| Course | PS450 Case Management in Clinical Settings |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 4 |
| Paper type | Treatment planning paper |
| Length | About 930 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Psychology |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PS450 Unit 4
Her Goals, the Court's Deadlines: A PS450 Unit 4 Treatment Planning Paper
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
PS450: Case Management in Clinical Settings
Unit 4 Treatment Planning Paper
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The client, her family, the program and the court team are composite; the frameworks cited are real.
The Client and the Starting Point
Three weeks into the program, Brandi, 34, sat down with me to turn her assessment into a plan. She has an opioid use disorder, in early remission on buprenorphine, and a methamphetamine use disorder. Her children, Tyler, 15, and Kaylee, 6, live with her mother after being removed by child protective services. She is also being treated for hepatitis C, has no car and lost her job and apartment after her arrest.
Her assessment, completed with me in her first two weeks, identified needs in seven areas: recovery, parenting and reunification, housing, health, employment, transportation and legal obligations. It also identified strengths. She managed scheduling and cash as a shift lead at a discount store, she is deeply attached to her children, her mother has taken the children in, and her pastor has offered help. I asked open questions about what she wanted, in the style of motivational interviewing, which treats the client's own reasons as the engine of change (Miller & Rollnick, 2013). She said, "My kids home, my own place, and a job where I'm not scared every day."
Principles for the Plan
The strengths model holds that the client directs the plan, that goals should come from the client's own aspirations, and that strengths and community resources are the main tools for reaching them (Rapp & Goscha, 2012). That principle meets a practical limit in treatment court: some requirements, such as drug screens and court appearances, are not negotiable. The plan therefore distinguishes Brandi's goals from the court's requirements and shows how meeting one serves the other.
Each objective is written to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound, the criteria Doran (1981) proposed for management objectives and that service planning has widely adopted. An objective such as "improve parenting" cannot be checked; "attend eight of eight parenting sessions by June 15" can.
Brandi's goals and the court's requirements point the same way, but only if the plan says so in her words.
Goal 1: My Kids Home
Brandi's first goal is reunification. The court's requirement is that she complete treatment phases and demonstrate safe parenting before unsupervised visits and, later, return of custody.
Objective 1a is to attend all three weekly group sessions and one weekly individual counseling session for the next ninety days, verified by program attendance records. Objective 1b is to provide all scheduled drug screens, with at least eighty percent negative over ninety days, verified by lab results, recognizing that the court treats early positives as part of recovery rather than automatic failure. Objective 1c is to complete the eight-week parenting class at the family resource center by June 15. Objective 1d is to attend every supervised visit with her children, twice weekly, and to plan one activity for each visit using a list she keeps on her calendar.
Strengths used: her motivation, her scheduling skill and her mother's support. Responsible parties: Brandi, her counselor, the visit supervisor and me.
Goal 2: My Own Place
Brandi currently stays with a friend, which the child welfare caseworker has said is not suitable for the children. Objective 2a is to complete a housing authority application with my help by April 10. Objective 2b is to save $300 toward a deposit by June 30 from her new job, tracked in a notebook she shows me monthly. Objective 2c is to tour two recovery-friendly apartments with me by June 30.
Strengths used: her experience managing cash and budgets. Responsible parties: Brandi, the housing authority and me.
Goal 3: A Job Where I'm Not Scared Every Day
Brandi's previous job ended with her arrest, and she worries about her record. Objective 3a is to meet with the state vocational rehabilitation counselor by April 20. Objective 3b is to apply to three employers known to hire people in recovery by May 15. Objective 3c is to work at least twenty hours a week by July 1, with a schedule that fits treatment.
Strengths used: her shift lead experience and references from a former manager. Responsible parties: Brandi, the vocational counselor and me.
Supporting Objectives
Several objectives support all three goals. For health, Brandi will attend her hepatitis C clinic visits monthly and take her medication daily, verified by the clinic. For transportation, her pastor has agreed to drive her to Tuesday and Thursday appointments, and I will arrange Medicaid transportation for medical visits. For legal obligations, she will attend every court hearing, with me present, and I will report progress to the court team before each hearing.
Reviewing the Plan
Brandi and I will review the plan every two weeks and revise it at ninety days. Progress on each objective will be reported to the court team, with Brandi's knowledge of what is shared. When an objective slips, the review will look for the obstacle and change the objective, not mark Brandi as failing. Brandi signed the plan and kept a copy on her phone.
