Abstract

Triage assessment is valuable in managing psychological patients since it helps identify crucial psychological factors causing risks to the patients safety. A 7-year-old girl named Alexa is identified in the following paper who shows signs of stress and anxiety with a previously exhibited intention of committing suicide. She is a Hispanic girl who feels unwelcome and unwanted at home and school. She argues much when her parents assert that getting engaged in school activities diverts her mind from uninvited thoughts of killing herself. With the help of triage assessment, the problems identified in the affective domain are anger, a feeling of worthlessness, and suicidal intention. The behavioral domain shows avoidance behavior. The cognitive domain shows a loss of safety, self-concept, personal integrity, and complicated social relationships. Her total score is between 14 to 17. Diagnostic skills, techniques, and developmental and cultural considerations for her intervention are suggested in the last sections of the paper.

Counseling: Using the Triage Assessment Form

Crisis Event

Alexa, 17-year-old, is a Hispanic female that shows signs of anger, depression, and worthlessness and is unwelcome at home and school. She attended counseling sessions for the past eight years but withdrew, feeling that it was useless and that time should be spent with her friends instead. She also attempted suicide by taking her fathers pills. Her mother also found a bottle of vodka with some pills in her room one day, which are more problematic signs of her condition.

Affective Domain

Anger/Hostility: It is considered a primary effect with a rating of as she shows signs of anger periodically with her parents. She gets easily irritable and complains about strict curfew times and being insistent about engaging in school activities.

Feeling of worthlessness: It is considered a secondary effect with a rating of 2. After withdrawing from counseling sessions, Alexa felt valueless at home and school; however, this feeling seemed to curb when she was with her beau and her friends. Still, this change is troublesome as she seems to be engaged in drinking and taking the wrong pills, as found by her mother in her room.

Suicidal intention: It is considered a tertiary effect with a rating of 3; however, the riskiest one. Since she has attempted suicide once and did not attempt it again even after having withdrawn from...…et al., 2020). Alexas more historical details are required about what triggered the psychological instability that led her to rake counseling sessions, from which she has now withdrawn. However, her poor relationships at school and with her parents are associated with her depression, including low mood, avoiding engaging in social activities, and progressing toward harmful activities like drinking and taking unprescribed pills.

Developmental and Cultural Considerations in Crisis Assessment and Intervention

Hispanics have faced ethnic discrimination and acculturative stress for years, which could be a possibility of depression in Alexa too. Hispanic adolescents face a high risk of these cultural contingencies that cause dangers to their mental health (Wilson, 2016, p. 11). The acculturation stress theory cites that the interconnection that Hispanics try to make with the dominant culture distorts that their minds are unable to accept (Wilson, 2016, p. 11). It could explain Alexas avoidance of school activities and be unwanted there. A suitable intervention needs to be devised for her after CATT; a face-to-face assessment is made within the next eight hours; even if an urgent need arises, it could be conducted over a telephonic interview with her parents or the patient…