Student 1: Anna Throughout the class, I have learned that there are certain steps that one has to follow to be able to give the right treatment for one’s clients. When one comes for treatment for counseling the counselor will be empathic, have active listening, reflections, and open-ended questions. As a counselor one needs to make sure that they do not judge their clients based on their religion, gender, and values. This will allow the client to feel like they are not being judged and the counselor is respecting their values. The client will feel understood and feel safe with the counselor. As a counselor, one must learn how to find out what has brought the client to seek counseling. When the counselor knows the client’s intentions for seeking counseling it is important that the counselor and client agree on the goals for therapy. Having the client be able to have a saying on what they would like to accomplish in therapy will help them want to achieve their goals. The counselor will need to make sure that each client's treatment is specific to that client. Counselors need to make their treatment specific to the client because one approach for a diagnosis does not work for everyone. It is extremely important to make sure that the client feels safe and open to talk about their feelings. When a client comes into therapy it is important that the counselor obtains the client's background information. By obtaining the client's background will help the counselor know the environment that they are in, what has shaped them and influenced them by their family, friends, neighborhood, and culture. The client’s family history is important to know as a counselor because if there is a mental illness in the family there is a chance that it could be passed down. By learning about the client’s history and the way they were raised can help the counselor get insight if there needs to be a closer look at the client’s biopsychological areas. There are three areas that the counselor looks at such as biological, psychological, and social areas. When looking at the client’s biological areas the counselor looks if there is any genetic predisposition if the client's nutrition/diet has been impacted, development delays, drug effects, cognitive functioning, and disabilities. The counselor will look at the client’s psychological areas such as their temperament, self-esteem, coping skills, social skills, and if they endured any trauma. The client’s social areas include any family circumstances, family relationships, peers at work and school, and community interactions. When looking at all the biopsychological areas the counselor will be able to determine what areas that lead to the client’s behaviors and diagnosis. Making a treatment plan for a client it is important that the counselor needs to observe and monitors the client’s symptoms. The counselor needs to make sure that they have the correct diagnosis to treat the client. When making a treatment plan for the client it is important to make the client's treatment connects to their diagnosis. When beginning a treatment plan the counselor needs to look at the symptoms that the client possesses. Given the biopsychological background and the client’s symptoms, the counselor can make a diagnosis. When making a diagnosis the counselor will look at the DSM-5 to see if the client’s symptoms match the requirements of the diagnosis. Depending on the diagnosis the counselor will determine what therapy will be best for their client. The counselor will start by having a treatment goal for the client. There will be an objective which will consist of the client getting psychoeducated on their diagnosis, so they are able to better understand what they are going through. The client will be able to identify their symptoms and behaviors. After the objective, there will be an intervention on how to overcome and find a better way of expressing their behaviors. The client can find something that makes them feel in control such as having a journal to write down their feelings, going on a run, taking deep breaths and counting to 10, support groups, and meditating. If a client presents to have co-occurring conditions, then the counselor must treat both of their conditions. Co-occurring conditions are when a client has a mental health disorder and substance abuse. A client that has substance abuse and mental health disorder need to be able to want to get help. It is hard for a client that has substance abuse and mental health diagnosis because they feel like their substance helps their mental health disorder. It can be hard for a client to understand that they are doing more harm to themselves than good. A counselor needs to help the client understand that they need to focus on both conditions. For example, if a client has symptoms of bipolar disorder but also has substance abuse the counselor must treat both at the same time. If a counselor just treated the client’s bipolar disorder and set aside their substance abuse, then this could hurt the client. By only treating one could make the substance abuse become worse and their bipolar disorder can decrease their progress. It can be beneficial for a client to go to support groups that have a mental health disorder and substance abuse so they know that they are not alone, and they will get better in time. By being in this class I was able to obtain knowledge on how to help my clients in the future. I now know how to look at the client's symptoms and think of what might cause their symptoms. There are different factors that can affect the client and how their symptoms can react to it. Being able to get the client's background history and looking at the client's biopsychological areas can really help guide me to know what areas have been affected. It will be different in real-life scenarios but looking back on this class will help me guide me. I know how to make a treatment plan that will help guide me to make objectives and interventions