Case Study
Patient Demographic: Client Age: Husband, 38; wife, 37 Sex: Husband,male; wife, female Gender: Husband,male; wife, female Sexuality: Husband,heterosexual; wife, bisexual Ethnicity: Caucasian Relationship Status: Married Counseling Setting: Counseling clinic Type of Counseling: Couples counseling Presenting Problem: The couple is experiencing distress because the wife has had a sexual affair with a woman. Diagnosis: Adjustment disorder, unspecified (F43.20) and relationship distress with spouse or intimate partner (Z63.0)
Mental Status Exam: Mental Status Exam: The couple presents as withdrawn at the start of the session, but they open up as they talk about lighter subjects. Both individuals are oriented to person, place, time, and situa
Presenting Problem: You are a licensed counselor meeting with a couple in your private practice clinic. The couple comes in, and they both sit down at far ends of the couch and do not look at each other. After explaining informed consent and other intake policies, you begin to ask the couple what brought them to counseling, and they both sit silently. You ask the couple if it is hard to start this conversation because of why they came, and they both nod. You ask the couple if it might be easier to start with how they met and why they fell in love with each other, and they both nod in agreement that they can talk about that. The couple appears more comfortable after this and even say a few statements to each other about shared experiences during the conversation. You circle back to the reason why they came to therapy, and the wife says that she assumes that she should talk first. She states that about a week prior she told her husband that she had an affair with a woman a few months before. She continues that, at the time, she was curious and it occurred while she was drunk and insists that it meant nothing. The husband states that he still loves her, but he is not sure how he is going to move past this. He emphasizes that not only did she have an affair, but her action exposed an aspect of her that he did not know about, making him question whether she even finds him attractive.
Other Contexts: tion. Family History: The husband and wife have been married for 13 years. They report that they met when friends introduced them and that they dated for about 2 years before getting married. The couple have two children: two daughters (ages 7 and 10). The couple reports that they have been in “parent mode” for the past few years and have not been emotionally connected to each other because their attention has been predominantly focused on their children

Question: Which of the following assessments would be the most helpful in treatment planning for this couple?
(A): Gottman Relationship Checkup
(B): Family APGAR assessment
(C): Relationship Assessment Tool
(D): Love Language Quiz

Correct Answer: Gottman Relationship Checkup
Explanation: The Gottman Relationship Checkup assesses several areas in a relationship including conflict resolution, finances, housework, parenting, and more. This would be helpful in identifying areas that led to the affair because the relationship was likely experiencing difficulties prior to this culminating point. The Relationship Assessment Tool assesses intimate partner violence, which is not indicated for assessment at this time. The Family APGAR assessment reviews family relational aspects and would not be appropriate for the issues that this couple is experiencing. The Love Language Quiz identifies how each partner most feels and expresses love, but it is not an evidence-based theory to use during the assessment process. Therefore, the correct answer is (B)
Competency: intake, assessment, and diagnosis