Running Head: DIAGNOSIS REFLECTION PAPER 1 Diagnosis Reflection Paper Amy Gugig Advanced Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis I SWGS 6430 Christine Toner Fordham University October 20, 2012
DIAGNOSIS REFLECTION PAPER 2Diagnosis Reflection paper Throughout my time in graduate school, I have been asked to spend a fair amount of time in self-reflection, exploring how my experiences, socio-economic status, race, gender, and sexual orientation all influence my work with clients. Self-awareness helps us to prevent our biases and backgrounds from interfering with the work, and allows us to better serve our clients. In this paper, we were asked to explore how our personal biases and cultural background inform our …show more content…
I have to guard against expecting others’ experiences to mirror my own. I have found myself, for instance, frustrated by a client’ s skepticism of medication, because I, myself, have found medication so helpful for my depression and anxiety. I have also been able to manage my anxiety with a variety of behavioral techniques, and have to sometimes remind myself that if they don’ t work for a client, that I might need to try something that didn’t work for me. Unlike schizophrenia, which carries with it a fairly widespread stigma, depression and anxiety are more variable in how they are perceived by the public. I am a white, Jewish, middle-aged woman and have never had much trouble being open about my mental health. As far as cultural acceptance of therapy goes, I have been very fortunate, as people in my environment have been very supportive of seeking help. In terms of pop culture I grew up watching Woody Allen movies, and the Bob Newhart show, and in movies and on television, people who looked like me went to therapists. With few exceptions, patients in the movies I watched were more likely to be portrayed as ‘ quirky” than crazy, and as a New Yorker, I embrace quirky. As I got older, I found myself surrounded by people who took antidepressants, and got treatment for one thing or another. It was pretty easy for me to forget that not everyone has this kind of positive and accepting experience, and that in many cultures, mental illness is feared and stigmatized. In both of my internships, I encountered clients whose culture frowned on mental illness and treatment and who were afraid of being diagnosed. Many felt it would hurt their social standing, interfere with their place in their family, or make them less attractive to the opposite sex. My first
DIAGNOSIS REFLECTION PAPER 2Diagnosis Reflection paper Throughout my time in graduate school, I have been asked to spend a fair amount of time in self-reflection, exploring how my experiences, socio-economic status, race, gender, and sexual orientation all influence my work with clients. Self-awareness helps us to prevent our biases and backgrounds from interfering with the work, and allows us to better serve our clients. In this paper, we were asked to explore how our personal biases and cultural background inform our …show more content…
I have to guard against expecting others’ experiences to mirror my own. I have found myself, for instance, frustrated by a client’ s skepticism of medication, because I, myself, have found medication so helpful for my depression and anxiety. I have also been able to manage my anxiety with a variety of behavioral techniques, and have to sometimes remind myself that if they don’ t work for a client, that I might need to try something that didn’t work for me. Unlike schizophrenia, which carries with it a fairly widespread stigma, depression and anxiety are more variable in how they are perceived by the public. I am a white, Jewish, middle-aged woman and have never had much trouble being open about my mental health. As far as cultural acceptance of therapy goes, I have been very fortunate, as people in my environment have been very supportive of seeking help. In terms of pop culture I grew up watching Woody Allen movies, and the Bob Newhart show, and in movies and on television, people who looked like me went to therapists. With few exceptions, patients in the movies I watched were more likely to be portrayed as ‘ quirky” than crazy, and as a New Yorker, I embrace quirky. As I got older, I found myself surrounded by people who took antidepressants, and got treatment for one thing or another. It was pretty easy for me to forget that not everyone has this kind of positive and accepting experience, and that in many cultures, mental illness is feared and stigmatized. In both of my internships, I encountered clients whose culture frowned on mental illness and treatment and who were afraid of being diagnosed. Many felt it would hurt their social standing, interfere with their place in their family, or make them less attractive to the opposite sex. My first