Psychological evaluation is the term used to define a
process of testing an individual with respect to their personality, behavior
and ability to draw a conclusion by making use of a sequence of techniques.
This kind of evaluation is ideally requested to understand a problem of a
particular person and what he/she might be going through. It also allows you to
gather information about the current emotional psychological state, emotional
well-being, or intellectual and academic functioning of the individual.
A psychological evaluation helps highlight personal
strengths and/or academic challenges, aide employment applications, clarify
diagnoses to assist treatment and offer information about someone’s behavioral
and social functioning. The assessment is geared towards individual and social
needs.
Why do you need a
psychological evaluation?
Testing someone’s psychology can be for various reasons. Some
people use it to help find special accommodations at work or school, while
others use it to learn more about themselves and use it as a unique approach in
dealing with the outside world. The reasons of the assessment can be:
● School accommodations
● Mental health diagnoses
● Workplace applications
● Treatment planning
● Behavior prediction
● Assessing cognitive functioning
● Occupational aptitude
● Assessing intellectual functioning
● ADHD
evaluation
● Egg donor evaluation
● Personality assessment
● Learning disabilities
What to expect during a psychological evaluation?
If you or any of your family members have
been referred for psychological evaluation, you probably are wondering what to
expect from this evaluation. Psychological evaluation might sound intimidating
but it has been carefully designed to assist you. A health care provider orders
a blood test or X-ray to
evaluate the symptoms, and the results produced help design a treatment plan.
Psychological evaluation serves the same
purpose. Psychologists make use of assessment tools and related tests to
observe and understand client’s behaviors to guide treatment and diagnosis.
The
assessment is ideal for children experiencing trouble in school, and may
undergo testing for learning disabilities or take an aptitude test. Evaluation
for skills like reaction time, memory and dexterity can assist a
neuropsychologist in diagnosing conditions such as dementia or brain injuries.
If
a person is having trouble adjusting in school or at work, or even in personal
relationships, psychological
evaluation can help in understanding whether he/she has interpersonal skills or
anger management issues. This kind of evaluation is ideal for people
experiencing emotional disorders resembling depression and anxiety.
The underlying cause of certain emotional
disturbances isn’t always visible. For example, why is someone not able to
focus at work or in school? Is your child reading backwards, indicating dyslexia?
Do they have a problem like ADHD or impulse control? Assessment and
psychological evaluations allow a practitioner to understand the nature of the
problem in detail and figure out the best possible way to deal with it.
When is psychological evaluation mandatory?
●
For
children taken into custody
●
Alcohol
and drug evaluation
●
Periodic
updates for children in foster care
●
Evaluation
fitness for parenting
●
Domestic
violence and anger assessment
● Psychosexual evaluation
What makes an ideal psychological evaluation?
● Validity
needs to be addressed properly
● Testing
includes academic screening, IQ screening, visual-motor functionality, behavioral-emotional-personality
functioning (both projective and objective)
● No
set standards
●
Includes interviewing (with collateral
and client), behavioral observation, record reviewing, and understanding
standard psychology
The results of psychological evaluation
vary from test to test, however the results can help someone grow at personal
and social levels. Testing involves a formal test including checklists and
questionnaires deemed “norm-referenced test.” The psychological evaluation may
have numerous components such as a medical or school records, interview
information, informal tests, observational data or medical evaluations. The
psychologist will then determine the results to indicate a person’s limitations
and strengths.
