A comprehensive psychological evaluation involves a combination of assessment tools that are designed to understand the source of underlying concerns affecting behavior. Psychological assessments are conducted by knowledgeable and skilled clinicians who are trained to understand and interpret the results. Often the process takes several appointments and may involve several different kinds of tests designed to understand the underlying features of a condition.
Four essential components of psychological assessment:
Norm-referenced tests: The tests that psychologists use are norm-referenced which means that they were designed and calibrated based upon data collected from a wide variety of individuals and are therefore less likely to produced bias results. There are several different kinds of tests that all assess a different element of mental health and cognitive functioning. When the results are viewed collectively, holistic recommendations can be made to help the client improve overall functioning.
Interviews:Many assessment protocols first involve a comprehensive interview whereby the clinician asks the client questions about their history and current symptoms to better understand the goals and objectives of the assessment process. Also, in some cases parents, partners, and teachers may be asked questions (following the approval of the client) to further support the information collected in the interview process.
Observations: Often the assessment process involves direct observation of behavior in a particular setting to better understand the nature of the presenting concern. This is especially true when evaluating children who are often not able to describe their concerns effectively.
Informal testing: In some cases, in addition to norm-referenced tests, psychologists may also use questionnaires or other measures to add support to their findings. This data is useful to fill in the gaps that may exist in the testing process.
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