent-Client Essay