The range through which wellness and emotional well-being impact an individual’s body, mind, and spirit varies. With the mind playing a significant role in the wellness program, some people consider it the leading player in achieving happiness (Erford, 2018). To others, the physical aspect of any program is the epitome of optimal health. The third group considers the spiritual aspect of any wellness program to be essential in establishing balance (Erford, 2018). However, despite the varying considerations, the significance of wellness and emotional well-being impact the human being by influencing thought formation, bodyweight management, and internal hope.
The two selected wellness or emotional assessment tools mental health professionals utilize are unstructured clinical interviews and observer rating or ranking scales. Unstructured clinical interviews represent an interaction between the patient and the practitioner purposed to collect information about the patient’s comprehension, feelings, or perspective of the health challenge (Barrio and Lenz, 2019). The features that set unstructured interviews apart allow practitioners to develop rapport with the patients. Two, they are purposefully developed, bearing in mind their responsibility to keep the interview on track (Barrio and Lenz, 2019). Lastly, they allow the practitioner to modify it based on the patient’s specific encounters.
Observer rating or tracking scales represent a platform where practitioners use previous and existing behavior and experiences to assess the patient. The tool is used in rating the psychopathological phenomena extent and might focus both on single or multiple dimensions of psychopathology (Barrio and Lenz, 2019). The features associated with rating scales are one, it is a subjective approach where practitioners find out about their patient’s opinions. Two, they can be filled immediately or after observation has been done (Erford, 2018). Lastly, they are systematic processes for reporting, obtaining, and recording an observer’s judgment.
Among the differences between unstructured interviews and rating scales is that unstructured interviews do not follow any sequence; instead, they rely on the conversation’s course. Contrary, rating scales have a sequence that must be adhered to (Erford, 2018). Two, in terms of question types, rating scales have closed-ended questions that limit the range of possible responses by the participants. In contrast, unstructured interviews have open-ended questions that do not restrict preconceived response options (Barrio and Lenz, 2019). On the other hand, the two are both used in data collection, and both entail interacting with the participant.
The information gathered from the assessment tools is used to inform the treatment process since it helps in understanding more about the patient’s condition alongside possible causes and risks associated with the diagnosis. Further, the information is essential in enhancing care, health, and provided services by linking up any or all potential data patterns that can be critical in helping develop and improve clinical care (Erford, 2018). That happens by understanding more about the condition and improving diagnosis to ensure improved patient safety. Several reasons might cause a mental health practitioner to choose one assessment tool. One of the reasons might be the tool’s ease of use and how effective it is in gathering the desired information. Moreover, depending on the complexity of the gathered information, the practitioner will choose one tool over the other, bearing in mind the significance of the information in treating the patient’s condition (Barrio and Lenz, 2019). Lastly, the choice of tool will also depend on how the patient interacts with the mental health practitioner.
References
Barrio, M. C. A., & Lenz, A. S. (2019). Practical Approaches to Applied Research and Program Evaluation for Helping Professionals. Routledge.
Erford, B. T. (2018). Group Work: Processes and Applications, 2nd Edition. Routledge