DQ 1 :What are your personal assumptions about: How do people develop the kinds of psychological distress that bring them to counseling?
Three questions, asked in week one, before any theory has been taught. That timing is the point: what you write here is a theoretical orientation you have not yet named, and the post is graded on whether you can see it.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 22, 2026
Why PCN 500 asks this in week one
Notice when this is set. It is the first discussion of a theories course, before psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive or systemic models have been taught, and that timing is deliberate. Your answers are a theoretical orientation you already hold and have never articulated, picked up from family, culture, prior work and your own experience of being helped. The instructor is not looking for the right answer, because there is not one available yet. They are looking for whether you can state a position clearly enough that it could later be challenged by a model you meet in week five. So resist the reflex to hedge. Sentences that say people are complex and every client is different are true, cost nothing, and leave nothing for anyone to disagree with, which is the surest way to lose marks here. Write the sentence you would defend if a classmate replied that it was wrong.
Answer the three questions separately, because they are three and posts routinely blur them. The first is about etiology: do you think distress comes mainly from early relationships, from learned patterns of behaviour and thought, from biology, from present circumstances such as poverty and isolation, or from some combination you should weight rather than merely list. The second is a value question, not an empirical one. Saying what a good life is commits you to something, and it is worth noticing that a definition built on autonomy and self-actualisation is culturally specific in a way that a definition built on role fulfilment and connection is not. The third is your theory of change, and it is the one that will most shape how you practise: insight, new experience, corrected thinking, altered environment, or relationship itself. Close by naming which of your three answers you expect the course to unsettle first.
Likely learning objectives
- Articulate an implicit theory of etiology before studying formal models.
- Distinguish an empirical claim about distress from a value claim about the good life.
- State a personal theory of change specific enough to be challenged.
- Recognise the cultural loading of a definition of good mental health.
Assignment instructions
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
PCN 500 Grand Canyon Week 1 Discussion 1 DQ 1 :What are your personal assumptions about: How do people develop the kinds of psychological distress that bring them to counseling? What are your personal assumptions about: How do people develop the kinds of psychological distress that bring them to counseling? What constitutes “good mental health” or “a good life?” How do people change, grow emotionally, develop better coping mechanisms, or change destructive behaviors?
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question
Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references) Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count. Follow APA 7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points. Here are some helpful links Student paper example Citing Sources The Writing Center is a great resource Welcome to class Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to. I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you. Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted. If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations. Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements. Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week. I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course! Grading Rubric Guidelines PCN 500 Grand Canyon Week 1 Discussion 1 Performance Category 10 9 8 4 0 Scholarliness Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic decisions. Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry clearly stating how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions Evaluates literature resources to develop a comprehensive analysis or synthesis. Uses valid, relevant, and reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry but does not clearly state how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Evaluates information from source(s) to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Uses some valid, relevant, reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion. Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Information is taken from source(s) with some interpretation/evaluation, but not enough to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Little valid, relevant, or reliable outside sources are used to contribute to the threaded discussion. Demonstrates little or no understanding of the topic. Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Information is taken from source(s) without any interpretation/evaluation. The posting uses information that is not valid, relevant, or reliable No evidence of the use of scholarly inquiry to inform or change professional or academic decisions. Information is not valid, relevant, or reliable Performance Category 10 9 8 4 0 Application of Course Knowledge – Demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles and concepts learned in the course lesson and outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources; Applies concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life. Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources. Applies concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Interactions with classmates are relevant to the discussion topic but do not make direct reference to lesson content Posts are generally on topic but do not build knowledge by incorporating concepts and principles from the lesson. Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Does not demonstrate a solid understanding of the principles and concepts presented in the lesson Posts do not adequately address the question posed either by the discussion prompt or the instructor’s launch post. Posts are superficial and do not reflect an understanding of the lesson content Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Posts are not related to the topics provided by the discussion prompt or by the instructor; attempts by the instructor to redirect the student are ignored No discussion of lesson concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life Performance Category 5 4 3 2 0 Interactive Dialogue Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days. (5 points possible per graded thread) Exceeds minimum post requirements Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts three or more times in each graded thread, over three separate days. Replies to a post posed by faculty and to a peer Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week. Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days Replies to a question posed by a peer Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week. Meets expectations of 2 posts on 2 different days. The main post is not made by the Wednesday deadline Does not reply to a question posed by a peer or faculty Has only one post for the week Discussion posts contain few, if any, new ideas or applications; often are a rehashing or summary of other students’ comments Does not post to the thread No connections are made to the topic Minus 1 Point Minus 2 Point Minus 3 Point Minus 4 Point Minus 5 Point Grammar, Syntax, APA Note: if there are only a few errors in these criteria, please note this for the student in as an area for improvement. If the student does not make the needed corrections in upcoming weeks, then points should be deducted. Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition 2-3 errors in APA format. Written responses have 2-3 grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Writing style is generally clear, focused, and facilitates communication. 4-5 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 4-5 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is somewhat focused. 6-7 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 6-7 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is slightly focused making discussion difficult to understand. 8-10 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 8-10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is not focused, making discussion difficult to understand. Post contains greater than 10 errors in APA format. Written responses have more than 10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style does not facilitate communication. The student continues to make repeated mistakes in any of the above areas after written correction by the instructor 0 points lost -5 points lost Total Participation Requirements per discussion thread The student answers the threaded discussion question or topic on one day and posts a second response on another day. The student does not meet the minimum requirement of two postings on two different days Early Participation Requirement per discussion thread The student must provide a substantive answer to the graded discussion question(s) or topic(s), posted by the course instructor (not a response to a peer), by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week. The student does not meet the requirement of a substantive response to the stated question or topic by Wednesday at 11:59 pm MT.
