What is psychological assessment?
A psychological evaluation is an integral part of therapy, providing valuable information about your personality, feelings, and behaviour.
What is psychological assessment?
Psychological assessment is a process by which psychological test data are collected and interpreted to inform individualised treatment planning that promotes positive change and development. In psychology, assessments help individuals understand patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours to make more informed decisions about their well-being.
Purpose of psychological assessment
The most common uses of psychological assessments are as a way to assess cognitive functioning, emotional and behavioural functioning, mental disorders and problem severity, personality traits and pathology, intellectual ability and aptitude, aspects of human development (e.g., intelligence), interests, attitudes, and opinions about important issues in life. Psychological assessment is also used as a form of scientifically based treatment planning or intervention selection by clinicians.
Types of psychological assessments
There are different psychological assessment online which are described below:
- Intelligence & achievement tests- Intelligence and achievement tests measure a person’s ability to solve problems and remember words, numbers, shapes, and images. For example, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) are designed to measure several important aspects of intellectual functioning in children. These tests evaluate children with learning disabilities or mental retardation and diagnose conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mental retardation, or specific learning disabilities.
- Personality tests- Personality tests consider various aspects of a person’s character and provide insight into a person’s behaviour. There are several methods for personality assessment, including objective tests and projective tests. Objective tests generate scores that can be compared to a norm group. In contrast, projective assessments allow for open-ended answers from individuals that may reflect their style of thinking or relating to others. Other popular personality assessment tests include the NEO-PI-R. And PAI.
- Neuropsychological tests- Neuropsychological tests measure the brain’s functions. These tests help assess a person’s ability to think or reason after a head injury or illness. Neuropsychologists also use these tests in research to compare the mental capacity of different groups.
- Diagnostic measurement tools- Clinical psychologists are trained to diagnose psychological disorders found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD). Some assessment tests include the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5), which many psychologists use.
- Clinical observation- Clinical psychologists are trained to gather data by observing behaviour and making mental evaluations based on their words. The clinical interview is a vital part of the assessment process, even when using other formalised tools. These tests can employ a structured or unstructured format, assessing general appearance and behaviour, mood and effects, perception, comprehension, orientation, insight, memory, and content.
Conclusion
With all this being said, if you’re uncertain about how to get these psychological assessments done, get in touch with Brilliant Life Services, and we will figure out the best course of action for you. With our multilingual and master’s level therapists, we are confident that we can help the needful in the best possible way.
Read More:
