Integrating Science to Practice
*INTEGRATION OF SCIENCE AND PRACTICE PAPER Instructions:
This paper is intended as an example of how to address a question or issue regarding any area of the specific clinical assessment report as would typically be modeled in supervision. You should raise a specific question related to gaining a deeper understanding of your client, enhancing your assessment process, diagnostic formulation or any aspect informing your selected client case. You need to identify a single specific area for further inquiry about your client case and then research 3 scholarly articles of your choice focused on this topic/question, selecting articles from peer-reviewed journals. The research should be contemporary, published within the last 5 years. You must write a 4-5 page, double spaced, integrative paper in which you discuss the clinical relevance of the three scholarly references applying your learning to your particular case, specifically considering the pertinence of this new information within the context of the individual client’s history, presenting problems, intellectual/personality functioning, diagnoses, and/or treatment needs. The integrative paper must also comply with APA Style (7th edition) and include a reference page listing the articles selected and utilized for the analysis. The purpose of this assignment is to assess your ability to be a critical consumer of scientific scholarship and to apply it directly to your psychological assessment case. This paper should model best practices, clinically integrating new information from science to inform practice, reflecting a commitment to life-long learning and use of evidence-based practice.
*Client Case Report is attached to this. Please read client case report carefully and write this paper around my specific client report attached.
Integrating Science to Practice
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Integrating Science to Practice
Psychologists should apply evidence-based practices (EBP) when formulating patient cases because it provides a systematic and scientifically rigorous approach to clinical decision-making that is grounded in empirical evidence. Evidence-based practice is crucial in informing the treatment of Mr. X as it ensures that he receives the most effective and appropriate treatment for his specific conditions. The use of evidence-based interventions has been shown to improve treatment outcomes, reduce symptoms, and enhance the overall quality of life for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. To this end, the present integration of science and practice paper reviews three key scholarly articles that can enhance the understanding of Mr. X’s ideal treatment approach.
Evidence Review
The article “Pharmacotherapies for Co-Occurring Substance Use and Bipolar Disorders: A Systematic Review” can be used by a psychologist to inform the treatment options that should be pursued for Mr. X. In the article, Coles, Sasiadek, and George (2019) conducted a review of the literature to determine the most effective pharmacological treatment that can be used to treat a bipolar patient with a co-occurring substance use disorder. An analysis of 29 clinical studies suggested that valproate sodium and lamotrigine were the two most effective pharmacological interventions of choice for psychiatrists looking to treat a patient that has both bipolar disorder and SUD (Coles, Sasiadek, & George, 2019).
The article by Coles, Sasiadek, and George (2019) is clinically relevant to Mr. X's case in several ways. Mr. X has a history of both bipolar disorder and substance use disorder (SUD), and as such, the article's focus on pharmacological interventions for individuals with co-occurring bipolar and SUD diagnoses is directly applicable to his treatment. Also, Mr. X is currently being treated with Lexapro, which has been effective in stabilizing his symptoms of depression and difficulty sleeping. However, as the article suggests, valproate sodium and lamotrigine may be more effective in treating the co-occurring SUD diagnosis that Mr. X has. Therefore, his treatment team may consider adjusting his medication regimen to include valproate sodium or lamotrigine.
Another article is "Alcohol Use Disorder and Comorbid Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Effectiveness of Supportive Text Messages in Aiding Recovery.” The researchers in the article investigated the extent to which the use of daily supportive text can be reliably used to augment the efficacy of inpatient treatment offered to patients with depression and alcohol use disorders (O’Reilly et al., 2019). To this end, the researchers had an intervention group of 47 patients who received two supportive messages in addition to their daily treatment and a control group of 48 participants who received the usual treatment for the measurement period (O’Reilly et al., 2019). The outcomes were measured at baseline, 3-and-6 months during the treatment, and 6 months following the conclusion of the treatment (O’Reilly et al., 2019). The results showed that the intervention group had lower depression and stress scores at the 3-month treatment point compared to the control group (O’Reilly et al., 2019). In addition, the intervention group reported reduced alcohol abuse at 6 months point compared to the control group.
Notably, the article suggests that supportive text messages may be an effective intervention to augment the efficacy of inpatient treatment for individuals with depression and alcohol use disorders. This may be clinically relevant for Mr. X as he has a history of substance abuse and has previously expressed a lack of support as a trigger for his concerning behaviors. Furthermore, Mr. X's tendency to self-isolate during episodes of "doom and gloom" and his reported fee...