Clinical psych Lec 3: assessment

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)