Conclusion
Brandi's plan starts from what she wants and shows how the court's requirements serve those goals. The strengths model gives her direction and turns her skills into resources, SMART criteria make every objective checkable, and regular reviews keep the plan responsive. The plan's real test is whether Brandi recognizes it as hers.
References
Doran, G. T. (1981). There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives. Management Review, 70(11), 35-36.
Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Rapp, C. A., & Goscha, R. J. (2012). The strengths model: A recovery-oriented approach to mental health services (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
What the PS450 Unit 4 assignment asks for
For Unit 4, PS450 asks you to write a client-centered treatment or service plan and explain it. Summarize the assessment, including strengths and needs. Quote the goals as the client voiced them and explain how you drew them out. Write SMART objectives, with interventions, responsible parties and target dates. Show how external requirements, such as court or agency mandates, fit within the client's goals. Include a schedule for reviewing and revising the plan. Use APA style, citing a planning framework and a strengths or recovery model. Most plans run four to six pages with each goal in its own section. Each objective needs a measure, an owner and a date, and the client should sign the finished plan.
How this PS450 Unit 4 example is built
The plan opens with Brandi's diagnoses, her children's placement, her hepatitis C treatment, her lost job and apartment, and her assessment in seven areas. A principles section explains client direction under the strengths model and SMART criteria, under a highlighted line that her goals and the court's requirements point the same way only if the plan says so. Three goal sections follow, each with lettered objectives, strengths used and responsible parties: attendance, screens, parenting class and visits; a housing application, savings and apartment tours; vocational rehabilitation and job applications. Supporting objectives cover health, transportation and court, and a review section sets biweekly check-ins. The conclusion asks whether Brandi recognizes the plan as hers.
PS450 Unit 4 rubric: what earns full points
Instructors grading the plan look for goals that come from the client, stated in her words, and objectives that can be checked. Each objective should name a behavior, a measure and a date. External requirements should be integrated rather than listed separately, showing how the case manager reconciles mandates with client direction. Strengths must appear as resources tied to specific objectives. Named owners and a review calendar show the plan will be used, not filed. A response to missed objectives, framed as problem-solving rather than failure, reflects recovery-oriented practice. Citations for the planning framework and strengths model complete the expected sources. A signed copy in the client's hands is a nice touch.
Common PS450 Unit 4 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Many service plans are written about the client rather than with her, using goals like achieve sobriety that she never stated. Objectives often lack numbers or dates. Court requirements are frequently pasted in as a separate list, which makes the plan feel like supervision. Strengths may appear in the assessment and vanish from the plan. Review schedules are commonly missing. Before submitting, check that each goal is in quotation marks from the client, that every objective could be marked done or not done on a specific date, that each strength is attached to an objective, and that the plan says when and how it will be revised. Keep it hers.
Get a PS450 Unit 4 example written to your instructions
Share the assessment and the instructions with the rubric. A custom plan sets measurable goals, objectives and services with the client. It arrives within 24-48h, and a first paper costs nothing. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
More PS450 papers and BS in Psychology samples
- PS450 Unit 1: Case Management Role Board Post
- PS450 Unit 2: Case Management Models Paper
- PS450 Unit 3: Screening and Assessment Paper
- PS450 Unit 5: Special Needs Case Management Paper
- PS450 Unit 6: Courts and Service Coordination Paper
- PS450 Unit 7: Treatment Team Paper
- PS450 Unit 8: Discussion Board Post
- PS450 Unit 9: Program Evaluation Paper
- PS450 Unit 10: Discharge Plan
- PS115 Unit 4: Library Research and APA Exercise
- PS440 Unit 4: Anxiety Disorder Case Analysis
- PS200 Unit 4: Encoding and Long-Term Memory Paper
- PS380 Unit 4: Clinical Interview and Assessment Paper
PS450 Unit 4 questions, answered
What makes a goal measurable?
A specific behavior, a target and a time frame that can be checked.
Who writes the plan?
The case manager and the client together, with input from the team.
Should strengths appear in the plan?
Yes; strengths are resources for reaching goals.
Where can I find a free PS450 Unit 4 sample paper?
This page holds the complete PS450 Unit 4 service plan that sets SMART objectives under a treatment court mother's own three goals.
How does the PS450 Unit 4 sample handle court requirements?
It places drug screens, hearings and the parenting class as objectives under her own goal of bringing her children home.