Capstone Project

During this term of Practicum, students will continue to engage in the process of case conceptualization
while providing professional services with a different client at their Practicum site and is providing
counselling using the same counselling theory as the one theory identified in their Case
Conceptualization assignment. Recall from Case Conceptualization Paper and Literature Review
assignment that case conceptualization refers to the process in which the counsellor makes sense of a
client’s presenting concerns in the context of a theoretical framework.
Students will also engage in a comparative analysis of the one counselling theory when counselling two
different clients. The comparative analysis will focus on the therapeutic relationship; the theory’s
assumptions, principles, or foundational beliefs; treatment goals and interventions; and cultural
considerations and implications of the use of one counselling theory when counseling two different
clients.
NOTE: Should the student’s practicum placement not permit use of their client for the case
conceptualization, the student should inform their faculty instructor for alternative instructions for
completing the Capstone Project paper.
Learning Objectives

• To examine the utilization of the same one theoretical approach and interventions identified in
the Case Conceptualization & Literature Review assignment tailored for a different client case.
• To integrate theory, research literature, and practice in case conceptualization, planning, and
counselling interventions.
• To be able to choose an appropriate course of action and apply sound ethical decision-making
strategies to resolve ethical dilemmas.
• To identify how diversity, cultural and contextual frameworks and factors influence
conceptualization, goal setting, and treatment.
• To summarize counselling processes and client progress to demonstrate proficiency to function
as an entry-level counsellor in the field.
• To explain how experiences, feedback, and readings contribute to responsiveness and potential
change in counselling interactions.
• To engage in comparative analysis of the one counselling theory to the therapeutic relationship.
• To engage in comparative analysis of the counselling theory’s assumptions, principles, or
foundational beliefs when counselling two different clients.
• To engage in comparative analysis of the treatment goals and interventions of the one
counselling theory when counselling two different clients.
• To engage in comparative analysis of the cultural implications of one counselling theory when
counselling two different clients.

Students will engage in the case conceptualization process for a separate and different client with whom
they are counselling at their practicum site during this trimester term. The case conceptualization will
include the selection of the same major counselling theory (i.e., Psychodynamic, Cognitive-Behavioral
Theory, Humanistic, etc.) that was selected for the Case Conceptualization Paper and Literature Review
assignment. Students will also identify the theoretically driven treatment goals and objectives, and
specific interventions (techniques) utilized in counselling to facilitate the client’s progress in treatment.
Students will engage in a topical literature review of the current research that relates to the client’s
presenting issue and background of clients, similarly to the client case for this paper. Keep direct quotes
to a minimum, you should paraphrase the information you have reviewed in your own words.
Introduction
Write a brief introductory paragraph that prepares the reader by identifying the purpose of the paper and
providing the organization of the paper (i.e., the topical headings identify the topics that will be discussed
throughout the paper). This section should be no longer than one paragraph in length.
Client Information and Client History
Select a different client with whom you have been providing counselling during Practicum and have been
using the same major counselling theory to provide a foundation for counselling that was identified and
discussed in your Case Conceptualization & Literature Review assignment.
Describe the client’s history. Protect the confidentiality of the client by changing any client identifiers to
maintain client confidentiality. Do not copy and paste information contained in the client’s case file at the
practicum site. The description of the client’s information and history should be no longer than two
paragraphs in length. In your own words, include the following areas of information:

• Client’s age.
• Race or ethnicity.
• Cultural background.
• Gender identity.
• Educational background.
• Family history and currently living situation.
• Previous mental health or medical diagnosis by a mental health or medical professional.
• Identify any current prescribed medications and their dosage.
• Identify any previous formal assessments, including date administered.
• Socioeconomic status.

