+1 862 207 3288 Case Vignette for Comprehensive Examination
Please read the vignette carefully. Based on information provided in the vignette, please compose a well-written and
organized response to each of the questions that follow:
Identifying Information: Mr. George Huey Adams is a sixty-two year old Caucasian man born and raised in the Appalachian
Mountains of northeast Georgia. Huey, as he prefers to be called, was apprehended by the Gilmer county police from his
twenty-three-acre home on the evening of the 11th of May 2015. He has been held at the county prison for several weeks
after being charged with “Aggravated Assault” for allegedly attempting to shoot three minors that were trespassing on his
property. Huey denies culpability for the charges that have been brought against him. Although he admits to shooting
his “high-velocity rifle” in the direction the teenagers were walking on his property, he adamantly states that his
intention “was to scare them rich and delinquent city boys away for good but never to hurt them as they are saying now.”
Huey appears very anxious, preoccupied and pessimistic about his future. He sees himself as a “good patriotic man” that
likes to mind his own business and that expects others to do the same. He feels that he is being falsely accused. At this
time, Huey appears to be most inclined to speak with his assigned Forensic Case Manager Specialist (FCMS). He appears
very agitated, but hopes that the FCMS can assist him in getting the right medication “to calm my nerves.”
Sources of Information: The information offered in this initial report was gathered from Huey’s two Vietnam Veteran
friends, medical and psychological records from North Georgia Veterans’ Hospital, physical examination, self-report,
ongoing clinical interviews from Psychological Services and police reports. It is important to note that Huey appears to
be inconsistent as an informant. He has been, however, fairly cooperative with the ongoing investigation and
psychosocial treatment.
Family/Psychosocial History: Mr. George Huey Adams is a sixty-two year-old Caucasian man born on the 4th of July 1952 in
East Ellijay, Georgia. He described himself as a “real American,” proudly emphasizing that he is one-eighth Cherokee on
his paternal side. He stated, with evident bitterness, that neither the United States government nor the Cherokee Nation
has acknowledged his Native American heritage. According to his background records, his parents, grandparents and
great-grandparents were all born in North Georgia. He said that his family never had much money or property except for
the land his family home has sat on for several generations.
Huey reported no prenatal, perinatal or postnatal complications. Per self-report, all developmental milestones were
reached within expected range. He reported a relatively happy childhood for him and his older sister until age 10, when
his father died suddenly. Huey tearfully recalled that he never found out what really happened to his father and that
his mother avoided talking about it. He remembered that his sister (six years his senior) had said on several occasions
that their father had died because he drank too much and had stopped taking his “nerve pills.” Huey would become a bit
emotional only when he spoke about his father, emphasizing that he never developed the same closeness with his mother
that he had enjoyed for ten years with his father. Huey suffered another traumatic event when he became the victim of
sexual abuse at fourteen years of age. It was one incident that he kept hidden until he reached adulthood because of
lingering feelings of shame and guilt. He never developed close relationships with anyone after his father’s death and
identified his older sister as the only significant person remaining in his life. He finally disclosed this traumatic
event to his sister, who he described as very supportive in helping him deal effectively with this burden.
After joining the United States Army in 1970, Huey finished high school and earned a GED in 1972. He said that he “felt
rejected by the army” when he unexpectedly received an honorable discharge after serving only nine months of his original
one-year duty in Vietnam. He described Vietnam as a frightening experience which he “survived” by smoking marijuana
every day. He acknowledged that he was also introduced to LSD in Vietnam adding that “everyone was doing it.” His duties
in Vietnam mostly consisted of doing minor clerical work. Huey indicated that the work was senseless, but preferable to
having to work in the kitchen with a lot of angry people that were hard to please (his first assignment that lasted two
weeks) or having to fight the North Vietnamese in the jungle. Huey never saw battle during his relatively brief stay in
Vietnam. The things that he loved the most about his experience in the army, however, are that it gave him the
opportunity to serve his country and become an expert in handling a rifle.
In early 1973, he returned to Georgia and briefly settled in Atlanta holding several jobs as a construction worker,
security guard and as a cook for chain restaurants. He did not like living in the city, claiming that he always felt
isolated, misunderstood and anxious. By 1977, he had saved a significant amount of money. He returned home to the
Appalachians to live with his ailing mother who had developed serious health issues related to type 2 diabetes. Although
he never felt completely accepted by his mother, he indicated that for once he felt good taking care of her. The
mother-and-son relationship improved significantly at that time and he took care of his mother until she died in 1995.
During this time, Huey supported himself and his mother by relying on his savings, his mother’s pension and Social
Security, his seasonal work in construction, and steady work as a handy-man. He liked to garden and loved to cook all of
the meals for himself and his mother. Throughout this time, Huey did not develop any close friendships, but he did enjoy
going hunting by himself or with one or two Vietnam Veterans that he knew from Gilmer County.
