Conducting Psychological Assessment: A Guide for Practitioners

✍ Scribed by Wright, A Jordan

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 530
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

The major market need for this book comes from the fact that the bulk of the literature on psychological assessment focuses on individual tests, rather than the process of using tests as part of an overall integrative assessment process. The author has taught many Ph.D. students psychological assessment and supervised students taught by other professors, and it is clear to him that while interpretation of individual tests is relatively consistent, the basic foundations of how to use test data and how to integrate them into coherent and useful narratives varies greatly from assessor to assessor depending on their training. Many students and psychologists focus so much on adequate administration, scoring, and interpretation of individual tests that little attention is paid to the integration, conceptualization, and write-up phases of the process. This book provides concrete examples to illustrate how to navigate this process, which is too often left to chance.

✦ Table of Contents

Conducting Psychological Assessment: A Guide for Practitioners......Page 5
Contents......Page 9
Preface......Page 17
Acknowledgments......Page 19
Part I: Conducting Psychological Assessment......Page 23
Introduction: The Hypothesis Testing Model......Page 25
The Hypothesis Testing Model......Page 27
Step 1: Clinical Assessment......Page 28
Step 3: Testing......Page 30
Step 4: Integration of All Data......Page 31
Step 5: Writing the Assessment Report......Page 32
Step 6: Providing Feedback......Page 33
Summary......Page 34
Chapter 1: Clinical Interviewing and Hypothesis Building......Page 36
Presenting Problem and Its History......Page 37
History of Presenting Problem......Page 38
Symptomatic Evaluation......Page 42
Developmental History......Page 43
Psychiatric History......Page 44
Alcohol/Substance Use History......Page 45
Medical History......Page 46
Family Medical and Psychiatric History......Page 49
Family History......Page 50
Educational/Vocational History......Page 52
Criminal/Legal History......Page 53
Psychosexual History......Page 54
Multicultural Evaluation......Page 56
Appearance and Behavior......Page 59
Speech and Language......Page 61
Mood and Affect......Page 62
Thought Process and Content......Page 63
Cognition......Page 64
Prefrontal Functioning......Page 65
Hypothesis Building......Page 70
Enumerate Possible Causes......Page 72
Summary......Page 74
Why Test?......Page 76
The Multimethod Approach......Page 77
A Standard Battery......Page 79
Test Characteristics......Page 80
Reliability......Page 81
Validity......Page 84
Self-Report, Symptom-Based Measures......Page 86
Self-Report Inventories......Page 87
Performance-Based Measures......Page 88
Practical Considerations......Page 95
Familiarity......Page 96
Cognitive Assessment......Page 97
Personality and Emotional Assessment......Page 98
Other Assessment......Page 100
Summary......Page 102
Cultural Considerations......Page 103
Age Considerations......Page 104
When and Where to Test......Page 106
Building Rapport......Page 107
Standard Administration......Page 108
Cultural Considerations......Page 110
Testing the Limits......Page 111
Coding Versus Scoring......Page 112
Interpreting Tests......Page 113
Summary......Page 115
Chapter 4: Integrating Data......Page 116
Step 1: Accumulating the Data......Page 117
Step 2: Identifying Themes......Page 123
Step 3: Organizing the Data......Page 125
Step 4: Conceptualizing......Page 139
Diathesis-Stress Model of Conceptualization......Page 140
Developmental Model of Conceptualization......Page 141
Common Function Model of Conceptualization......Page 142
Complex Models of Conceptualization......Page 143
Summary......Page 156
The Report Format......Page 158
Identifying Information......Page 160
Source of Referral and Referral Questions......Page 161
Measures Administered......Page 162
Notes on Testing......Page 163
Presenting Problem......Page 165
Background Information......Page 166
Mental Status Evaluation......Page 172
Behavioral Observations......Page 174
