During intake evaluation, the client mentions a psychologist's diagnosis of PTSD. An appropriate next step is to

During intake evaluation, the client mentions a psychologist's diagnosis of PTSD. An appropriate next step is to

• A. Stop the evaluation and start talking about PTSD
• B. Continue the evaluation ignoring the information about psychologist and diagnosis
• C. Ask the client if he has taken any psychological tests
• D. Determine who the psychologist is and obtain permission to contact him or her

Answer: (D)

When a client brings information from another clinician, the responsible move is to coordinate care by identifying who made the diagnosis and obtaining the client’s permission to contact that professional. This step protects confidentiality, ensures you have accurate information, and helps you integrate existing assessments into your intake and treatment planning. By reaching out with consent, you can verify the PTSD diagnosis, learn about any prior evaluations or treatments, and determine how best to proceed in a way that complements the client’s current care. Stopping the evaluation to talk about PTSD would derail the intake and miss the chance to gather necessary context. Ignoring the external diagnosis ignores important information that can affect safety and planning. Asking about psychological tests is useful in some contexts, but it doesn’t address the need for coordinating with the other clinician to confirm and understand the diagnosis and treatment history.

When a client brings information from another clinician, the responsible move is to coordinate care by identifying who made the diagnosis and obtaining the client’s permission to contact that professional. This step protects confidentiality, ensures you have accurate information, and helps you integrate existing assessments into your intake and treatment planning. By reaching out with consent, you can verify the PTSD diagnosis, learn about any prior evaluations or treatments, and determine how best to proceed in a way that complements the client’s current care.

Stopping the evaluation to talk about PTSD would derail the intake and miss the chance to gather necessary context. Ignoring the external diagnosis ignores important information that can affect safety and planning. Asking about psychological tests is useful in some contexts, but it doesn’t address the need for coordinating with the other clinician to confirm and understand the diagnosis and treatment history.