A Case Study with Case Formulation and Counselling skills for Children
Formulation is one of the core skills practiced by psychologists. The development and maintenance of the client's problems and needs are elicited through a framework drawn on from psychological research and practice. It integrates knowledge acquired through assessment using 'psychological, biological and systemic factors and procedures'. Formulation may involve many hypotheses by drawing on various theoretical models, and provides a foundation for the development of the appropriate psychological intervention (DCP 2010 cited in DCP 2011). Variations of the formulation technique have been applied to develop frameworks specifically for family therapy (Carr 1990).
While focus is on enhancing the individual's wellbeing, a systemic approach of counselling and psychotherapy such as using family therapy views individuals as being influenced by members of the systems they are in. Genograms help assess the client in the context of their complex family relationships (McLeod 2013).
For an effective therapeutic alliance, it is vital to employ effective therapeutic skills which are verbal and non-verbal methods to communicate
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Effective treatment required case formulation after assessment, followed by proposed intervention. Using genograms to illustrate the family dynamics, case formulations are illustrated particular to Ann, drawing on the models of biopsychosocial formulation (Ross 2000) and cognitive behavioural formulation (Persons and Tompkins 2007). Generic skills are to be blended with creative strategies such as art, play, storytelling that is most effective for the developmental stage the child is in. Therapy must widen to psychoeducate and empower the family members, particularly the parents to provide a healthy environment for child