| Course | D347 Advanced Psychiatric Mental Health Care of Children and Adolescents Across Care Settings |
|---|---|
| Task | Task 2 |
| Paper type | Family-centered care plan |
| Length | About 800 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 |
| School | Western Governors University (WGU) |
| Program | MSN Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for D347 Task 2
Family-Centered Care Plan: Returning a 9-Year-Old With Separation Anxiety to Full School Attendance
Student Name
Leavitt School of Health, Western Governors University
D347: Advanced Psychiatric Mental Health Care of Children and Adolescents, Task 2
Course Instructor
Month Day, Year
Family-Centered Care Plan: Returning a 9-Year-Old With Separation Anxiety to Full School Attendance
Diagnosis and Shared Goal
Diagnosis from the developmental assessment: separation anxiety disorder presenting as school avoidance, precipitated by a grandmother's death. Goal agreed with the child and her parents at today's visit: full days at school on at least four days a week within six weeks and every school day within ten weeks, with the child rating her morning worry at 3 or less on a 10-point scale, and sleeping in her own bed at least five nights a week.
Consent and Assent
Her parents gave informed consent for the plan, for therapy and for communication with the school. The child gave her assent after the plan was explained in words she could use: 'We're going to help your worry get smaller so it stops being the boss of your mornings.' She chose the name for her practice steps, 'brave steps,' and was told she can say when a step feels too big so it can be broken down, but that skipping school will not be one of the choices.
Treatment
Cognitive behavioral therapy with exposure is the first-line treatment. In a large trial of children and adolescents with separation, generalized and social anxiety disorders, cognitive behavioral therapy and sertraline each helped more than placebo, and the combination helped most (Walkup et al., 2008); current guidance recommends cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders in this age group and a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor for moderate to severe anxiety or when therapy alone is not enough (Walter et al., 2020). Because her symptoms are moderate and clearly linked to avoidance, she will begin weekly cognitive behavioral therapy with a child therapist for 12 weeks, with a parent session built into every visit. Medication is not started now; sertraline will be discussed if attendance and worry scores have not improved after eight weeks of well-delivered therapy.
Grief is addressed directly. The therapist will include sessions on her grandmother's death, and the family will be encouraged to share memories openly rather than avoid the topic, so that separation fears are not reinforced by unspoken loss.
Parents' Tasks
Mornings: the same routine each school day with a visual checklist; one brief, warm goodbye at the door without repeated reassurance; the father drives her on his home days so that separation is practiced from both parents. Physical complaints: acknowledged calmly, with a rule agreed with the pediatrician that she goes to school unless she has a fever, has vomited more than once or the school nurse sends her home. Home on a school day, if it happens: no screens or treats, school work at a desk, so that staying home is not rewarding. Evenings: a bedtime routine in her own room with a parent sitting nearby for ten minutes, moving the chair farther each few nights. Praise: specific praise for each brave step and a small reward chart she helps design. Her mother, who works from home, agrees not to answer calls from school during the day except through the school nurse.
School's Tasks
The school counselor meets her at the side door at arrival for the first three weeks and gives her a morning job, such as feeding the class fish. Her teacher agrees on a signal she can use to take a five-minute break in the counselor's office instead of calling home. The school nurse assesses physical complaints and returns her to class after 10 minutes if she is well, and calls home only for fever or repeated vomiting. Attendance and late arrivals are reported weekly to the parents. If absences continue beyond four weeks, the team will consider a Section 504 plan to formalize these supports.
Child's Tasks
Practice her 'brave steps' each week with the therapist's help, starting with small separations at home and building to full school days. Use her belly breathing and the 'worry thought, brave thought' card on the bus. Rate her morning worry on a feelings thermometer each school day with her parent.
Monitoring and Review
The parent and child SCARED questionnaires will be repeated every four weeks (Birmaher et al., 1999), alongside attendance data from the school and the family's worry and sleep chart. The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner will see the family at four and eight weeks and communicate with the therapist and counselor monthly. The plan will be formally reviewed with the family at ten weeks. Return sooner or call if she refuses school completely for more than three days, if new symptoms such as low mood or talk of death appear, or if the parents feel unable to carry out the plan.
