Publisher's Synopsis
This client record notebook has been designed to work hand-in-hand with the companion publication, The Neuropsychotherapist Client Workbook, which provides clients with corresponding spaces to record their therapeutic journey with you. This case notebook can alternatively be used on its own, as an open framework, for you to record the biopsychosocial position of your client and take session notes-all in the one document. It is assumed that you are using your own intake form for new clients; however, an example of a comprehensive intake form is reproduced in the appendix and you may use this form or a variation of it if you wish. You may even like to have your clients fill out the form in this notebook itself prior to your first session. The layout of the notebook has been designed to encourage you to explore a bio-psycho-social-spiritual perspective of your client's state and circumstance while keeping in mind basic neurobiological underpinnings of behaviour. The neuropsychotherapeutic approach is founded on the fundamental concept that the protection and enhancement of basic psychological needs is driven by learned schemas, or models of reality. These motivational schemas are either approach or avoidance oriented. This notebook draws your attention to behaviour that is either approach or avoidance orientated (by taking note on page 11) and encourages you to record how well the basic psychological needs are being serviced (page 15). The concept of safety is critical in this perspective of mental wellbeing (as noted also on page 15). This introduction is not the place to fully develop the theoretical basis for the neuropsychotherapy approach, but a step-by-step explanation of the theory and rationale for this notebook, and the corresponding client workbook, can be found at www.neuropsychotherapist.com/workbook/. Following a typical initial assessment section that will be familiar to most mental health workers, there is a "big picture" section that encourages you to explore with your client all aspects of their lives as they are experiencing it currently. This may not be the first conversation you have in therapy, nor may it be covered in the initial sessions; nevertheless, it is there to remind you and your client that a holistic picture is important to address some time near the beginning of your journey together. The client workbook has a section prompting them to write their story. This is a good integrative activity that not only activates left and right hemispheres in emotional memory recall and articulation but can also provide vital clues as to the underlying motivational schemas driving behaviour. Gaining an understanding of the situations in the past that have generated a particular schema (often uncovered as an emotional logic about self, others, and circumstances) is important information (noted on page 11) that can be the beginning of making motivational schemas-internal constructs of how things are-implicit. When an emotional memory is made implicit it can become liable to change through a particular sequence of memory reconsolidation (see www.neuropsychotherapist.com/workbook/ for more information). The treatment plan (called The Big Plan in the client workbook) is broken up into Mind, Body, and Spirit sections to delineate what is psychological, what is physical, and what is spiritual. Page 15, as noted above, focuses on the basic psychological needs-how they are suffering and how they will be addressed-and is an integral part of the treatment plan. Space for session notes and between-session notes are provided for up to 12 sessions. If more space is needed then it is suggested that extra paper is attached to this notebook. A sample 42-question DASS and marking sheet, along with the sample intake form mentioned above, can be found at the end of the workbook after the session notes.