Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis: Structured Interviewing Skills
This course equips licensed mental health professionals with evidence-based frameworks for clinical assessment and differential diagnosis. Participants will master the mental status examination, structured and semi-structured interviewing approaches, validated screening instruments (PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5, AUDIT, Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale), the DSM-5-TR diagnostic process, and ethical dimensions of diagnosis including labeling effects, cultural formulation, and the limits of insurance-driven diagnostic practice.
2
CE Hours
3
Modules
18
Quiz Questions
1
Est. Minutes
What you'll learn
- Conduct a systematic mental status examination across all eight domains: appearance, behavior, mood, affect, thought process and content, perceptual disturbances, cognition, insight, and judgment
- Distinguish structured, semi-structured, and unstructured clinical interviewing approaches and select the appropriate method for a given clinical context
- Administer and interpret validated screening instruments including the PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5, AUDIT, and Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale
- Apply the DSM-5-TR differential diagnosis framework including ruling out medical causes, using specifiers, and applying severity ratings
- Identify common diagnostic errors — anchoring bias, premature closure, and diagnostic overshadowing — and implement strategies to reduce them
- Evaluate the ethical dimensions of diagnosis including labeling effects, insurance-driven diagnosis, informed consent, and cultural formulation
Who it's for
Licensed mental health professionals (LPCs, LCSWs, LMFTs, NCCs)
Approval & credit
CounselorReady is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP #7760). This course awards 2 NBCC-approved CE hours; a certificate is issued on completion. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CounselorReady is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.