Case Study
Patient Demographic: Name: Dave Clinical Issues: Worry and anxiety Diagnostic Category: Anxiety Disorders;Substance Use Disorders Provisional Diagnosis: F41.9 Unspecified Anxiety Disorder; F10.99 Unspecified Alcohol-Related Disorder Age: 42 Sex Assigned at Birth: Male Gender and Sexual Orientation: Male, Heterosexual Ethnicity: White Marital Status: Married Modality: Individual Therapy Location of Therapy : Agency  
Mental Status Exam: The client presents at the intake session biting his nails and cannot keep his legs from shaking. He feels anxious about his wife and work. He continually places his hands on his head and complains of headaches and nausea. He admits to drinking a bit more than he should. He denies thoughts of self-harm but sometimes wishes that he could "disappear."
Presenting Problem: First session You are a counseling intern at an agency that works with clients from various socioeconomic backgrounds. Your client is a 42-year-old married male massage therapist who owns two therapeutic massage practices. Over the past nine months, his business has been reduced by fifty percent. He is having great difficulty paying the bills for the business, and he has exhausted his personal savings. His wife is currently not working due to a back injury. He has difficulty concentrating during the day and is irritable around his employees, friends, and family. He states that he drinks "too much" in order to relax at night and admits that his hangover adds to his anxiety the next day. His wife has begun to complain, and their relationship has been strained over the past three months. The client is concerned about paying for the sessions due to financial issues. He offers to exchange massage sessions for therapy.    The client is aware that anxiety and alcohol use are impacting his work and family life negatively, but he does not know how to get a handle on them. He reports feeling overwhelmed with worry about the future of his business and whether he will be able to continue providing for his family. The client has been avoiding people lately, including old friends, and only sees his mother occasionally due to her health problems. In terms of self-care, the client acknowledges that he tends to put everyone else's needs before his own, which leads to feelings of exhaustion and anxiety. Additionally, he finds it difficult to recognize or accept compliments from others and has difficulty expressing gratitude for their help. During the intake session, you identify anxiety as one of the primary issues the client is seeking help with. You also discuss the role that alcohol is playing in his anxiety and suggest strategies for reducing anxiety without relying on it as a coping mechanism. The conversation then turns to developing a plan with the client for addressing these issues, such as scheduling regular self-care activities, limiting or eliminating alcohol use, and exploring cognitive behavioral therapy techniques for managing anxiety levels.
Other Contexts: The client has been married for ten years. He and his wife have two children together, a son, age 10, and a daughter, age 12. The client does not speak to his father, who divorced his mother when he was four years old. The client and his mother have a good relationship. The mother lives 15 minutes away from the client and helps his wife with the children. During the past nine months, his massage therapy practice revenue has decreased by fifty percent, and it has been difficult to pay the bills. The client has exhausted all personal savings. The client is the sole income provider for his family, as his wife is not working while recovering from a back injury. 

Question: What question would best help you to evaluate the client's current level of functioning?
(A): "Do you attend a place of worship?"
(B): "Do you volunteer in the community?"
(C): "Do you spend excessive time on social media?"
(D): "Can you describe the quality of your marital relationship?"

Correct Answer: "Can you describe the quality of your marital relationship?"
Explanation: Assessing the client's relationship with his wife will provide you with information about his mental functioning. This question will specifically help elicit information about relational functioning, which is a subset of a client's overall mental functioning. Therefore, the correct answer is (A)
Competency: intake, assessment, and diagnosis