Trauma Screening Case Studies

The client is a forty-year-old Caucasian male. He appeared well groomed with moderate eye contact. The client presented with a depressed mood as evidenced by his flat voice, downward gaze, and slumped seated position. The client displayed coherent speech and a logical thought process. The client was oriented to people, the date, and the location. The Combat Exposure Scale (CES) was conducted in a private study room in a public library. The setting was quiet and provided privacy. The setting did not require extensive travel for the client. The client is a retired Army Sargent with twenty-two years of experience in the military. The client served in two deployments to overseas “war-zones”. The client is currently retired and has received one

The Trauma Screening Questionnaire (TSQ) asks ten yes/no questions concerning an individual’s reactions to a traumatic event. The questions are specific to the symptoms the client has experienced at least twice in the past week. The client indicted experiencing upsetting thoughts and dreams about the event, feeling as though the event is happening again, feeling upset by reminders of the event, being jumpy or startled by something unexpected, and a heightened awareness of potential danger. The client reported that the frequency of these symptoms have decreased since he started therapy at the private agency. The Life Events Checklist asks the client to indicate if they have experienced, seen, heard about, not sure, or never experienced a list of seventeen life events. The client identified that eleven of the items had happened directly to him. The eleven events

For question one, the client reported experiencing dangerous patrol duty fifty-one or more times, which is a five on the scale. On questions two, the client indicated he experienced enemy fire for seven or more months, which is a five on the scale. Questions two indicated that the client has been surround by the enemy three to twelve times, which is a three on the scale. On questions four, the client indicated that one to twenty-five percent of the soldiers in his unit were killed in action, missing in action, or wounded, which is a two on the scale. For questions five, the client reported firing fifty-one or more rounds of ammunition at the enemy, which is a five on the scale. Question six indicated that the client witnessed thirteen to fifty individuals hit by incoming out outgoing rounds of ammunition, which is a four on the scale. Lastly, question seven indicates that the client was in danger of being injured of killed three to twelve times, which is a three on the scale. Specific directions are given to score each response to the seven questions. This assessment would not be a good pre-post treatment survey, as it does not measure symptomology. Instead it measures the number of times the client experienced a combat related event. The client has several strengths. He is currently receiving services at a private agency. He reports a decrease in his “flashbacks” since starting the therapy. The client is part of a