Psychological Assessment

What is psychological assessment?  How does it differ from a psychiatric assessment, or an assessment done by a social worker?  Essentially, psychologists add to the information gained from interviews and observations by using psychological tests, thus providing for a more comprehensive and in depth understanding of the issues being addressed.  Psychological tests fall into two broad categories:  Those that measure an individual’s intellectual and academic functioning, and those that address personality and social-emotional functioning.  In the case of children, particularly those with learning difficulties, both types of test are often used.

Social-emotional and personality tests themselves fall into two categories:  self-report measures and projective measures.  The self-report measures typically present a list of feelings, personal attributes, experiences, and opinions that require a Yes/No, or True/False response.  The person’s responses will generate a personality or symptom profile.  The projective measures present ambiguous stimuli (ink blots, pictures, drawings) which are open-ended and do not require a Yes or No answer.  These measures often allow for a deeper understanding of an individual’s conflicts and worries, and may tap issues that are outside of the person’s conscious awareness.  These measures can be particularly useful with children, who will often respond that they are “fine”, even though their behaviour or demeanor suggests otherwise.  A deeper understanding of the child’s worries allows for more effective strategies and interventions.

Cost and duration of an assessment will vary depending on the presenting problems and the nature of the tests employed.  Written reports will attract an additional charge.  Contact The Willow Centre directly with any further questions.