Huey recounted that he was very distraught after his mother’s death. He took his sister’s recommendation to move back to
Atlanta in search of a new life and seek a well-paying job in construction. Atlanta was the host of the 1996 Olympic
Games and, based on his extensive experience in construction, he readily found many opportunities and a lucrative job.
Based on his negative prior experience living in a congested city, he chose to rent a small house in the outside of
Atlanta in Douglas County. He immediately liked the house because it sat on an acre of land with tall trees that obscured
his view of the surrounding houses in the neighborhood. During this time, he met Robert who he calls the “only real love
of my life.” Huey had known for many years that he was gay, but it was not until he met Robert, a biracial man eight
years his senior, that he fully acknowledged his sexual orientation. Robert, an electrician, moved in with him and they
remained a couple until December 2001. The relationship deteriorated once Huey insisted on moving back to his old family
home in the mountains. Robert had a good paying job with Georgia Power and was unwilling to relocate and lose 40% of his
eventual pension. Huey indicated that he was heartbroken and depressed, but that he knew he could no longer continue
dealing with the congestion and traffic in metropolitan Atlanta. The suburbs were growing in population and he “needed
space.”
Huey has been living alone and leading a very isolated life since leaving Robert. He indicated that although he has
faith in God, he dislikes attending the local Baptist church because the preacher and the parishioners “get into my
business” and “try to run my life.” For the past several years, he has fixed the old mountain family home and spends most
of his days fishing, hunting, lifting weights, attending to his garden and doing odd jobs as a handy-man. He hardly
socializes with the exception of a couple of Vietnam friends that he sees occasionally to “share a beer or smoke a reefer
or two.” He still misses Robert and was hopeful, until very recently, that some day they would get together again. His
hopes for a reconciliation were shattered when he learned that Robert had been married after same-sex marriages was
legalized in Alabama, Robert’s home state. Huey reported feeling rejected and hopeless. After some probing, he
hesitantly admitted that he had been drinking and using marijuana more frequently during the past month.
Psychological/Legal History: Prior to the arrest, Huey vehemently denied ever receiving mental health treatment or
suffering from a mental disorder. No serious physical or medical incidents other than the usual childhood diseases were
reported in his history. No prior legal problems were reported or evidenced at this time. Although he denied substance
abuse or addiction, he did acknowledge using alcohol, and preferably, marijuana to ease his pain and alleviate his
anxiety.
It is important to note that during a brief phone call from his sister, the Forensic Case Manager Specialist (FCMS)
learned that Huey had received treatment for anxiety and marijuana dependency at the Veteran’s Hospital in Atlanta during
the early 1970s. When he was confronted about this, Huey minimized its importance explaining that when he was actually
needing help (i.e., during the nine months he served in Vietnam), no one seemed to care or offered any assistance. In
fact, he reported that he was able to reduce the use of alcohol and marijuana substantially a few months after his return
from Vietnam. He added that he was working long hours, sometimes six days a week, with little time left to do anything
else.
Circumstances that led to the criminal charges:
Based on the preliminary police investigation and collateral information, on Saturday the 11th of May, one of the parents
called the Gilmer County Police Department and reported that their “lunatic neighbor” (i.e., George Huey Adams), had
attempted to shoot her two sons Peter and Paul (ages 15 and 13) and nephew Mario (age 15). Peter and Paul’s mother
confirmed that the three boys had not been actually shot, but reported that Peter had been rushed to the hospital with a
possible broken leg (later confirmed) and severe hearing loss in his left ear. According to the mother, “my son Peter
broke his leg as he tried to run from a spray of bullets that were being fired in his direction,” and added that her sons
and nephew identified the shooter as Mr. Adams that lived up the hill in the forested area next to their new subdivision.
She demanded from the police that Mr. Adams be apprehended immediately, adding that he presented a threat to their
community. Subsequently, both parents have pressed criminal charges claiming that their sons have been emotionally
scarred and physically injured. According to the continuing investigation, the youngest son (Paul), continues under
psychological treatment for anxiety and sleep disorder.
Huey’s account of the incident is substantially different. According to Huey, the “boys” (i.e., Peter, Paul and Mario)
had been trespassing and loitering on his property during the weekends (mostly on Saturdays) for the past two months. He
reiterated that he avoided the issue as much as possible because he did not want to get into a conflict with a neighbor.
Huey described himself as a peaceful man that avoids confrontation. He indicated that he had “very nicely tried to reason
with the boys about three times to stay off my property and respect my privacy,” but to no avail. He added that he
suspected the boys had been letting his chickens loose and had been trampling over his garden. He tearfully admitted
that they “finally caught me on a bad day and I lost my temper” and “I warned them that I was going to grab my rifle” if
they insisted “disrespecting me on my own piece of land.” He recalled feeling aggravated and running after them while
shooting his rifle close but not precisely in their direction. Huey strongly denied that he had any intention or plan of
hurting the young men, “I just wanted to scare them away once and for all.” Huey appeared very emotional, overwhelmed
and even confused as he tried to recall all the details that led to the incident.
