Clinician's Guide to Psychological Assessment and Testing

Clinician's Guide to Psychological Assessment and Testing
Author: John M. Spores, PhD, JD
Publisher: Springer Publishing Company
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2012-09-18
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0826199879

"Overall, this is an excellent guide to the use and administration of psychological tests. It provides straightforward directions and instructions on how to utilize testing in such a way as to better inform clinical practice. I could see this book as a mainstay on any counselorís bookshelf, especially those who are seeking a way to utilize standardized testing in their practice."--The Professional Counselor Journal ìFinally, a detailed and crystal clear guide to psychological assessment that effectively integrates 'best practices' with the realities of negotiating the mental health care system and insurance providers. I plan to draw on this practical guide in my private practice and to incorporate it as a required text in my advanced counseling assessment classes at both the masterís and doctoral level. This book is a treasure for any mental health professional involved in psychological assessment.î Joseph G. Ponterotto, PhD Professor of Counseling Psychology, Fordham University Standardized psychological testing is often essential for reliably determining the presence of a wide range of psychiatric and personality disorders, along with effectively addressing related issues that may require a psychological referral. This nuts-and-bolts guide to conducting efficient and accurate psychological testing in clinical settings provides mental health professionals with experienced guidance in the entire process, and includes a complete set of forms and templates for all aspects of assessment and testing, from the initial referral and diagnostic interview to the final report. Based on the authorís experience with over two thousand psychological and neuropsychological testing cases, this highly practical book presents a standardized process of assessment, testing, interpretation, report-writing, and presenting feedback to patients, family members, and other professionals. Actual case examples of patients from a wide age range illustrate the assessment and testing process in action. The text provides printed and electronic versions of referral and related forms, initial psychological assessment report templates that include critical areas of coverage for obtaining insurance approval, and interpretation tables for an exceptional inventory of key standardized psychological tests. Integral to the book is a review of psychological tests in seven key categories that most effectively address differential diagnostic dilemmas and related referral questions that clinicians are likely to encounter in practice. It also provides effective strategies for selecting the appropriate tests based on the particular diagnostic questions, guidance for successfully obtaining insurance approval for a targeted yet feasible number of testing hours, and an efficient system for simultaneous test interpretation and report writing. Key Features: Includes an overview of the assessment process, from the initial referral to completion of the final report Features effective reviews of commonly used tests, including neuropsychological, intelligence, personality, and behavioral inventories Includes print and digital templates and forms for all phases of assessment and testing Aids clinicians in both private practice and other health care settings to work within managed care and be effectively reimbursed for services Includes information on conducting forensic competency to stand trial assessments, including the authorís new measure of assessing a defendantís understanding of the legal system

Psychological Assessment and Report Writing

Psychological Assessment and Report Writing
Author: Karen Goldfinger
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2013-04-09
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1452259100

Outlining a step-by-step assessment model, Psychological Assessment and Report Writing, Second Edition covers five key topics central to psychological assessment: understanding the context of a referral; determining what data is needed to answer referral questions; gathering the data; integrating the data; and communicating the findings. Authors Karen Goldfinger and Andrew M. Pomerantz review each facet of psychological assessment and report writing—providing how-to instructions and alerting readers to a myriad of issues they must consider when conducting assessments in clinical, forensic, or educational environments. Filled with varied case examples that promote interest and meet instructional requirements, including one detailed case study that recurs throughout multiple chapters, the book uses sidebars and question and answer sections to encourage readers to consider their own case material and use critical thinking skills as they review each section of the model.

Essentials of Assessment Report Writing

Essentials of Assessment Report Writing
Author: Elizabeth O. Lichtenberger
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 214
Release: 2012-06-12
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1118428870

Instructive guide to preparing informative and accurate assessment reports for a variety of individuals and settings Assessment reports are central to the diagnostic process and are used to inform parents, clients, and clinicians, among others, about academic problems, personality functioning, neuropsychological strengths and weaknesses, behavioral problems, and the like. Essentials of Assessment Report Writing provides handy, quick-reference information, using the popular Essentials format, for preparing effective assessment reports. This book is designed to help busy mental health professionals quickly acquire the knowledge and skills they need to write effective psychological assessment reports. Each concise chapter features numerous callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bulleted points, and extensive illustrative material, as well as test questions that help you gauge and reinforce your grasp of the information covered. This practical guide focuses on efficiently and effectively communicating referral and background information, appearance and behavioral observations, test results and interpretation, summary and diagnostic impressions, and treatment recommendations. The authors provide examples of both good and bad case report writing and highlight ethical issues and topics relevant to presenting feedback. Essentials of Assessment Report Writing is the only pocket reference illustrating how to prepare an effective assessment report.

Writing Psychological Reports

Writing Psychological Reports
Author: Greg J. Wolber
Publisher:
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2002
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN:

This new second edition brings the same refreshing matter-of-fact guidance that made the first edition so popular with both students and professionals. Although the suggested format for psychological evaluations remains essentially the same, the authors have updated and expanded several sections within that format to enhance the quality of the evaluation report. A new section, Notification of Purpose and Limits of Confidentiality, has been added and new material on background information and the use of collateral information has been included. New examples have been added to supplement and clarify the text and a new example of a full report is presented. The Recommendations section has also been modified to incorporate specific strengths and problem areas. This book offers a wealth of descriptive information, organizing questions, guidelines, and other strategic information to make your written report as clear, comprehensive, and error free as possible.