References
Birmaher, B., Brent, D. A., Chiappetta, L., Bridge, J., Monga, S., & Baugher, M. (1999). Psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): A replication study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38(10), 1230-1236. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199910000-00011
Walkup, J. T., Albano, A. M., Piacentini, J., Birmaher, B., Compton, S. N., Sherrill, J. T., Ginsburg, G. S., Rynn, M. A., McCracken, J., Waslick, B., Iyengar, S., March, J. S., & Kendall, P. C. (2008). Cognitive behavioral therapy, sertraline, or a combination in childhood anxiety. New England Journal of Medicine, 359(26), 2753-2766. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa0804633
Walter, H. J., Bukstein, O. G., Abright, A. R., Keable, H., Ramtekkar, U., Ripperger-Suhler, J., & Rockhill, C. (2020). Clinical practice guideline for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(10), 1107-1124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2020.05.005
What the D347 Task 2 instructions ask
The second D347 task asks you to plan care for a child or adolescent in partnership with the family and other settings. Most versions ask for the diagnosis and shared goal, consent and assent, evidence-based treatment, roles for caregivers, school and the young person, and monitoring. Evaluators look for a plan in which each party has specific, realistic tasks, treatment grounded in evidence for the age group, and monitoring with measures from more than one source. The child's role should be written in terms the child can understand. A plan that assigns everything to the clinician and the parents, leaving out the school and the child, will not meet the family-centered aspects.
How this D347 Task 2 example is built
The plan begins with a shared goal stated in family terms. Consent and assent are documented, showing respect for the child's voice. Treatment centers on therapy with exposure, supported by trial evidence, and explains why medication is not first. Tasks are divided into three sections, parents, school and child, each with concrete actions such as a visual morning checklist and a morning job at school. Monitoring repeats rating scales every four weeks and adds attendance data from the school, giving an objective measure alongside reports. The plan could be printed and used by each party as written. Each party's section could be copied onto a single page and handed to that person.
Where the D347 Task 2 rubric puts the marks
D347 Task 2 aspects are rated competent, approaching competence or not evident. A goal aspect checks for a shared, measurable aim. A consent and assent aspect looks for both documented appropriately. A treatment aspect rewards evidence-based choices for the age group. Role aspects ask for specific tasks for caregivers, school and the young person. A monitoring aspect wants measures from several sources at defined intervals. Evaluators favor plans written in language each party can follow and grounded in current guidelines for childhood anxiety. Plans that use the school as an active partner, with named staff and routines, tend to meet the collaboration aspects fully. Evaluators check that monitoring combines reports with an objective measure, such as school attendance.
D347 Task 2 help: what sends it back
Family-centered plans come back most often when roles are vague, such as parents will support the child. Write the morning routine, the goodbye and the drop-off plan. Second, the school is mentioned without a role. Name who meets the child and what accommodations are temporary. Third, the child's tasks are written for adults. Use her words, such as brave steps. Fourth, monitoring relies on one report. Add attendance and repeated rating scales. Finally, explain why therapy comes before medication for mild to moderate anxiety, since evaluators expect treatment choices to follow current guidance for children. Plan for setbacks, such as the first Monday after a holiday.
Get a D347 Task 2 example written to your instructions
Send the D347 Task 2 instructions and rubric aspects, plus the case or age group your task specifies. We build a composite example to those aspects, with caregiver tasks, the school route, consent and assent, and a review interval all in place, and return it in 24-48h. The first custom sample is free.
More D347 papers
Other NP track sample papers
- D344 Task 1 Psychiatric Evaluation Write-up
- D345 Task 1 Drug Class Mechanism Paper
- D118 Task 1 Adult Case Write-Up
- D346 Task 2 Care Transition Plan
D347 Task 2 questions, answered
How much of the plan belongs to caregivers?
As much as the caregivers can genuinely carry, stated as specific tasks rather than as encouragement. Monitoring sleep, holding medicines, attending a support meeting or keeping a behavior record are the kind of items that belong to an adult by name. A plan that asks a working household for more than it can do is a plan that quietly fails.
How should confidentiality with an adolescent be handled?
As something explained to both parties before it is needed, and recorded. State what the young person can keep private, what has to be shared with caregivers and what would be disclosed for safety reasons, then note that both heard it. Follow your instructions and the law in your state, since the boundary itself varies by jurisdiction and by service.
Does the school section need a formal support plan?
Not always, and claiming one that was never in place weakens the submission. What the aspect looks for is a defined route: who contacts the school, what is being asked for, which existing process carries it and how the response comes back. Where a formal support plan or an evaluation referral fits, name it as a request rather than as a decision already made.
How much of the D347 plan belongs to caregivers?
A large share, since caregivers carry out routines between visits. The sample gives the parents a morning routine, a brief goodbye and a plan for handling setbacks.
Where can I find a free D347 Task 2 sample paper?
The family-centered care plan is reproduced above with commentary. Share your D347 task and case, and a first tailored plan is prepared for you at no charge.