NCMHCE Assessment Tools

Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ)

A screening tool used to assess the presence of mood disorders, particularly bipolar disorder, by evaluating symptoms and their impact on daily functioning.

The Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-I)

A comprehensive diagnostic interview used to assess and diagnose mental disorders according to DSM criteria, covering a wide range of psychiatric conditions.

Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R)

A self-report inventory designed to measure psychological distress and symptom patterns across various domains, including anxiety, depression, and interpersonal relations. Populations studied include those with bulimia, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, sexual dysfunction, somatization, and other conditions.

Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMII-III)

A psychological assessment tool that evaluates personality disorders and psychopathology across multiple axes, providing insights into an individual's emotional and behavioral functioning.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2

A widely used psychological assessment tool that evaluates personality traits and psychopathology through a series of true-false statements, helping to identify mental health disorders and inform treatment planning. It has three validity scales which include the Lie Scale, Frequency Scale, and Correction Scale. It has scales that include masculinity-femininity, extroversion-introversion, malingering, psychoticism, and others.

Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test

A psychological assessment that evaluates visual-motor functioning and perceptual skills through the reproduction of geometric designs. It is used primarily with children to assess developmental and neurological functioning. It can be used with individuals ages 4 to 85. The majority of interpretations are geared toward organic brain pathology.

Neuropsychology II (NEPSY-II)

A comprehensive assessment tool designed to evaluate neuropsychological development in children ages 3 to 16. It assesses various domains including attention, language, memory, and executive functions, providing insights into cognitive strengths and weaknesses.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WISC-IV)

An individual intelligence test for children ages 6 to 16, measuring cognitive abilities across various domains such as verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. It helps identify learning disabilities and cognitive strengths, providing a detailed profile of a child's intellectual functioning.

Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III)

An individual intelligence test for preschool-aged children, typically ages 2.5 to 7, measuring cognitive abilities in areas such as verbal and performance skills. It provides insights into a child's developmental level and can help identify learning challenges.

Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA)

A comprehensive assessment system that evaluates emotional and behavioral functioning in children and adolescents. It includes parent, teacher, and self-report forms to provide a multi-informant perspective on a child's social, emotional, and behavioral strengths and weaknesses.

Conners 3

A standardized assessment tool used to evaluate behavioral, emotional, and academic issues in children and adolescents, focusing on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related problems. It includes parent, teacher, and self-report forms to gather comprehensive information. It is used with ages 6 to 18 years.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV)

A widely used individual intelligence test for adults, assessing cognitive abilities across various domains such as verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. It provides a full-scale IQ score and helps identify cognitive strengths and weaknesses.

Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement

An assessment tool designed to measure academic skills in reading, mathematics, and written language for individuals from kindergarten through 12th grade. It provides insights into a student's educational achievement and helps identify areas needing support.

Denver II

A developmental screening tool used to assess the growth and development of children from birth to age 6. It evaluates personal-social, fine motor-adaptive, language, and gross motor skills, helping to identify developmental delays.

Cognitive Assessment System (CAS2)

A comprehensive assessment tool designed to evaluate cognitive processing abilities in children and adolescents. It focuses on planning, attention, simultaneous, and successive processing, providing insights into a child's cognitive strengths and weaknesses. It can be used with ages 5 to 17 years.

Slosson tests

A series of assessments used to measure intelligence and academic achievement in children and adults, including verbal and non-verbal components. They can be used with ages 2 to 85 years.

Vanderbilt

Assessment Scale is a screening tool used to identify behavioral and emotional problems in children and adolescents. It helps in assessing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other related disorders. Its three parts include parent and teacher rating scales, and a self-report scale for older children.

Traits measured by the MMPI-3

Depression, anxiety, paranoia, aggression, impulsivity, compulsivity, self-importance, social avoidance, cynicism, and various aspects of psychopathology

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective psychological test consisting of ambiguous pictures that assess an individual's perceptions and emotional responses, often revealing underlying motives, concerns, and the way they see the world. The TAT is used to explore personality and emotional functioning through storytelling.

NEO Personality Inventory

A psychological assessment tool that measures the five major domains of personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. It is commonly used in psychological research and clinical settings.