Client’s Presenting Issues and Concerns

Briefly describe the client’s presenting issues and concerns that the client has stated has brought
him/her/they/them to counselling at this time. All symptoms are to be clearly identified and organized.
Describe your understanding of the main issues and concerns using clear and concise terminology. The
client’s presenting concerns and issues may be similar or different from the client that was
conceptualized in your Case Conceptualization and Literature Review assignment completed during
trimester. This section should be no more than one paragraph containing no more than 4 sentences.
Assessment
Identify and describe the processes used to complete a comprehensive assessment of the client. Discuss
how the assessments were selected (rationale) and how the client’s cultural background was considered
in the selection of assessment instruments. If formal testing was conducted, provide the name(s) of any
formal tests that were administered with dates, results, recommendations, and relevance of those
assessment tools. If informal tools were used to gather client information, clearly identify the informal
tools (e.g., review of records, interviews, observations, etc.). Support the discussion with empirical or
professional literature. This section should no more than one paragraph in length.
Theoretical Orientation
Engage in an evaluation of peer-reviewed literature as it pertains to the chosen one counselling
theoretical orientation. The literature review must be specific to the client’s presenting concerns, culture,
and fit for the client. For example, what does the literature state about the most effective types of
counselling approaches used with clients who are similar in background and presenting issues as your
selected client? Prediction of client change will be considered through the lens of research evidence and
specific to the client.
Consider the following points as you engage in the literature review and in your decision-making process
for selecting the same major counselling theory for this client. You may use some of the same descriptive
information about the one major counselling theory from your Case Conceptualization & Literature
Review assignment paper. Be sure to properly cite yourself to avoid Self-Plagiarism:
 • How would the same counselling theory address the client demographics and key presenting
concerns of this client?
• What does the counsellor hope to accomplish with their work using this theoretical approach to
address this client’s key presenting concerns?
• How does the counsellor facilitate the client’s movement toward psychological health?

Describe an understanding of the health and well-being of the client, including but not limited to such
factors as: medical/health matters or diagnosis, critical events, relationships, work/school, spirituality,
psychometric testing, meaningful activities, and capacity in daily living.
Consider incorporating some of the following points that facilitated your decision-making process to
select the counselling theory for your client:

• What population/problem was the theory created to address? What are the underlying
philosophies?
• What propositions/ideas are at the foundation of the theory?
• How does the theory describe a person’s distress?
• How does the theory describe how a person moves from psychopathology to health?
• What does the counsellor hope to accomplish with their work using this theoretical approach?
• How does the counsellor facilitate the client’s movement toward psychological health?
• Given the theory you have described, how do you as the counsellor understand the client’s
distress?

Support the discussion with empirical or professional literature.

Cultural Considerations
Describe the complexity of the client’s culture in relation to its history, values, communication styles,
community interaction, and beliefs and practices. Provide evidence of adjustment in your own attitudes
and beliefs because of working within and learning from diversity of communities and cultures. Assess
the impact of assumptions, judgments, and/or biases related to other cultures. Describe how you
incorporate diverse and multiple perspectives when working with others. Support the discussion with
empirical or professional literature. This section should be no more than 2-4 paragraphs in length.