that will help my client. If any of my clients might need any further assistance that I cannot provide such as medication I will refer them to a psychiatrist. I hope that I have learned enough to help my clients overcome their challenges. Student 2: Brittany This course has opened my eyes to how to formulate and write treatment plans. I work at a local wraparound service and know and understand how to work with treatment plans, how to implement them into the clients' life somewhat naturally, but I didn’t completely understand how they were made. I knew that it was a lot of observing and assessing, but I didn’t understand how all of that information was put into a precise, detailed treatment plan that was known to be effective. I think that the other tricky part of case conceptualization is knowing which specific behaviors to target and work on, being able to separate the behaviors that need priority. I still need work on properly assessing an individual. If I am given their information and diagnosis, I can assess it and establish a treatment plan. If I am given nothing and have to perform an assessment based on my meeting with the client, I may struggle a bit. This is just something that I would need more practice with. This course has helped me determine which behaviors need targeting and how to write a treatment plan targeting those behaviors. I think that I can now look at an individual’s diagnosis and behaviors described and be able to piece together an effective treatment plan for them. Overall, this class has taught me a lot and I can’t wait to apply it to future classes and my career. I think that The Complete Adult Psychotherapy Treatment Planner and The Complete Child Psychotherapy Treatment Planner will come in handy when assessing and forming a treatment. If I have a list of the client’s diagnosis and symptoms, I can reference back to both planners to develop a treatment plan. I’m looking forward to more counseling classes and honing my skills and learning even more! References Jongsma, A. E., Peterson, L. M., & Bruce, T. J. (2014). The complete adult psychotherapy treatment planner. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jongsma, A. E. J., Peterson, L. M., McInnis, W. P., & Bruce, T. J. (2014). The child psychotherapy treatment planner: Includes dsm-5 updates. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com Discussion 8 I have gained various skills through conceptualization and treatment planning, where I have gotten a better understanding of how to assess multiple clients in my professional career that presents with a wide range of conditions. In addition, I have also learned how to implement the Biopsychosocial framework while attending to numerous patients because their needs and statuses vary. Biopsychosocial assessment skills are essential because they help understand all of the unique factors to each client's case and formulate an accurate understanding of their needs. Additionally, it makes it possible to understand their relationships with others and the influence the environment has on their presenting problems. After discovering what a patient is suffering from and causing them the most distress, an effective treatment plan determines the patient's duration and direction to recovery. A treatment plan is essential because it helps measure the patient's progress during the treatment. However, the schedule varies due to the various needs of the patients. The framework provided is essential to making decisions concerning each patient's treatment and how to address any issues with progress. Further, it allows counselors to treat co-occurring disorders effectively. Co-occurring disorders can be more complex, and therefore, require a structured approach to ensure both are effectively targeted in the plan. Understanding where to go from the intake is needed for immediate intervention that aims to treat the patient as a whole, rather than just one issue that is detrimental to full recovery. I have also improved my diagnosis skills, which is essential to understand the patient's condition and avoid misdiagnosis. Diagnostic skills help improve treatment skills because once the diagnosis is established and verified, evidence-based measures can be implemented to target the underlying condition(s). Cultural factors are significant because not adhering to people's values can affect treatment outcomes or be devastating to the success of the treatment. Therefore, when treating patients, it is essential to avoid overstepping their cultural limits. Everyone has goals that they set to achieve after a certain period; thus, utilizing these treatment methods is essential to formulating a successful roadmap and understanding of what is expected, which can be discussed with the client initially. Overall, the skills learned in this course will be a significant part of my professional career. For one, the biopsychosocial framework is usually required and encouraged for intake and assessing new clients. This framework will be important in identifying the underlying factors that need to be targeted, establishing a roadmap through goal setting to guide the counselor and client in treatment, and ensuring every necessary factor is considered. Understanding and writing a treatment plan properly and diagnostic intake will ensure that it is used effectively and documented correctly when performed in real-life scenarios, and I expect it to be utilized quite frequently in my career. Understanding how to handle initiation to termination will also help guide my decision-making and know when to continue treatment or establish a client ready to terminate treatment. Considering co-occurring disorders will ensure that both are identified and addressed to treat and succeed overall. Therefore, the skills learned in this class are all important for fulfilling the role of a counselor and truly aiding those who seek psychiatric treatment. 
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