Case Study
Patient Demographic: Clients Age: Husband: 45 Wife: 43 Sex: Husband: Male Wife: Female Gender: Husband: Male Wife: Female Sexuality: Heterosexual Ethnicity: Both Individuals Are Caucasian Relationship Status: Married Counseling Setting: Private Practice Counseling Clinic Type of Counseling: Couples Counseling Presenting Problem: Marital Distress Diagnoses: Couple Diagnosis: Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety (F43.22) and Relationship Distress with Spouse or Intimate Partner (Z62.898) Individual Diagnosis (Wife): Generalized Anxiety Disorder (F41.1)
Mental Status Exam: Mental Status Exam: The husband and wife were both oriented to person, place, time, and situation. Both individuals were dressed appropriately for the season and appeared clean. The husband presented as angry, and the wife presented as remors
Presenting Problem: You are a licensed therapist working at a private practice. The couple comes to counseling in order to work on their relationship following an infidelity. The wife has difficulty expressing what happened, and the husband interrupts her and expresses that his wife had an affair with a coworker 3 weeks ago. The couple states that they are currently talking very little aside from conversations that involve their children. The wife states that she is regretful of what she did and that she does want her marriage “to be saved.” The husband explains that he is very hurt by her infidelity and that he is unsure if he can forgive her and continue being married to her. The couple has been married for 25 years and report that they both are in counseling to see if they can continue to be married following the affair. The husband expresses strong anxiety following the revelation of the affair and questions how he can be in a relationship with his wife following the infidelity. The wife is experiencing anxiety regarding her husband leaving her because she reports regretting the sexual interaction with her coworker and does not want to get divorced.
Other Contexts:    eful. Family History: The couple has been married for 25 years. They have two children,a 14-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter, and they report good relationships with their families of origin

Question: At this point in treatment, which of the following assessments would be clinically appropriate to use with the couple?
(A): Beck Anxiety Inventory
(B): Dyadic Adjustment Scale
(C): Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
(D): Family Environment Scale

Correct Answer: Dyadic Adjustment Scale
Explanation: The Dyadic Adjustment Scale, a 32-question scale that assesses each individual’s perception of the relationship and is used to assess for marital satisfaction, would be helpful for assessing each individual’s satisfaction in the marriage and may prompt processing of what brought the couple to the point at which the wife had an affair. The wife has generalized anxiety disorder, which can be tracked using the Beck Anxiety Inventory; however, this would not be the focus of couples counseling. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory may give insight into personality traits of both individuals; however, it would not be indicated at this point in counseling. The Family Environment Scale focuses more on the family system as a whole and not just the parental unit. Therefore, the correct answer is (A)
Competency: intake, assessment, and diagnosis