Another name for the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)

The Folstein Test, a brief 30-point questionnaire used to screen for cognitive impairment and assess various cognitive functions. It evaluates areas such as orientation, memory, attention, language, and visuospatial skills.

Trail making test (TMT)

A neuropsychological test that assesses cognitive flexibility, attention, and processing speed by requiring individuals to connect a sequence of numbers and letters in alternating order. It can assess increasing dementia. Individuals who do poorly on part B often need assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs).

Time and Change Test

Assesses dementia in adults and is effective for diverse populations. It shows the individual a clock, and they have to correctly state what time the clock is showing. The second part the individual is given coins and asked to give the evaluator $1 from the coins.

Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-3)

Analyzes the child’s behavior from three perspectives— Self, Teacher, and Parent using a comprehensive set of rating scales and forms to help you understand the behaviors and emotions of children and adolescents. It can be used with ages 2 to 21 years old.

Confusion Assessment Method (CAM)

A widely used tool for assessing delirium, a state of acute confusion and disorientation. Assesses disorganized thinking, attention, and altered level of consciousness

Hamilton Anxiety Scale

The Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) is a widely used clinical tool to assess the severity of anxiety symptoms. Looks at cognition, physiological responses, and behavior. Used with adults only.

Children’s Depression Rating Scale-Revised

Looks at the severity of depression in children ages 6-12

Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST)

Consists of yes or no questions to determine the degree of self-appraised problematic drinking in various domains (e.g., social, vocational, family).

Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST)

Similar to the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST) but for substance use instead

Addiction Severity Index (ASI)

Semi-structured interview to determine what areas substance use has been most invasive. It consists of more questions than the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) and Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST). It can clarify risk of withdrawal and recovery readiness.

Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI-4)

Highly accurate screening tool to identify substance misuse even when users hide their use with lies, subterfuge, and defensive responses. This tool is useful when a client is unwilling to accept responsibility, hesitant to confront bad feelings and pain, afraid of the consequences, and ambivalent about stopping their use. There is an adult version and an adolescent version (SASSI-A3).

Clinical Instrument for Withdrawal for Alcohol (CIWA)

A tool used to assess the severity of alcohol withdrawal. It indicates whether a client can withdraw without medication, if withdrawal with assistance of benzodiazepine is indicated, or if they need to be admitted to a detox unit.

Columbia Mental Maturity Scale (CMMS)

Test of general reasoning ability that does not require fine motor skills or verbal responses. It is useful for assessing students with cerebral palsy, brain damage, intellectual disability, and speech impediments.

Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-5)

Measures receptive vocabulary without requiring verbal responses

Haptic Intelligence Scale (HIS)

Uses tactile stimuli. Helpful for assessing blind and partially-sighted individuals.

Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude (H-NTLA)

Nonverbal test. Helpful to use with children who have hearing impairment.

Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS)

Tool for diagnosing OCD. Used with adults ages 18 and up.

Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale for Children (BPRS-C)

Used to diagnose psychiatric disorders for both children and adolescents through an interview with the child and parent(s). Symptoms evaluated on the scale include behavioral symptoms, mood symptoms, sensory symptoms (such as hallucinations, delusions), symptoms of awareness and alertness, and symptoms of affect.

DSM-5 Cultural Formation Interview (CFI)

Used to enhance clinical understanding of the client’s cultural identity and the cultural definition of the identified problem.

Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis

A personality assessment for marriage. This assessment tool would help identify the couple's similarities and differences.

Career Maturity Inventory (CMI)

Standardized measure designed to assess the maturity of adolescents and young adults’ career choice attitudes and competence. Developed by John Crites.

Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS)

a self-report questionnaire designed to measure relationship satisfaction in intimate couples

Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS)

Used to quickly assess and quantify the severity of psychiatric symptoms, particularly in individuals with psychotic disorders

Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales (FACES)

A set of questionnaires used to assess family functioning, specifically focusing on the dimensions of cohesion (emotional bonding) and adaptability (flexibility in leadership, roles, and rules)

Diagnostic Interview for Adjustment Disorder (DIAD)

The Diagnostic Interview for Adjustment Disorder (DIAD) is a structured interview tool designed to diagnose adjustment disorder (AD) based on DSM-IV criteria, focusing on recall period, stressors, time relations between stressor and complaints, clinical significance, and co-occurrence with other disorders. 

