The process of diagnosis is complex. Clients may come to their first counseling session needing to vent about multiple areas in their lives, and they may not necessarily know what they need to share with a counselor to get a diagnosis. Counselors must listen to the client to understand a full picture of what may be going on. If a client says that they are having a hard time dealing with family, difficulty in relationships, not eating regularly, or not sleeping, counselors must know how to listen and ask questions that can pull more information needed for an accurate diagnosis.

This week, you put your skills to practice by conceptualizing a client’s presenting concerns and rendering a diagnosis. You will review the case of Devon, found in this week’s Learning Resources. Based on the case information, along with the DSM-5 resources, you will evaluate Devon based on possible symptoms he presents to diagnose potential disorders.

To prepare for the Assignment:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources.
• Review the Case of Devon in this week’s Learning Resources.
• Download the Diagnostic Conceptualization Template from the media.
• Review the handout, Jane: Diagnostic Conceptualization Example, provided in Week 3 to review the appropriate information to include in each section of the Diagnostic Conceptualization Template.
• Review the expectations in the Rubric.

Complete the Diagnostic Conceptualization Template you downloaded in the Learning Resource, Completing a diagnostic conceptualization: The case of Devon.