NURS 6640 Week 3 Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Introduction

NURS 6640 Week 3 Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Introduction Essay Assignment

Contemporary psychodynamic psychotherapy, also referred to as psychoanalytic therapy, is rooted in Dr. Sigmund Freud’s proposal that unconscious thought processes, or thoughts and feelings outside of our conscious awareness, are responsible for mental health issues. This therapeutic approach is unique because its goal is to help clients achieve changes in personality and emotional development. Like most therapeutic approaches, however, psychodynamic psychotherapy is not appropriate for every client. In your role as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, you must be able to properly assess clients to determine whether this therapeutic approach would improve their clinical outcomes.

This week, as you explore psychodynamic psychotherapy, you examine the application of current literature to clinical practice. You also assess clients presenting for psychotherapy.

Assignment 1: Applying Current Literature to Clinical Practice

Literature in psychotherapy differs from other areas of clinical practice. Generally, there are no clinical trials in psychotherapy because it is often neither appropriate nor ethical to have controls in psychotherapy research. This sometimes makes it more difficult to translate research findings into practice. In your role, however, you must be able to synthesize current literature and apply it to your own clients. For this Assignment, you begin practicing this skill by examining current literature on psychodynamic therapy and considering how it might translate into your own clinical practice.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

- Evaluate the application of current literature to clinical practice

To prepare:

- Review this week’s Learning Resources and reflect on the insights they provide.
- Select one of the psychodynamic therapy articles from the Learning Resources to evaluate for this Assignment.

Note: In nursing practice, it is not uncommon to review current literature and share findings with your colleagues. Approach this Assignment as though you were presenting the information to your colleagues.

The Assignment

In a 5- to 10-slide PowerPoint presentation, address the following:

Provide an overview of the article you selected.
- What population is under consideration?
- What was the specific intervention that was used? Is this a new intervention or one that was already used?
- What were the author’s claims?
Explain the findings/outcomes of the study in the article. Include whether this will translate into practice with your own clients. If so, how? If not, why?
Explain whether the limitations of the study might impact your ability to use the findings/outcomes presented in the article. Support your position with evidence-based literature.

Note: The presentation should be 5–10 slides, not including the title and reference slides. Include presenter notes (no more than ½ page per slide) and use tables and/or diagrams where appropriate. Be sure to support your work with specific citations from the article you selected. Support your approach with evidence-based literature.

By Day 7

Submit your Assignment.

Assignment 2: Practicum – Assessing Clients

Learning Objectives

Students will:

- Assess clients presenting for psychotherapy
- Develop genograms for clients presenting for psychotherapy

To prepare:

- Select a client whom you have observed or counseled at your practicum site.
- Review pages 137–142 of the Wheeler text and the Hernandez Family Genogram video in this week’s Learning Resources. Reflect on elements of writing a Comprehensive Client Assessment and creating a genogram for the client you selected.

The Assignment

Part 1: Comprehensive Client Family Assessment

With this client in mind, address the following in a Comprehensive Client Assessment (without violating HIPAA regulations):

Demographic information
Presenting problem
History or present illness
Past psychiatric history
Medical history
Substance use history
Developmental history
Family psychiatric history
Psychosocial history
History of abuse/trauma
Review of systems
Physical assessment
Mental status exam
Differential diagnosis
Case formulation
Treatment plan

Part 2: Family Genogram

Prepare a genogram for the client you selected. The genogram should extend back by at least three generations (great grandparents, grandparents, and parents).

By Day 7 of Week 3

Submit your Assignment.

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