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Psychological Assessment: Diagnosis and Beyond (The following material has been adapted by
Jerome M. Sattler from his book, Assessment
of Children: Cognitive Applications, Fourth Edition, 2001.) Psychological assessment is a procedure that
clinicians use to gain an understanding of the unique characteristics of
individuals and to get information about the success of their treatment.
Assessment helps in screening, problem solving, diagnosis, counseling and
rehabilitation, and in evaluating progress. In some cases one evaluation
can serve several of these purposes; in all cases the focus is directly on
the individual. A screening
assessment is usually brief, and
is designed to identify people who have a disorder or disability, or to
reveal a need for a more comprehensive assessment. A problem-solving
assessment focuses on a question about a specific area of functioning.
For example, does this child have an attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder? Does this adult have a verbal memory deficit? A diagnostic
assessment is a broader examination of a person, with the goal of
determining what classification best fits the individual's level and type
of functioning. For example, do the data suggest an educational disability
or mental disorder? What, if any, placement or intervention is likely to
be most helpful, considering the individual's unique characteristics? The
diagnostic assessment shades over into the counseling
and rehabilitation assessment, which emphasizes the individual's
ability to adjust to, and fulfill the responsibilities of, daily life.
Predicted responses to treatment and the potential for recovery from any
disabilities are considered. Finally, the progress
evaluation assessment focuses on improvements over time. Part of its
emphasis is on the appropriateness of any continuing intervention, and
part is on how well the intervention is being carried out. The assessor will want to know such things as
how old the individual is, whether the person is male or female, and, for
children, what school grade they are in. The reason for the assessment
will be determined. If there are any disabilities involved, they need to
be explored. The assessor might be a clinical or school psychologist, a
psychiatrist, a social worker, or a mental health counselor. If the
assessor is a clinical or school psychologist or a mental health
counselor, he or she may administer psychological tests to the individual
who is experiencing the problem. Some questions necessarily involve personal
matters; examples might be the nature of the person's problem, how the
problem affects other people, and what is stressful in the person's life.
However, all results of the assessment are subject to strict rules of
confidentiality; you should read the page on confidentiality to find out
exactly what those rules are. The short version is that your private life
is completely confidential unless danger to yourself or others or illegal
behaviors like child abuse are involved. The results of the assessment are used to set goals for the individual, and progress assessments are useful for finding out how well the individual is doing in reaching those goals. Assessment, therefore, is a critical tool for mental health professionals, and of great value to the people they serve. Last updated 12/19/03 |
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