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Interdisciplinary Mental Health
Respond to at least two colleagues who chose a different case in one or more of the following ways:
- Expand on your colleague’s discussion of how different disciplines provide input into the assessment and diagnosis processes by describing an example.
- Describe another way your colleague could communicate with interdisciplinary professionals to advocate for their client.
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Interdisciplinary teams play a vital role in the accurate assessment and diagnosis of clients with substance use disorders (SUDs). These teams bring together diverse professional perspectives that contribute to a more complete understanding of a client’s needs, medically, psychologically, and socially. This collaborative model was instrumental in the case of Manuel Sanchez, a 50-year-old Hispanic man diagnosed with moderate Alcohol Use Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after a comprehensive evaluation.
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Interdisciplinary Mental Health
Each discipline involved in Manuel’s assessment contributed from a unique practice lens. The psychiatrist provided diagnostic clarity using the DSM-5 criteria, identifying both the substance use and trauma-related disorders. Social workers, especially the bilingual clinician with a shared cultural background, offered insight into Manuel’s resistance, family dynamics, and cultural values. This alliance helped reduce his defensiveness and facilitated honest self-reflection. Counselors or psychologists would likely have explored the cognitive and emotional impacts of his insomnia, nightmares, and unresolved trauma from witnessing his friend’s death and past family losses, elements that Manuel himself identified as triggers for drinking.
These psychosocial factors are critical in shaping intervention. Manuel’s alcohol use is not just a habit, it is a coping mechanism tied to grief, trauma, marital stress, and cultural identity tensions. He struggles with his wife’s desire for change, his daughter’s prolonged academic path, and intrusive memories from his past. As Capuzzi and Stauffer (2020) note, effective intervention requires a biopsychosocial model, meaning treatment must target not just substance use, but also underlying emotional and relational stressors. Trauma-informed care, family counseling, and culturally grounded therapy would be essential components of Manuel’s treatment plan.
However, interdisciplinary teams may have differing priorities. For example, the psychiatrist might focus on pharmacological treatment (e.g., sleep aids or anti-craving medication), while the social worker might prioritize addressing family conflict and supporting Manuel’s cultural adjustment and recovery identity. Tensions can arise if one perspective dominates the plan of care. As Ambrose-Miller and Ashcroft (2016) argue, social workers often feel their holistic perspective is undervalued in clinical settings.
To advocate for Manuel, I would emphasize the importance of integrated, client-centered care. I would draw on assessment data, cultural factors, and Manuel’s own expressions of readiness and uncertainty. By centering his voice and illustrating how trauma and identity impact his use patterns, I could help the team recognize the need for multidimensional intervention, not just symptom management. As Craig et al. (2020) assert, social workers serve as essential bridges in interdisciplinary teams, ensuring that clients’ values and lived experiences remain central.
References
Ambrose-Miller, W., & Ashcroft, R. (2016). Challenges faced by social workers as members of interprofessional collaborative health care teams. Health & Social Work, 41(2), 101–109. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hlw006Links to an external site.
Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. D. (2020). Foundations of addictions counseling (4th ed.). Pearson Education.
Craig, S. L., Eaton, A. D., Belitzky, M., Kates, L. E., Dimitropoulos, G., & Tobin, J. (2020). Empowering the team: A social work model of interprofessional collaboration in hospitals. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, 19, 100327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2020.100327Links to an external site.
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How do different disciplines provide input into the processes of assessment and diagnosis that reflect their unique practice perspectives?
Different disciplines are critical in the assessment and diagnosis process. Integrating theories, methods, concepts, data, and other perspectives from multiple disciplines helps address or solve a theme or topic that is too broad or complex to be handled by one discipline. Results have shown that interdisciplinary assessment excels at variation. Increased attention to evaluation theory can catalyze progress, harmonize language, and provide structure to a highly varied domain. Interdisciplinary work weaves together disparate priorities and ways of knowing, thereby achieving higher rates of innovation, producing more effective solutions, and advancing a better understanding of multidimensional subjects than disciplinary endeavors (Laursen et al., n.d.).
Interdisciplinary Mental Health
Based on your knowledge of the client featured in your case, how might the client’s diagnoses and other psychosocial factors influence your approach to intervention? Cite specific details from the case to support your arguments.
In the case of Angela Peters, the client’s diagnoses of F14.20 Cocaine Use Disorder, moderate, and F33.0 Major Depressive Disorder, mild, with peripartum onset and other psychosocial factors, would influence my approach to intervention by incorporating an integrated treatment approach that will treat both conditions. Angela is using cocaine to combat the feelings of being alone, withdrawn, depressed, and being subjected to physical and verbal abuse by her husband, Peter. In addition, the cocaine usage may also impact her psychotic features. When using an integrated treatment, multiple approaches will be more comprehensive when treating a condition that interacts with other disorders. Treatment by multiple clinicians will allow continuous communication and a more accurate recommendation for Angela. Integrated therapy with two or more conditions and numerous treatments, such as pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy, will best assist Angela with her current symptoms (Social Work License Map, 2022).
Identify where various professionals might hold differing views about intervention and explain how you might approach advocating for the client?
Professionals can hold differing views when working with a client, depending on their background, culture, different education, training, and territoriality when an individual aggressively takes credit, initiative, and ideas (Social Work License Map, 2022). Power Dynamics can emerge as a barrier to collaboration when a physician takes power without consideration for the other members of the interdisciplinary team (Ambrose-Miller & Ashcroft, 2016). Social workers can advocate for the client by clarifying everyone’s role, exploring various collaborative approaches that have worked in the past, ensuring to present information and asking questions, and being clear on who will take credit for what role they play on the team. Social workers can also discuss the differences in discipline expectations and duties and offer positive reinforcement to meet the client’s needs (Social Work License Map, 2022).
Interdisciplinary Mental Health
References:
Laursen, B., Motzer, N., & Anderson, K. (n.d.). Pathways for assessing interdisciplinarity: A systematic review 31(3), 326–343. from https://doi.org/10.1093/reseval/rvac01Links to an external site.
Kelly, T. M., & Daley, D. C. (2013). Integrated treatment of substance use and psychiatric disorders. Social Work in Public Health, 28(3-4), 388–406. https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2013.774673Links to an external site.
Social Work License Map. (2022). Collaborations in Social Work – How to Effectively Serve Clients Through Teamwork. Social Work License Map. https://socialworklicensemap.com/social-work-careers/collaborations/Links to an external site.
Ambrose-Miller, W., & Ashcroft, R. (2016). Challenges Faced by Social Workers as Members of Interprofessional Collaborative Health Care Teams. Health & Social Work, 41(2), 101–109. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hlw006Links to an external site.