COUN 617 Assessment and Testing Final ExaminationCMHC and CRC students

Dr. Tara Overzat Please read all the information provided and answer the questions below. I have included supplementary documents to assist you. This test is designed to be a take home test; however, it is not intended to be a group test. You should work individually. You may use your textbook, notes, etc. You may NOT use fellow classmates. If I believe you worked with another individual in answering this test, I will follow the policies and procedures set forth in the syllabus, the Department of Counseling, and College of Professional Advancement regarding plagiarism and academic honesty. Any questions you have should be directed to Dr. Overzat at [email protected]. Please answer all questions to the best of your ability. The exam is due in Canvas by 11:59pm on Thu., Dec. 15, 2022. Late exams will result in loss of points. All exams must also be uploaded in LiveText or there may be a loss of points.

Read all the provided information first.

Use the information from the Case Study below and the Additional Documents to answer the following questions. (Please create your response in a separate document; you may number your responses).

1. Follow the recommended decision steps and interpret the results of the SASSI.

Discuss and interpret EACH scale (except for the SAM scale)-Create a table to

identify the T Score, Percentile rank, and a qualitative description for each scale

except the SAM scale.. Steps for interpretation are provided below.

2. Discuss the results of the client’s BDI-II results. Identify specific items of interest.

3. Describe what you believe to be the strengths and limitations of each instrument.

(You must use the information provided to describe norming group data, validity,

reliability, potential biases, etc.)

4. Assuming you are the client’s counselor, consider the background information and

the results of both assessments:

a) Integrate and discuss your understanding of the assessment results and the

client’s presenting concerns as indicated in the case study.

b) Based upon the results, what would be your initial focus in future

counseling sessions and how would approach these sessions. (Use

information gleaned from the case study and the assessment results to

support your answer).

Client: Raymond Anderson

Instruments Administered: Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI-4) and The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-2)

Raymond is a 37-year-old multiracial male who is being referred to treatment by his physician. Raymond was involved in a traffic accident three weeks ago in which he was charged with driving under the influence.

Upon your initial interview you learn that Raymond lost his job six weeks prior due to "the economy being bad because of Covid." He has worked in the finance industry for twenty years. He received a "small severance package" from his employer but he reports he is starting to utilize money from his savings to support his family.

He describes his life as though he is "driftwood, just floating through the river of life." He has been married to his wife for 10 years. They have two children, 7 and 5 years of age. Raymond believes his wife is having an affair though he "can’t prove it yet." He describes his relationship with his spouse as "argumentative" and "difficult." He describes the relationship with his children as "fine." His wife has offered to pick-up a part-time job, however, Raymond stated, "This is never going to happen, it's my job to support my family."

Raymond describes beginning drinking during his adolescent years. He was able to drink at home with his parents at the age of 16. He states that once in was in college he was consuming alcohol 2-3 times per week. He also describes "occasionally" using marijuana during college. He states that he "rarely" has ever blacked-out white drinking. He recalls two times in college. He reports that he can drink 2-4 alcoholic beverages before becoming intoxicated and drinks "socially" now. He states that when he does drink he will consume 4-6 alcoholic beverages per occasion. Rayond acknowledges that he has a prescription for OxyContin because of a knee surgery he had to undergo recently. He states that he “takes the pills regularly to help with the pain."

He acknowledges that he should not have been using substances while driving and "greatly regrets" his decision. He stated that "he has let his family down." He was out celebrating his best friend's birthday on the night he was involved in the accident. He stated at the end of the first session that he is "able to stop using at any given time…I just have to fix my famil."

Raymond appeared well-dressed and well-groomed to the appointment, though he had difficulty maintaining eye contact and presented with a flat affect.

Unemployed

Reggie T M 37 M

MBA

INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSTRUMENTS

SASSI-4

The Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) is an instrument designed to assess probability of substance use symptomology in individuals. It includes face valid questions (ones that are clearly asking about substance use-i.e., do you drink every night) and subtle questions that try to assess less obvious symptoms. A document on reliability and validity is below.

Follow these steps (according to the manual), to interpret the results of the SASSI-4. A supplement that describes high and low scores on each scale is provided. The SASSI-4 is intended to be interpreted by working through the steps below.

1. Check to see if the profile is valid (did the client answer all the itemsconsistently)?

a. Check RAP (Random Answering Pattern Scale)b. Anything greater than 2 may be invalid, results should be interpreted with

caution.c. The RAP Scale is designed to try to detect random answering patterns,

high scores may be indicative of a person who did not read the questionsand just answered the items randomly.

2. Check the Rules 1-9 on the right hand side of the answer sheet. (NOTE: These arealready checked for you on the SASSI profile above)

3. Check the Decision Rulea. After answering the Rules 1-9, its time to answer the decision rule at the

bottom of the profile sheet.b. According to the SASSI manual, if ANY of the Rules 1-9 are checked

then there is 92% chance of substance use disorderc. BE MINDFUL OF FALSE POSITIVES and NEGATIVES

4. Check for high DEF (Defensiveness Scale)a. 8+ could mean an increased possibility of MISSING a person with

substance abuse.5. Interpret remaining scales based upon the normative or standardized data


BDI-II Beck Depression Inventory II

The Beck Depression Inventory is a 21-Item Self-report measure of depression. Each items is rated from 0-3, with 3 being more severe 5-10 Minutes to complete

Females typically score higher. In one study in Europe, the Male avg. scores 4.18 while Female avg scores 10.69.

Categorical cutoff scores that have been proposed in the literature to detect increasing levels of depressive symptoms are as follows:

0-13 Minimal14-19 Mild20-28 Moderate29+ Severe

Norm Group`

Two samples were used to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the BDI-II: 1. A clinical sample of 500 individuals who sought outpatient therapy at one of four

outpatient clinics on the U.S. east coast (New Jersey and Pennsylvania, two ofwhich were located in urban areas, two in suburban areas). The sample consistedof 317 (63%) women and 183 (37%) men, ranged in age from 13 to 86 years, andthe average age was 37.2 years. The sample consisted of four racial/ethnic groups:White (91%), African American (4%), Asian American (4%), and Hispanic (1%).

2. A nonclinical sample of 120 Canadian college students was used as a comparative“normal” group. It consisted of 67 (56%) women and 53 (44%) men, wasdescribed as “predominantly White,” and the average age of the sample was19.58.

Reliability

Internal consistency: Analysis of internal consistency yielded a Cronbach’s alpha of .92 for the clinical sample and .93 for non clinical sample (college students).

Test-Retest Reliability: Test-retest reliability was assessed over a one week interval among a sub-sample of 26 outpatients from one clinic site (r = .93).

Validity Content Validity: BDI-II item content was designed to be consistent with the diagnostic criteria for depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994).

Convergent Validity: Correlations between the BDI-II scores and other scales are as follows: the Beck Hopelessness Scale (r = .68), the Revised Hamilton Psychiatric Rating

Scale for Depression (r = .71), and the Symptom Checklist-90-R Depression subscale (r = .89).

Discriminant Validity: The correlation between the BDI-II and the Revised Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale = .47. The correlation between the BDI-II and the Beck Anxiety Inventory .60.