Writing to Clients and Referring Professionals about Psychological Assessment Results

Writing to Clients and Referring Professionals about Psychological Assessment Results
Author: J. B. Allyn
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2012-04-27
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1136483616

This book is the first on the craft of effective writing structured expressly for the psychologist-assessor. Author J. B. Allyn, a professional writer who specializes in psychology, combines reference book with tutorial. She blends information on the qualities that create a writer’s unique presence on the page with illustrations of correct English grammar. All of the questions, answers, and illustrations evolved from the concerns of psychologist-assessors, as did the examples, which are grounded in their writing and communication needs. The result creates a guide for report writing that can be used by either practicing professionals or graduate psychology students. The book divides into three sections: The first and third sections discuss various aspects of effective communication, while the second is a handbook of common grammar problems. Helpful elements guide the reader through the text, including frequent bullet lists, tables and graphs, and grammar and style examples that are framed around assessment reports. It is also written in a conversational tone, which creates the same style it proposes for effectively written reports, and is a key tool for clear and appropriate communication. Readers will refer back to this book, both for quick tips on style and grammar, which are appropriate for any mental health practitioner, and for more detailed advice on writing and communication in assessment reports.

Handbook of Psychological Assessment

Handbook of Psychological Assessment
Author: Gary Groth-Marnat
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 751
Release: 2009-10-20
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0470592133

The most highly acclaimed and complete reference work on psychological assessment-fully updated and expanded Covering principles of assessment, evaluation, referral, treatment planning, and report writing, the latest edition of Gary Groth-Marnat's landmark Handbook of Psychological Assessment has been thoroughly revised and expanded. Written in a practical, skills-based manner, this classic resource offers coverage of the most widely used assessment instruments and has been updated to include new material and cover tests that are growing in popularity, such as brief assessment instruments. Handbook of Psychological Assessment also provides guidance on the most efficient methods for selecting and administering tests, how to interpret assessment data, and how to integrate test scores and develop treatment plans as well as instruction on ways in which to write effective, client-oriented, problem-solving psychological reports. The Fifth Edition provides thorough coverage of the most commonly used assessment instruments including the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV), Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), California Psychology Inventory (CPI), Rorschach, Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III), Thematic Apperception Test, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), brief assessment instruments, clinical interviewing, and behavioral assessment. In addition, this Fifth Edition includes: Updates on the new WAIS-IV, WISC-IV, and WMS-IV An increased emphasis on diversity A focus on screening for neuropsychological impairment, including coverage of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) Coverage of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form New information on client feedback and consultation An updated chapter on psychological report writing, including new examples of psychological reports Organized according to the sequence mental health professionals follow when conducting an assessment, Handbook of Psychological Assessment, Fifth Edition is a practical, valuable reference for professionals looking to stay current as well as for students looking for the most thorough and trusted resource covering the field of psychological assessment.

Conducting Psychological Assessment

Conducting Psychological Assessment
Author: A. Jordan Wright
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2010-12-16
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0470921404

A Valuable Guide to the Entire Process of Psychological Assessment Carefully working through all the phases of assessment, including integrating, conceptualizing, test selection, administering, scoring, and report writing, Conducting Psychological Assessment provides clinicians with a step-by-step methodology for conducting skilled individual assessments, from beginning to end. Unlike most guides to assessment, this book addresses the critical steps that follow administration, scoring, and interpretation—namely the integration of the data into a fully conceptualized report. Rich with case studies that illustrate every major point, this text provides a coherent structure for the entire process, taking into account the imperfection of both clinical intuition and specific psychological tests. Conducting Psychological Assessment presents practitioners with an accessible framework to help make the process of psychological assessment quicker, easier, and more efficient. It offers a model designed to ensure that assessors provide ethical and competent services and make useful contributions to the lives of the individuals they assess.

Handbook of Psychological Assessment

Handbook of Psychological Assessment
Author: Gerald Goldstein
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 637
Release: 2000-02-16
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0080540023

The field of psychological assessment has been undergoing rapid change. The second edition of this Handbook, published in 1990, appeared at the beginning of a decade marked by extensive advances in assessment in essentially all of its specialized areas. There are many new tests, new applications of established tests, and new test systems. Major revisions have appeared of established tests, notably the Wechsler intelligence scales. The time seemed right for a third edition, since even over the relatively brief period of ten years, many tests described in the second edition have been replaced, and are no longer commonly used. Furthermore, much new research in such areas as neuropsychology, cognitive science, and psychopathology have made major impacts on how many tests and other assessment procedures are used and interpreted. This third edition represents an effort to give the reader an overview of the many new developments in assessment, while still maintaining material on basic psychometric concepts in order for it to continue to serve as a comprehensive handbook for the student and professional.

Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination

Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2015-06-29
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309370930

The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two disability programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), for disabled individuals, and their dependent family members, who have worked and contributed to the Social Security trust funds, and Supplemental Security Income (SSSI), which is a means-tested program based on income and financial assets for adults aged 65 years or older and disabled adults and children. Both programs require that claimants have a disability and meet specific medical criteria in order to qualify for benefits. SSA establishes the presence of a medically-determined impairment in individuals with mental disorders other than intellectual disability through the use of standard diagnostic criteria, which include symptoms and signs. These impairments are established largely on reports of signs and symptoms of impairment and functional limitation. Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination considers the use of psychological tests in evaluating disability claims submitted to the SSA. This report critically reviews selected psychological tests, including symptom validity tests, that could contribute to SSA disability determinations. The report discusses the possible uses of such tests and their contribution to disability determinations. Psychological Testing in the Service of Disability Determination discusses testing norms, qualifications for administration of tests, administration of tests, and reporting results. The recommendations of this report will help SSA improve the consistency and accuracy of disability determination in certain cases.