DSM-5-TR Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure

A brief, self-report questionnaire designed to assess a broad range of mental health symptoms across 13 domains: depression, anger, mania, anxiety, somatic symptoms, suicidal ideation, psychosis, sleep problems, memory, repetitive thoughts/behaviors, dissociation, personality functioning, and substance use.

Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB)

Assesses a wide range of cognitive, motor, and sensory functions. The test is graded on scales that are correlated to regions of the brain to help identify which region may be damaged. Has both child and adult versions.

House-Tree-Person

A personality assessment tool for inner conflict and emotional processes. The client draws a house, tree, and person during this test. The drawings indicate their emotional state and can guide therapists in understanding how the client's inner conflicts may be affecting their mental health. By discussing the results of House-Tree-Person with the client, therapists can discover the sources of their client's internal conflict and help develop a plan to help them cope.

Marital Satisfaction Survey

Addresses various dimensions of marital interaction, including affective communication, role orientation, problem-solving communication, aggression, family history of distress. Provides insights into various aspects of a relationship, such as closeness, satisfaction levels, understanding, and disagreements. Administered separately to each partner and can be scored and interpreted individually or together. This assessment is longer/has more questions than the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS).

Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS)

A short, 7-item self-report inventory designed to measure general relationship satisfaction. Unlike the Marital Satisfaction Survey, the RAS is suitable for use in various relationship contexts, including marital, dating, and other intimate relationships

Study of Values Assessment

a self-report measuring moral/ethical world view according to six attitudinal categories: theoretical, economic, aesthetic, religious, social, and political

Delinquent Activities Scale (DAS)

a 37-item instrument used to assess the frequency of delinquent behaviors, substance use involvement, and age of onset of these behaviors in incarcerated adolescents, particularly to help assess and understand conduct disorder (CD)

Carroll Depression Scale

A self-report tool to determine the severity of depression, track progress, and create individualized treatment plans; an adaptation of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (which is clinician-administered tool)

Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)

Interview used to assess positive and negative symptoms for individuals with Schizophrenia

Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ)

A 16-item, Likert-type scale designed to measure the trait/form of worry, assessing its occurrence, intrusiveness, and pervasiveness; has versions for children, adolescents, and adults

Bayley Scales of Infant Development Second Edition (BSID-II)

Used for ages 1 month through 42 months; used for early detection of developmental delays; has three scales which include mental, motor, and behavior

Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)

A 10-item. screening tool developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to. assess alcohol consumption, drinking behaviors, and alcohol-related problems.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2)

A self-report personality inventory designed to assess a broad range of psychological traits and psychopathology; frequently used in forensic settings, substance abuse programs, and employment screenings

Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS)

A 20-item self-report inventory designed to assess negative attitudes or pessimism about the future, often used in clinical settings to evaluate suicide risk and hopelessness in individuals.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective psychological test used to assess an individual's personality, motivations, and inner conflicts; test consists of 31 black-and-white cards depicting ambiguous situations; test taker is asked to create a story for each card, including what is happening, what led to the situation, and how it will end

Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)

A systematic process used to understand why a specific behavior occurs, helping to develop effective interventions and positive behavior support plans

Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-3)

Asks about present and historical eating habits (e.g., binging, purging). Can be used from age 13+

Child Behavioral Checklist

Measures behavior problems and social competence as reported by their parents over the past 6 months; has a teacher form, self-report form, and direct observation form

Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (Vineland-II)

A standardized assessment tool used to measure adaptive behavior in individuals across the lifespan, focusing on skills needed for everyday living, including communication, daily living, and socialization

Internal State Scale (ISS)

A self-report instrument that is used to differentiate between mood states in clients who have been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder

The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5-TR (CAPS-5)

considered the "gold standard" for assessing PTSD

Sexual Interaction Inventory

Identifies performance anxiety, guilt, stress, worry associated with sex