Before treatment starts with any youth, the assessment phase must occur. Assessments take on two different phases in treatment. The initial evaluation occurs once the youth admits to treatment. It can happen in one session to develop preliminary concepts about the youth’s condition and determine a diagnosis. While ongoing assessments continue as the youth is in treatment to gather more data and reevaluate periodically while the youth is in care.
The most comprehensive approach to evaluating a youth is the biopsychosocial assessment. Youths are not one-dimensional; focusing only on behavior problems leaves out their complex experiences. Four factors of the biopsychosocial assessment exist:
1. Biological- the youth’s medical condition, their health, and other features impair their functioning. A child on antihistamines may have trouble sleeping, resulting in concentration problems in school. Their nutrition, sleep, health, and development offer vital clues about their actions.
2. Psychological-how a youth, thinks, feels, and acts impacts their psychological way of life. Think of it as the CBT of assessments and how they interact with each other. A female’s beliefs of low self-worth can lead to depression and the use of Adderall to feel better.
3. Social- a youth is not an island; they interact with others. The assessor learns about their social network, their interactions with family, the socioeconomic status, and how it relates to the youth. A male living in poverty may steal from others to help the family pay their bills.
4. Cultural- not thought of in the traditional context of biopsychosocial evaluations, information about the youth’s religion and culture give a sense of how the youth perceives the world. Their values and beliefs come from their heritage and can benefit their resiliency. A transgender youth’s functioning suffers when their family rejects them, or they have no connection to other trans individuals.
The whole picture gives the clinician the ability to better plan treatment. Praxes’ clinical decision support system, Apogee, integrates with the biopsychosocial assessment to provide treatment skills and interventions.
And Praxes is also offering a live streaming training course on Assessment of Children. For more information, please contact us.
Got questions? We've got answers.
PRAXES is a nationwide behavioral health software, consulting, and training company. No one in the behavioral health industry has a better reputation, and if you give us the chance, we’ll show you why! At PRAXES, our services improve the efficiency and structure of behavioral health agencies serving children and families nationwide. PRAXES brings over 45 years of administrative and clinical expertise. With more than 100 client companies nationwide, we offer the expertise to advance the quality of behavioral health services. We accomplish these goals through our new clinical decision software, our training of best practices, and helping companies meet regulatory standards. At PRAXES, we believe in being creative and fostering new ways to serve children and their families. Our vision is to empower the families our agencies serve with skills that not only improve their functioning, but help them to thrive in their everyday lives. When you give us the chance, you’ll be connected directly to our friendly staff, so you can expect immediate attention to your inquiry. So, don’t wait, call now!
Dan Thorne has unique perspectives on the field of mental health. As a clinician, he has had over 40 years of experience working with clients in the Southern California area. After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Irvine, he worked with children in the Orange County Juvenile Hall. Here he honed his earliest techniques on at-risk children. After that, he obtained his Master’s degree in Counseling from California State University, Fullerton.
In the 1990’s, Dan turned his attention to the clinical and administrative side of behavioral health organizations. For three years, he was the Assistant Administrator of Starting Point, a chemical dependency facility in Costa Mesa, CA. In 2001, he took an opportunity to be the Director of Harbor View Community Services Center in Long Beach. When he arrived, the Center had only 80 clients and 13 staff. When he left, there were over 400 clients and 75 staff. Dan created several programs through their contract with the Los Angeles County Departments of Mental Health and Child and Family Services. Under his guidance, Harbor View became one of the leading providers of children’s services in Los Angeles County.
While improving the results of the client’s parents at the Center, Dan reflected on his experiences as a parent. His children themselves had special needs such as mental and intellectual challenges, and Dan knew the toll it takes on the parent. In order to help the child, the parent has to be healthy. From this concept, he created his parenting program. After years of refining it, teaching it to his staff at the Center, and then taking the results and comments from these efforts, he became the developer of the current PRAXES program. It is a culmination of Dan’s personal trials and tribulations as a parent along with empirical results and research of over 40 parenting programs.
Our vision at PRAXES is to advance the strength of parents and caregivers of children with special needs (mental health, intellectual, or physical) through education, support, and empowerment. Thus, they can live healthy and functional lives while caring for the child.
Apogee is a clinical decision software designed to help behavioral health practitioners with their treatment and patient engagement. It provides evidence-based and research-based components. Not only do they consist of elements from such practices as Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Seeking Safety, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Functional Behavior Analysis, but also the Intensive Models for Parents, Youth, and Children.
PRAXES has over 30 years of accreditation experience. We know what it takes to get your organization accredited. Whether it’s Joint Commission, CARF, or COA, our team can provide an evaluation of your current status and review the standards which need improvements. We will assist you with the policies, documentation, and training required to be accredited.
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