As early as 1945, researchers had already established a certain type of anger that is linked with trauma which they termed post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), a disorder of war-neuroses. Morland, Love, Mackintosh, Greene, & Rosen (2012, p. 305) further note that anger in the military by officers is a common occurrence but has not been given the attention that it deserves. Dysregulated anger is a huge burden for an individual and society as it may lead to violence if it is not addressed in time.
Description of the Client
The case is a classic presentation of the interplay of PTSD and anger that has led to the outcome of lower motivation for work and the feeling of aggressiveness. As noted before the progression of the disorders is at a critical stage because the client has started showing signs of aggression as revealed by the inability to accommodate their son’s demands to play together. It is also worth noting that the sleep disturbance has been brought by the effect of the stress and to cater for the distressed state, Jon has resorted to drinking (Gibbs, Clinton-Sherrod, & Johnson, 2012, p. 1178).
Intake Assessment Process
The intake process is a vital element of counseling that builds a rapport with the client. The first two considerations are the contact and the establishment of an individual profile. For the contact, the client, John, would first affirm why they are seeking the service and a case file is opened in the process (National Council of Social Service, 2006, p. 12). It would be followed by the establishment of an individual profile that would involve the counselor gathering information from informal sources, in this case, the interview process.
Next, the intake process would cover for the decision-making, where the client makes a resolution regarding their effort in addressing their challenge. Finally, the assessment would detail the referral process, where the staff would recommend the appropriate intervention to be carried out. At this point, the clinician would be required to introduce the evidence-based planning and initiate follow up if needed (National Council of Social Service, 2006, p. 12).
Evidence-Based Treatment
The appropriate evidence-based treatment that should be employed in this case would be the clinical approach that involves considering the management of the anger and the aggression. In the first stage, there should be the inclusion of anger assessment in the plan and the building of motivation to and address the anger. Using the State-Trait Anger Inventory, it is possible to determine how often John feels angry and thus determine the subject’s level of hostility and dangerousness (Morland et al., 2012, p. 315). Depending on the level, the clinician should then act out and affirm the benefits of managing anger.
Next, the clinician ought to provide the client with anger management therapy that targets evidence-based principles such as the use of relaxation training with the family. Other alternatives that have been demonstrated to be effective for patients with PTSD include cognitive therapy and training that is based on the behavioral response strategies which will target the aggression to family members (Morland et al., 2012, p. 315).
Finally, the treatment program should entail the clinical pharmacotherapy and the consideration or co-occurring problems that lead to anger. The recommended options for pharmacotherapy would be the use of SSRIs and SNRI, which have been approved by the Department of Defense (Morland et al., 2012, p. 316). In targeting the co-occurring problem, the clinician should cover for insomnia by proving pain management to decrease irritability and intervene in the alcohol consumption by advising that it leads to impulsivity and aggression.
Working with Specific Population
When counseling a given population, several key considerations will determine the frequency and level of criticality. One such element is the age because it has been established that clients between the ages 18 to 24 present with the most severe cases of depression. Race can also be factored because Gibbs et al. (2012, p. 1181) notes that the most affected are the blacks, followed by the white and the Hispanic. Finally, the pay grade is also a consideration as those in the junior enlisted, and the non-commissioned officer (NCO) are more likely to present with severe challenges than the senior NCO and the officers.
Conclusion
In summary, the intake and assessment would involve the contact stage, the establishment of an individual profile, the decision-making stage and the referral process for the intervention to be implemented. In the institution of the evidence-based intervention, the main criteria would be to consider the anger management process and treatment planning. Next, the clinician should build motivation and provide an anger management therapy protocol. Finally, after the accounting for the pharmacotherapy, the client would have to be assisted to counter insomnia and the drinking problem as the co-occurring problems.