Overall Interpretation of Test Findings......Page 175
When Cognitive Functioning Is Secondary......Page 176
When Cognitive Functioning Is Primary......Page 181
When Cognitive Functioning Includes Neuropsychological Screening......Page 185
Personality and Emotional Functioning......Page 192
Vocational Functioning......Page 197
Summary......Page 199
Recommendations......Page 201
Signatures......Page 203
Appendices......Page 204
Summary......Page 205
Chapter 6: Providing Feedback......Page 207
Considering What Will Be Most Helpful......Page 208
Developmental Considerations......Page 210
Do I Give a Copy of the Report?......Page 211
How Should the Session Be Structured?......Page 213
Should I Disclose the Diagnosis?......Page 214
How Is the Session Going?......Page 215
How Will I Follow Up?......Page 216
Summary......Page 217
Part II: Case Studies in Psychological Assessment......Page 219
Introduction: Case Studies in Psychological Assessment......Page 221
The Clinical Interview......Page 222
Review of Neuropsychological Evaluation......Page 231
Mental Status Evaluation......Page 232
Enumerate Possible Causes......Page 234
Selecting Tests......Page 236
Accumulating the Data......Page 238
Identifying Themes......Page 241
Organizing the Data......Page 244
Conceptualizing......Page 250
Diathesis-Stress Model......Page 251
Developmental Model......Page 253
Common Function Model......Page 255
Complex Model......Page 257
Report Writing......Page 258
Preparation for Feedback......Page 273
Feedback Session......Page 274
Summary......Page 277
The Clinical Interview......Page 278
Mental Status Evaluation......Page 289
Identify Impairments......Page 290
Enumerate Possible Causes......Page 291
Selecting Tests......Page 292
Accumulating the Data......Page 294
Organizing the Data......Page 297
Diathesis-Stress Model......Page 306
Developmental Model......Page 309
Common Function Model......Page 311
Complex Model......Page 313
Report Writing......Page 314
Preparation for Feedback......Page 328
Feedback Session......Page 329
Summary......Page 333
The Clinical Interview......Page 334
Mental Status Evaluation......Page 341
Identify Impairments......Page 342
Enumerate Possible Causes......Page 343
Selecting Tests......Page 344
Accumulating the Data......Page 345
Identifying Themes......Page 348
Organizing the Data......Page 351
Diathesis-Stress Model......Page 355
Developmental Model......Page 357
Common Function Model......Page 359
Complex Model......Page 361
Report Writing......Page 362
Preparation for Feedback......Page 373
Feedback Session......Page 376
Summary......Page 379
The Clinical Interview......Page 381
Mental Status Evaluation......Page 386
Identify Impairments......Page 387
Enumerate Possible Causes......Page 388
Selecting Tests......Page 389
Accumulating the Data......Page 390
Identifying Themes......Page 392
Organizing the Data......Page 394
Diathesis-Stress Model......Page 397
Developmental Model......Page 401
Common Function Model......Page 402
Complex Model......Page 404
Report Writing......Page 405
Preparation for Feedback......Page 415
Feedback Session......Page 416
Summary......Page 417
The Clinical Interview......Page 419
Mental Status Evaluation......Page 423
Hypothesis Building......Page 424
Enumerate Possible Causes......Page 425
Selecting Tests......Page 426
Accumulating the Data......Page 427
Identifying Themes......Page 429
Organizing the Data......Page 432
Diathesis-Stress Model......Page 436
Developmental Model......Page 441
Common Function Model......Page 443
Complex Model......Page 444
Report Writing......Page 446
Preparation for Feedback......Page 455
Feedback Session......Page 456
Summary......Page 459
The Clinical Interview......Page 461
Mental Status Evaluation......Page 469
Enumerate Possible Causes......Page 470
Selecting Tests......Page 472
Accumulating the Data......Page 473
Identifying Themes......Page 476
Conceptualizing......Page 478
Diathesis-Stress Model......Page 481
Developmental Model......Page 483
Common Function Model......Page 484
Complex Model......Page 485
Report Writing......Page 486
Preparation for Feedback......Page 496
Feedback Session......Page 497
Summary......Page 500
References......Page 501
Name Index......Page 507
Subject Index......Page 509