Course in Investigation: The police have apprehended Mr. Huey George Adams as the “shooter” after the he was clearly
identified by the two older boys Peter and Mario. Originally, based on his clean legal record, Huey was going to be
allowed to post bail and required to report to a court hearing at a later date. Judge Douglas, that has known Huey from
elementary school, changed her mind at the last minute after recognizing that Huey did not appear to be himself. The
judge is concerned about his current mental status and has requested a psychological evaluation that will specifically
offer an opinion on the following questions. These questions involve (1) whether Mr. Adams has psychological and
psychiatric problems; (2) what caused Mr. Adams to do the things he did and if his condition had any impact on his
conduct; (3) does Mr. Adams have a history of emotional problems.
Task Identification
You have a master’s degree in forensic psychology. You work as a Forensic Case Manager Specialist and are being asked to
conduct a pre-trial evaluation of Huey for the court. More specifically, you are to act as a forensic mental health
evaluator and produce a written report addressing the following questions:
Based on the vignette provided, please compose a well-written and organized response to each of the following questions.
When writing your responses, please:
• Use APA (6th edition) style, with 1-inch margins, double-spaced, 12 point font, with a reference list at the end.
• Write clearly and concisely.
• Cite appropriate, and especially current, literature (empirical and/or theoretical).
• Avoid all sexist idioms and allusions.
• Remember to demonstrate your multicultural competence where appropriate.
Forensic Psychology Comprehensive Examination Questions
Psychological Theory and Practice
A. What assessments would you conduct to enhance your understanding of the client’s problems and how would your
choice of assessment(s) inform your diagnostic formation and treatment planning? Assessments may include structured or
unstructured interviews, valid and reliable assessment measures, and/or formalized assessment procedures that may be
conducted by yourself or by someone else referred by you.
B. Provide your diagnostic impressions (based on either the DSM-5 or DSM-IV-TR) for this individual. In narrative
form, please describe how the individual meets the diagnostic criteria for the disorder(s) chosen in addition to the
differential diagnostic thought process that you used to reach your hypotheses. Be sure to include any additional
(missing) information that is needed to either rule out or confirm your differential diagnoses.
Legal Theory and Application
A. Explain the background, current presentation, and behavior of the client utilizing theories of offender and/or
victim psychology and personality/psychological theories to support your position. Do not simply restate the client’s
presentation from the vignette. Instead, provide a theoretical-based discussion of the client’s behaviors as presented in
the vignette.
B. Describe the psycholegal standards and/or definitions for each of the following: competence to stand trial, risk
of dangerousness, and insanity.
Identify and describe one or more landmark case(s) for each standard (at least three cases total). Describe the elements
or issues that a mental health professional usually focuses on when assessing a person’s adjudicative competence, risk
and insanity, and any additional items that might be especially important to focus on in the provided vignette.
Research and Evaluation
A. Describe tests or assessment procedures you would employ to address the psycholegal issues of (competence to
stand trial, risk of dangerousness, and insanity). You may refer to these from the Psychological Theory and Assessment
Section “A” if you already covered them there. Discuss what the anticipated conclusions would be based upon information
provided in the vignette.
B. Develop one empirically supported therapeutic treatment plan for the client in the vignette. Please make sure you
summarize the empirical evidence with appropriate citations to support your treatment choice(s) in working with your
client. Be sure to discuss the effectiveness and limitations in working with this particular client, including this
client’s background, using the above treatment plans.
Interpersonal Effectiveness
A. What diversity factors, cultural considerations, or other demographic variables pertaining to this client would
you take into account in rendering diagnoses, choosing assessment measures, forming case conceptualizations, and
designing the treatment plan? Be sure to discuss cultural/diversity factors that could apply even if they are not
explicitly mentioned in the vignette.
B. Your writing, use of citations, ability to form a logical argument, and proper APA Style, including the use of
paraphrasing, will be evaluated as a measure of your interpersonal effectiveness. No response is required for “B”.
Leadership, Consultation, and Ethics
A. Describe how you would work within a professional treatment team to consult, triage, and treat this case. Include
a description of the various members of the professional team with whom you would be likely to interact. Additionally,
explain the roles and responsibilities of each member of the treatment team.
B. What are the ethical and legal dilemmas this vignette introduced? What would be your immediate steps and why?
Please be specific and make sure that you describe your process of ethical decision making and the solutions/consequences
to which this process might lead. Your discussion should be informed by the American Psychological Association’s Ethics
Code as well as the Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists.
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