PSYC321 Clinical Applications of Psychology Written Assignment 1, 2025 | VUW

PSYC321 Marking Criteria  

The four questions require short essay answers; each question has a word limit of 250 words. Please use full sentences. We want to see you reflect on the case and questions, showing how you can apply concepts discussed in class to the practice issues that are relevant to this case study. Please allocate approximately 250 words for each question. Your reference list is not included in the word count.   

This assignment is marked out of 100 (worth up to 15% of your final grade).  

• Questions 1-4 are worth 20 marks each.
• 20 marks for relevance of resources, adherence to APA 7 style guidelines (e.g., writing style, referencing and reference list).   

Submission  

This assignment is submitted via the PSYC321 Nuku assignments page. Each question will have its response box, including a separate box for your reference section at the end. This will remain open until the due date. You may begin answering the assignment as soon as it opens and return to it multiple times before submitÝng. Your responses will autosave each time you make changes, but only your final submission will be graded, so please ensure you click "Submit" before the due date.  

We recommend drafting your answers in a separate document first, then copying and pasting them into the appropriate boxes when you're ready to avoid accidental loss of work.  

Extensions

You will not be able to submit answers post-deadline, so please contact the TA at PSYC321@vuw.ac.nz BEFORE the deadline if you require an extension. 

• Under 48 hours extension required: We understand that sometimes students need a small amount of extra time to complete their written assignments. As such, we offer an Emergency 48-hour extension for written assignments. The application for this is available on Nuku in the days leading up to the deadline. Documentation is not required for this request.
• More than 48 hours extension is required: If you have a good reason why you cannot submit your assignment on time and you need more than the Emergency 48-hour extension, please contact the TA at PSYC321@vuw.ac.nz BEFORE the deadline. Please be sure to accompany your request for an extension with documentation (e.g., medical certificate, counselling certificate, etc.). If you do not have documentation to support your request, it is unlikely an extension will be granted.

PSYC321 Assignment Details  

This assignment asks you to read about a hypothetical clinical scenario, and then answer questions related to cultural considerations, therapeutic approach, conceptual issues, and explanatory issues. In doing this assignment you should refer to the four PSYC321 lectures by Dr Kristopher Nielsen (on Conceptualisation, Classification, Explanation, Back to Conceptualisation), the two PSYC321 lectures by Dr Ellie Rukuwai (on Māori mental health models), and the two PSYC321 lectures by Dr Clare-Ann Fortune (on Introduction to Psychotherapy), as well as all associated readings and slides. It will also be helpful to undertake some self-directed research to locate additional resources.   

Clinical Scenario 

In this situation, you are a mental health support worker, called into a GP’s ofÏce to help mediate a dispute that is starting to get heated.   

The key people in this situation are: 

• Sam (16-year-old male, the patient/client)
• Tamatha (Sam’s mother)
• Dr Marama (Sam’s GP)  

Background Information:  

Sam is in year 13 at high school. He has been struggling with worry, difÏculties concentrating, insomnia, lack of appetite, and feeling worked up and agitated a lot of the time despite feeling constantly tired. He worries quite a lot about the impact on his grades, what his friends will think of him for struggling, and whether he will pass NCEA Level 3. He doesn’t see his friends very much or engage in any hobbies or exercise because he spends every night studying.   

Tamatha runs a very successful business, and Sam’s older sister Anahera is away completing a PhD in quantum physics at Yale. It seems there is a family culture that places strong value on hard work and achievement as a source of pride and identity.   

Tamatha identifies as New Zealand-Korean, and Sam is typically perceived as Korean by others. Sam’s father passed away in a car accident when Sam was around 7 years old. Sam has Tūhoe whakapapa via his father, but he says he doesn’t know much about this. His family haven’t maintained any connections with his father’s family. He mentions that he has been learning about New Zealand’s colonial history in his history class this year, and once he gets a bit more comfortable with you, he mentions that he finds it uncomfortable that “there are no Māori voices in my classroom”.  He adds that he is interested in learning more about Te Ao Māori.  

Situation: 

Dr Marama has diagnosed Sam with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). She is suggesting that Sam see you for some funded therapy sessions. She thinks that Sam should give this a go first before trying out medication.  

 Tamatha is angry because she thinks therapy is “a load of crap”. Tamatha says to Dr Marama, “You said he has anxiety, so there is something wrong with his brain – give him the medication! How is talking meant to help?!”

Dr Marama tries to explain: “Think about the brain like a computer. Having an anxiety disorder means the brain has faulty programming, not a broken hard drive. Therapy can be useful as it helps us challenge our faulty thoughts and beliefs”. She notes that medication can help, but she is worried about side effects and thinks that, since the therapy is funded, it would be a good idea to try this first.   

Sam is very quiet and has not said much. Later on, when you are talking to Sam by himself, he reports that when he was in the GP’s ofÏce, he didn’t feel like he had a voice. He adds that at the time, he was feeling angry at Dr Marama for trying to tell him about his feelings and was just generally overwhelmed. Sam explains that he has since learnt a lot about mental disorders on YouTube and now thinks that “Disorders like this are just a nonsense label made up by society to cover up the failures of capitalism in supporting the genuine wellbeing of the people – my school just needs to do better at looking after people like me”.  

Answer the following questions related to this clinical scenario: 

Q1 (maximum 250 words, 20 marks)  

Cultural Considerations: Identify TWO cultural considerations that must be made when you are working with Sam based on the information in this scenario. For each consideration, briefly explain why it is important for Sam’s wellbeing that you identify and cater to his cultural needs. You also need to provide a tangible way that you can incorporate each of these considerations into your work with Sam.   

Q2 (maximum 250 words, 20 marks) 

Therapeutic Approach: Identify TWO strategies discussed in class that you could use that would support you in developing a strong therapeutic relationship with Sam. Briefly define each strategy and explain why you believe it would be a useful approach to use with Sam.    

Q3 (maximum 250 words, 20 marks) 

Conceptualisation: Identify TWO conceptual perspectives on Sam’s difÏculties that are held by the characters in this story. Please label these perspectives using some of the language from class and the associated readings. For each perspective identified, please explain how it encourages the treatment options suggested by the character in question. For each perspective, describe how it may be having a limiting effect on Sam or the treatment options offered to him.     

Q4 (maximum 250 words, 20 marks) 

Explanation: Identify TWO relevant and plausible mechanisms that may play a role in the formulation of Sam’s difÏculties. For each mechanism, briefly explain how it may be contributing to Sam’s difÏculties. For each mechanism explained, suggest one associated practical step or strategy that might help alleviate Sam’s difÏculties. This step should be something specific and related to your mechanism (rather than suggesting something general like ‘talking about it’ or an entire therapy package such as ‘CBT’ or ‘EMDR’).