Turn the brief into deliverables
- 01A stated position on where psychological distress comes from.
- 02A definition of good mental health or a good life, offered as a value claim.
- 03A stated theory of how people change.
- 04Weighting between causes rather than an undifferentiated list.
- 05A note on which assumption you expect the course to challenge.
Etiology, then the good life, then the theory of change
Where distress comes from
State your etiological assumption and weight the causes you name.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A weighting between causes rather than an inclusive list.
What a good life looks like
Give your definition of good mental health and mark it as a value claim.
What the assessor is likely looking for
Recognition that this answer is not settled by evidence.
The cultural loading of that answer
Note how your definition would read to a client from a different tradition.
What the assessor is likely looking for
An awareness that autonomy-based definitions are culturally situated.
How people change
Name the mechanism you believe drives change and what it implies for practice.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A mechanism named, such as insight, new experience or altered contingencies.
What you expect to be challenged
Identify the assumption most exposed to the models coming later in the course.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A specific assumption paired with the model likely to unsettle it.
Where to anchor an assumption you have not yet tested
Recommended databases
- World Health Organization
- NCBI Bookshelf
- APA PsycNet
- GCU Library
Search sequence
- 1.Read a formal definition of mental health and compare it with the one you wrote.
- 2.Look up a stage model of change so your third answer has a vocabulary.
- 3.Find one source on cultural variation in definitions of wellbeing.
- 4.Note which theory in the syllabus most directly contradicts your etiology claim.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Mental health
World Health Organization · 2022
A formal definition of mental health, to compare against the one you write yourself.
Stages of Change Theory
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023
A stage model of behaviour change, for putting vocabulary around your theory of change.
How important are the common factors in psychotherapy? An update
World Psychiatry · 2015
Common-factors evidence, for what actually appears to drive change across models.
Update on Psychotherapy Case Formulation Research
Psychotherapy (Chicago), via PubMed Central · 2011
Case formulation, for how an etiological assumption becomes a working plan for a client.
Before you post to the Week 1 forum
Common mistakes
- Hedging with 'everyone is different' so that no position is actually stated.
- Merging the three questions into one paragraph about mental health.
- Treating the good-life question as though it had an empirical answer.
- Borrowing a textbook theory in week one instead of stating your own assumption.
- Listing causes without saying which you weight most heavily.
Submission checklist
- Are all three questions answered separately?
- Could a classmate disagree with your etiology claim as written?
- Have you presented the good-life answer as a value position?
- Is your theory of change specific about the mechanism?
- Have you named the assumption most likely to be unsettled later?
Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read Brinevia's academic-integrity policy.
Written by
Maren Caldwell
MSN, RN, CNE
Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation
Maren is a registered nurse with over 15 years of clinical and educational experience in medical-surgical nursing. She writes on NCLEX preparation, patient care fundamentals, pharmacology and evidence-based practice.

Reviewed by
Dr. Tessa Redmond
DNP, RN, CNE
Evidence-based practice and clinical education
Tessa is a doctorally-prepared nurse educator. She reviews Brinevia content for clinical accuracy and alignment with current evidence-based guidelines.