Ethical Considerations

Identify potential ethical issues that may arise in your work with the client at your practicum site. Include
in this section how personal beliefs may contribute to an ethical issue, e.g., abortion. Describe the ethical
implications of these issues. Identify and apply ethical perspectives/concepts and to address them,
making connections with professional codes of ethics with literature support. Refer to the specific
regulations and ethical standards in your discussion. Support the discussion with empirical or
professional literature. This section should be no more than 1-2 paragraphs in length.
Treatment Plan
In this section, students will present and describe the formulation of this client’s treatment plan to
address the client’s presenting issues and concerns? Include a brief description of how the treatment
goals were discussed with the client.
Identify and describe the structure of the client’s treatment plan. Explain how the components of the
treatment plan align with the theoretical foundation (i.e., the same major counselling theory).
Identify 1-2 long term goals for this client. What makes these goals feasible and sufficient to address
the client’s presenting issues and concerns, from the framework of the one selected counselling theory?
Support the discussion with empirical or professional literature.
This section should be no more than 3 paragraphs in length.
Interventions
Identify 1 intervention for each long-term goal (no more than 2 long term goals) identified in the previous
section, and how the interventions align with the selected counselling theory and the long-term treatment
goals. How are these interventions appropriate and specific to the client, at this time? Provide empirical
or professional literature support for the selection of the interventions. Support the discussion with
empirical or professional literature. This section should be no more than 2 paragraphs in length.
Comparative Analysis of Theory
In this section, engage in a comparison analysis of the use of the same one major counselling theory
selected for the client discussed in your Case Conceptualization & Literature Review assignment and for
the client described in this Capstone Paper. In your analysis, address the following topics:
Analyze the therapeutic relationship between you and each client. Did use of the same counselling theory
impact the therapeutic relationship? If yes, provide a description of the relationship factors that enhanced
the therapeutic alliance, with at least one example. If the therapeutic relationship experienced a rupture,
provide a description of the relationship factors that had a negative impact, with at least one example.
Support the discussion with empirical or professional literature.
Provide an analysis of the effectiveness of the one major counselling theory’s assumptions, principles, or
foundational beliefs in application to each client’s presenting concerns. Was the theory effective in
addressing each client’s concerns? If yes, provide a description with at least one example. If not, discuss
potential reasons for the differences in effectiveness. Support the discussion with empirical or
professional literature.
Provide an analysis of the effectiveness of the one major counselling theory’s goals and interventions in
addressing each client’s presenting concerns. Was the theory effective for both clients? If so, provide
examples of how the theory was effective for both clients, i.e., client made progress and/or achieved
counselling goals. If not effective, describe and provide examples of the theory’s limitations for the client
to achieve progress and/or achieve counselling goals. Support the discussion with empirical or
professional literature.
Provide an analysis of any cultural implications (positive and negative) of using the same one
counselling theory for both the clients. Describe any differences in life experiences of the client that may
have influenced the theory’s effectiveness to addressing the client’s presenting concerns. Support the
discussion with empirical or professional literature.
Assignment Requirements:
Type and Type Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt. font size.
Length of Paper: 15 double-spaced typed pages, not including the title and references page. Do not
exceed the maximum page count.
APA formatting: No table of contents; no abstract. Format the paper in the most current APA style, APA
7th edition. Please use headings throughout your paper that are consistent with the assignment’s grading
rubric (that way you ensure adequately addressing all required areas).
References: A minimum of eight scholarly reference sources written within 5-7 years. Aim to cite
scholarly references sources (i.e., text and journal articles) published, unless citing a seminal reference
source. Any sources used to support your assignment paper should be cited using correct APA
formatting (7th ed.). No Wikipedia references will be accepted as scholarly citations. Here's just one
reason why: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/30699302/ns/technology_and_science-
tech_and_gadgets/t/student-hoaxes-worlds-media-wikipedia/
Evaluation

The following rubric indicates those criteria you should be focusing on in preparing your assignment, and
how the professor will weigh these components relative to one another. The Capstone Paper Grading
Rubric is attached here that provides the full criteria for each level of performance.

Criteria % of Final
Grade

CASE CONCEPTUALIZATION (25%)

Presenting Problem /5

Client History /5

Assessment /5

Treatment Plan /5

Interventions /5

THEORETICAL ORIENTATION (15%)

Theoretical Orientation /5

Topical Literature Review /10

CONSIDERATION and/or MANAGEMENT OF ISSUES (10%)

Ethical Considerations /5

Cultural Sensitivity /5
REFLECTIONS (5%)

Self-reflection and Identification of Strengths, Challenges, and /5

Future Plans

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THEORY (30%)

Therapeutic Relationship /7

Theoretical Assumptions, Principles, or Foundational Beliefs /7

Theoretical Goals and Interventions /8

Cultural Implications /8

WRITING STYLE (8%)

APA Style /4

Clarity, Accuracy, Consistency /4

REFERENCES (7%)

Relevance to Counselling Issues /4

Recent Peer Reviewed Sources /3

TOTAL /100