FIT YOUR ASSESSMENT ONTO ONE PAGE
Learn to regulate big and overwhelming feelings using Tracking better® Tool #4: One-page Visual Assessment.
This tool organizes a standard mental health assessment into one page so you and the client can figure everything out together.
It includes a timeline to understand different life events and how they connect to things going well and things becoming a struggle.
Scroll down for instructions
This document organizes a standard mental health assessment to fit on one-page.
It can be done sitting next to the client so they can watch and contribute as we understand their challenges together. The increased transparency and participation helps build trust and rapport.
The page is divided into thirds across the page.
On the left hand side we capture demographics, strengths and current challenges.
On the left hand side of the page we have the time line where we add information to build up an overall picture.
In the middle of the page we collect household, genographic and vocational data in the upper part. We leave space available in the lower middle third to start exploring the current problems.
At the bottom of the page there is an Emoji Dictionary to help identify feelings as they are explored.
So let's get to it...
Start with introducing everyone in the room by writing their names down including clarifying what organization they come from.
It's nice to have a shpeel about how long you will meet for and what the aim of the session is.
I usually explain my role and that this is their time and we are hear to help with anything they are concerned about.rea
It's important to meet people in their happy place, what IS working, what are they good at and what do they enjoy. It's always important to go broad, so outside of school and work, what's fun and what are they a natural at?
During the interview I always like to pause if they have overcome a difficult time in the past, I will point to the strengths chart and ask "How did you do that?".
This step often gets missed because because we're under pressure to help with the problems but it's a gold mine in 3 ways:
Trauma, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Language Disorder (LD) or Intellectual Disability (ID) need to be identified to fully help the young person.
Now we're ready to return to the "presenting problem" or identified problems on the To-Do List.
As well as the conventional approach to diagnostic clarification of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use, I will also look at things through a polyvagal lens.
At some point we need to move from problem focused - once it's fully understood, to solution focused.
How do we stay on track for BETTER!?
B: Bullseye - what are you aiming for?
E: Extreme ownership - what is your part in the problem?
T: Tackle the hard part - what do you need to address?
T: Teamwork - who is going to help you?
E: Enabled - what can your best coping achieve?
R: Results - line up all your wins, what's the next one?
!: Bring your special sauce to the problem!
What are we going to work on?
Comfort zone: What's easy and you can do well?
Learning zone: What's a bit of a challenge and you need some help?
Danger zone: What overwhelms you and triggers Survival Mode?
Best to master the Learning Zone with a bit of help, but pull back before you reach the Danger Zone!
Soon you will find your learning zone has become your Comfort Zone and you're ready to take on the next challenge.
This is where we work out a specific regulation plan to turn off Survival Mode (blue, red or pink) where the brain is turned off, and regulate back into Social Mode (amber or green) where the brain is switched on.
We're going to build a Regulation Plan where we do different things to regulate-in to Social Mode at different levels of Survival Mode triggering, so we can bring our brain-on green-zone coping.
Blue Zone: SUPPORT & ACTIVATE while calming the body
Red Zone: STEP IN using sensory and movement regulation.
Pink zone: BE DIRECTIVE with sensory and movement calming.
Amber zone: Support with trigger fears using words
Green zone: LEARN, GROW & HEAL with best coping and thinking working.