American Psychological Association
Please no plagiarism and make sure you are able to access all resources on your own before you bid. Main references come from Murray, C., Pope, A., & Willis, B. (2017) and/or American Psychological Association (2014). You need to have scholarly support for any claim of fact or recommendation regarding treatment. APA format also requires headings. Use the instructions each week to guide your heading titles and organize the content of your initial post under the appropriate headings. Remember to use scholarly research from peer-reviewed articles that is current. Please follow the instructions to get full credit for the discussion. I need this completed by 04/23/20 at 7pm.
Discussion – Week 9
Analyzing Diagnostic Criteria
Marriage, couple, and family counselors work from a systemic vantage point—they view issues and change as relational. That being said, they must be familiar with the diagnostic criteria of the DSM in order to work within the field of mental health care at large. The DSM, of course, is individual, rather than systemic in focus, and therefore it is wise for marriage, couple, and family counselors to view diagnostic criteria through a critical lens. Many of the disorders also are not based on clear clinical cut-off criteria and require informed clinical judgment in order to be applied appropriately.
Note also that counselors should consider intersections of physical, mental health, and relationship considerations as they relate to sexual dysfunctions, compulsions, and addictions. For example, a physical examination by a qualified healthcare professional is typically warranted prior to making a diagnosis of a sexual dysfunction in order to rule out any physical causes for the symptoms.
For this Discussion, you analyze the diagnostic criteria of major sexual dysfunctions and disorders in the DSM. Review the case study below and reflect on which DSM sexual dysfunction/disorder might be the most reflective of the client’s symptoms. Then consider a counterargument as to why this dysfunction/disorder might not be appropriate for this client.
Susan, age 34, is a married mother of two preschool-aged children (ages 4 and 2). Her husband, Steve, age 35, works full-time, and Susan works part-time on the weekends but primarily is a stay-at-home mother to her children.
The couple sought couples counseling, and their primary presenting concern was that Susan has not had any interest in sex with Steve for the past year. The couple reports that they have had intercourse about 3 times in the past year (“always at Steve’s initiation”); they rarely display physical affection toward one another; and they fought frequently about their lack of sex for about the first six months of the past year, but lately they have not fought often about the issue.
The partners indicate that, up until a year ago, Susan was very interested in sex, and they had sex approximately 3 times per week throughout their marriage (aside from immediately following the birth of their children). Susan states that she can’t pinpoint any particular reason for her lack of interest in sex and says, “Really, I just don’t want it anymore. I’m not sure if I ever will again.” Steve says that he is very frustrated but doesn’t want to fight about it. He says, “I just want my wife back.”
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 4 an explanation of which DSM sexual dysfunction or disorder might be the most reflective of the client’s symptoms. Provide a counter-argument for why the dysfunction or disorder you selected might not be appropriate for this client. Justify your response with references to the Learning Resources and the DSM.
Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Required Resources
Readings
· Course Text: Murray, C., Pope, A., & Willis, B. (2017). Sexuality counseling: Theory, research, and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
· Chapter 6, “Sexuality and Mental Health”
· Article: Benfield, J. (2018). Sex Addiction: The Search for a Secure Base. Healthcare Counselling & Psychotherapy Journal, 18(4), 14–17. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
· Article: Kraus, S. W., Voon, V., Kor, A., & Potenza, M. N. (2016). Searching for clarity in muddy water: future considerations for classifying compulsive sexual behavior as an addiction. Addiction, 111(12), 2113–2114. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
· Reference Text: American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
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