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TPC D igest 31 Back to Basics: Using the DSM-5 to Benefit Clients – DIGEST Matthew R. Buckley Matthew R. Buckley, NCC, is a faculty member in the Mental Health Counseling program at Walden University, Minneapolis, MN. Correspondence can be addressed to Matthew R. Buckley, Walden University, 100 Washington Avenue South, Suite 900, Minneapolis, MN 55401-2511, matthew.buckley@waldenu.edu . T he American Psychiatric Association recently published the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders ( DSM-5 ) as a revision of a foundational diagnostic tool designed to help professionals within a wide variety of mental health disciplines assess, conceptualize and plan for treatment on behalf of people who suffer mental distress. The DSM system facilitates a common understanding in a common language of complex and entrenched symptomology, and this current version of the DSM was designed to align with the current version of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems ( ICD- 9 ). Political, social, legal and cultural dynamics influenced the DSM-5 ’s development, which was not without controversy. As with any tool, concerns have emerged about the potential of its unintended misuse. It is the responsibility of mental health counselors and other professionals to prevent misapplication of the manual and to use it ethically. This article provides a reminder of important tasks for mental health professionals to incorporate into the process of diagnosis, tasks which constitute getting “back to the basics” of sound clinical practice. These steps related to assessment and diagnosis include considering the following: to what extent clients may intentionally produce signs and symptoms; to what extent signs and symptoms are related to substances; to what extent signs and symptoms are related to another medical condition; to what extent signs and symptoms are related to a developmental conflict or stage; to what extent signs and symptoms are related to a mental disorder; and whether no mental disorder is present. Additionally, it is important to take culture into consideration when working with clients in a clinical setting. The new Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) is one of over 60 cross-cutting symptom and severity measures included on the DSM-5 website (see http:// www.psychiatry.org/practice/dsm/dsm5/online- assessment-measures ) , and was developed