Lesson 13: Clinical and Counseling Assessment

clinical psychology

The branch of psychology that has as its primary focus on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of abnormal behavior

clinical psychologists

they receive training in psychological assessment and psychotherapy and are employed in hospitals, public and private mental health centers, independent practice, and academia

counseling psychology

Branch of psychology that is concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of abnormal behavior

before and after interviewing a patient

when does a clinician administer tests

initial hypotheses

The data derived may provide the clinician with _____ about the nature of the individual’s difficulties, which will then guide the interview

test data

Alternatively, ____ can confirm or refute hypotheses made on the basis of the clinical interview

case history data

Interview and test data will be supplemented with ______, especially if the patient will not or cannot cooperate

people who know the patient

oThe clinician may interview ______—such as family members, co-workers, and friends—and obtain records relevant to the case

Periodic testing with various instruments

It may also provide information about the kinds of activities the patient should be advised to pursue as well as the kinds of activities the patient should be encouraged to curtail or give up entirely.

case history data

Ideally, ____ will provide some way to estimate the patient’s level of premorbid functioning.

premorbid functioning

the level of psychological and physical performance prior to the development of a disorder, an illness, or a disability.

to clarify the psychological problem, make a diagnosis, design a treatment plan

why use assessment in clinical setting?

to clarify the psychological problem

◦ Does this patient have a mental disorder?

◦ If so, what is the diagnosis?

make a diagnosis

◦ What is this person’s current level of functioning?

◦ How does this level of functioning compare with that of other people of the same age?

◦ How can this person’s personality best be described?

design a treatment plan

◦ What type of treatment shall this patient be offered?

◦ Which treatment approach is most effective?

◦ What kind of client tends to benefit most from a particular kind of treatment?

diagnostic and statistical manual

The reference source used for making diagnoses of mental disorders

american psychiatric association

published dsm

world health organization

published icd

international classification of diseases

icd stands for?

dsm and icd

Both manuals’ diagnosis carries summary information about the nature and extent of an individual’s psychiatric disorder

dsm and icd

Lists all the criteria that have to be met in order to diagnose each of the disorders listed

dsm and icd

Contains a listing of conditions that may not be officially named as psychiatric disorders until further research has been completed

dsm and icd

It permits clinicians and researchers to “speak the same language” by providing a kind of shorthand identification of patients’ varied psychological condition

dsm and icd

Immediately conveys key information about a diagnosed individual’s behavior, cognition, and emotions

dsm and icd

It conveys information about how extreme, problematic, troubling, odd, or abnormal the individual’s behavior is likely to be perceived by others

dsm and icd

Provides a starting point for utility-related considerations regarding the therapy, medication, or other intervention that may have the best chance of achieving remission or cure.

diagnosis

it may be beneficial in terms of ending (if not solving) the mystery that frequently surrounds the patient with abnormal behavior

diagnosis

it provides a name to the disorder—a name that can now be monitored for new details regarding this variety of psychopathology, including new research, new treatments, and ultimately, new hope.

incidence

The rate (annual, monthly, weekly, daily, or other) of new occurrences of a particular disorder or condition in a particular population

prevalence

Approximate proportion of individuals in a given population at a given point (or range) in time who have been diagnosed or otherwise labeled with a particular disorder or condition

wakefield

defines disorder as a harmful failure of internal mechanisms to perform their naturally selected functions

klein

stated that disorder may be the product of various involuntary causes (such as disease) or even voluntary causes (such as role-playing or malingering)

young

emphasized the role of culture in disorder

hinshaw

talked about the level of neurons in disorder

marino

stated that the concept of disorder is so broad that it need not have any defining properties

biopsychosocial factor

A multidisciplinary approach to assessment that includes exploration of relevant biological, psychological, social, cultural, and environmental variables for the purpose of evaluating how such variables may have contributed to the development and maintenance of a presenting problem.

biopsychosocial factor

This approach encourages input from virtually any discipline that can provide relevant insights when such input can be put to use in better understanding the problem and effectively intervening to remedy it.

interview

May be conducted to arrive at a diagnosis

interview

conducted to pinpoint areas that must be addressed in psychotherapy

interview

conducted to determine whether an individual will harm himself or others

interview

Frequently used early on in independent practice settings to solidify a therapeutic contract

therapeutic contract

an agreement between client and therapist setting forth goals, expectations, and mutual obligations with regard to a course of therapy

stress, hypnotic, cognitive, collaborative

types of interview

stress interview

hypnotic interview

conducted while the interviewee is under hypnosis

cognitive interview

rapport is established and the interviewee is

encouraged to use imagery and focused retrieval to recall information

collaborative interview

allows the interviewee with a wide latitude to interact with the interviewer

psychometric aspects of interview

Interview conclusions, like test scores, can be evaluated for their reliability and validity.

interview conclusions

this can be evaluated for their reliability and validity.

inter-rater reliability

If more than one interviewer conducts an interview with the same individual, ____ for interview data could be represented by the degree of agreement between the different interviewers’ conclusions.

consistency of conclusions

Evaluating the _____ drawn from two interviews separated by some period of time produces a coefficient of reliability that conceptually parallels a coefficient of test-retest reliability.

mental status evaluation

Used to screen for intellectual, emotional, and neurological deficits, typically includes questioning or observation with respect to each area discussed in the following list

behavior, orientation, memory, sensorium, psychomotor activity, state of consciousness, affect, mood, personality

mental status evaluation list

case history data

Biographical and related data about an assessee may be obtained by interviewing the assessee and/or significant others in that person’s life.

case history data

All such data are combined in an effort to obtain an understanding of the assessee, including insights into observed behavior patterns.

case history data

it

millon clinical multiaxial inventory-III

175-item true–false test that yields scores related to enduring personality features as well as acute symptoms

beck depression inventory-II

A self-report measure consisting of 21 items, each tapping a specific symptom or attitude associated with depression

center for epidemiological studies depression scale (ces-d)

Widely used self-report measure of depressive symptoms

test battery

a group of tests administered together to gather information about an individual from a variety of instruments

culturally-informed psychological assessment

An approach to evaluation that is keenly perceptive of and responsive to issues of acculturation, values, identity, worldview, language, and other culture-related variables as they may impact the evaluation process or the interpretation of resulting data.

age, disability, religion, ethnicity, social status, sexual orientation, indigenous heritage, national origin, gender

adressing stands for?

adressing

This easy-to-remember acronym may help the assessor recall various sources of cultural influence when assessing clients.