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What is psychological assessment?
assessment attempts to evaluate an individual in a problem situation so that the information can help with the problem
we don’t just do assessments out of curiority or fun, only when there is something that needs to be addressed
Purpose of psychological assessment
to clarify and formulate the main issues for the client (sometimes to provide a diagnosis)
sometimes just to describe and explain a situation and experience
establish what intervention is appropriate, if any
plan supports
measure processes and outcomes of intervention
phases of assessment
clinical interview
first step of assessment
to define the problem (nature, severity, related affected areas)
and its context (conditions that influence it, origins, antecedents, consequences)
build rapport with clients
Biological factors
genetics
physical medical history
puberty
fitness and activity level
developmental milestones (prenatal and postnatal)
drugs
psychological factors
behavior
patters of interactions with others
activities
responses to stress
aggression, risk
affect
how they display emotion
mood: how they report feelings
cognition
negative or positive thinking
perceptual biases
attention and concentration
self-esteem
faith or spirituality
social factors
peer/friend relationships
school or work environment
family environment
social setting- resources, socio economic status
hobbies
cultural influences and norms
physical environment
What do we want to know
current concerns
problem and treatment history
developmental history
family history
current risk
multi-agency involvement
strengths
clinical interview with children
working with children, we would do a child interview and a parent interview separately
also talk to teachers or other professionals involved
indirect means (play, draw) can be a better way to get info
not just about asking questions and expecting direct answers, using non-confrontational, open questions
gives the clinician a chance to observe
Psychological testing
cognitive testing, attainment testing, personality testing, mood and behavioral testing
Cognitive testing
intelligence/IQ, memory, executive function, language
Attainment testing
reading, spelling, maths
personality testing
questionnaires or projective tests
Mood and behavioral testing
symptom checklists (beck depression inventory
questionnaires completed by self or informant
semi-structured observations (ADOS-2)
BPS practice guidelines
evaluation, communication, assessment, formulation, intervention or implementation,
BPS guidelines- formulation
process of constructing a formulation is the process of linking academic knowledge of theory and research to clinical practice.
clin. formulations draw on and integrate interpersonal, biological, social and cultural factors.
Formulation is a shared narrative between the service user and psychologist
helps the client understand the situation, can point the way for interventions and supports
5 P’s model
the problem
precipitating factors (why come see help now?)
predisposing factors
perpetuating factors
protective factors (strengths that the person has in their favor)
Positive psychology
when formulating, careful to look for what is going well, their strengths and those of their system
can form the basis for interventions
internal traits
social factors
wider environmental factors (SES, politics, minorities)
PTM (power threat and meaning)
What has happened to you? (power)
How did it affect you? (threats)
what sense did you make of it? (meaning)
what did you have to do to survive? (threat response)
what are your strengths? (power resources)
what is your story? (all together)