Welcome to Psychological Assessment!

Things to do tonight… Ice Breakers (you know you love ‘em!) Ice Breakers (you know you love ‘em!) Get comfortable … Get comfortable … –Then get up for the Living Likert exercise Syllabus Syllabus Details Details –16PF (online interpretations, only $14 for a basic one and $30 bucks for a comprehensive report) MMSE MMSE

Referrals Mental Status Evaluation Mental Status Evaluation Clinical interview Clinical interview Diagnostic determination Diagnostic determination Competency evaluation Competency evaluation Forensic evaluation Forensic evaluation –Including custody evals Pretreatment eval. and recommendations Pretreatment eval. and recommendations Reevaluation Reevaluation Educational placement Educational placement Vocational recommendations Vocational recommendations

Examples Tina Panteleakos was referred by Dr. Freud on April 6, 1911 to evaluate her suitability for psychoanalysis. Tina Panteleakos was referred by Dr. Freud on April 6, 1911 to evaluate her suitability for psychoanalysis. Joe and Jane Schmo were referred by Gloria Liu on April 6, 2005 for full psychological exams to assist with legal custody hearings. Joe and Jane Schmo were referred by Gloria Liu on April 6, 2005 for full psychological exams to assist with legal custody hearings. Joe Schmo was referred by the CIA on April 6, 2005 to determine whether the nature of his psychological disabilities would interfere with his ability to keep and work with classified and confidential material. Joe Schmo was referred by the CIA on April 6, 2005 to determine whether the nature of his psychological disabilities would interfere with his ability to keep and work with classified and confidential material.

Referrals for kids Academic performance (a big one…also LDs) Academic performance (a big one…also LDs) –Social Factors Peer group Peer group Teachers Teachers –Conduct/behavior Drug abuse Drug abuse Sexual behaviors, aggression, etc. Sexual behaviors, aggression, etc. –Motivation Attention level, makes little effort, etc. Attention level, makes little effort, etc. Affects Affects –anger, fear, anxiety, depression, level of emotional constriction Physical Physical –Accident prone? Problems with fine or gross motor coordination?

Think of example referrals you would make for children

Mental Status Examination Remember the last time you had a physical medical exam? Remember the last time you had a physical medical exam? –Doctors check your organs and orifices

Mental Status Examination Therapists check your head! …and fashion sense and moods and stuff Therapists check your head! …and fashion sense and moods and stuff –Consciousness (are you in a coma?) –Orientation (date, place, person, things) –Attention (distractible, selective attention, alert?) –Concentration (is it difficult?) –Memory (forgetful, confused, needs reminders?) –Information (do you know stuff?) –Stream of thought (restricted? rapid?, coherent? preoccupied? dissociated? cognitive slippage?) –Reasoning/Abstract thinking (concrete? generalized? obscure?) –Judgment (common sense? impressionable?) –Insight (denies presence of problems, peripheral understanding, self-aware)

Generally speaking… assess: General Appearance and behavior General Appearance and behavior Feeling (affect and mood) Feeling (affect and mood) Perception (hallucinations?) Perception (hallucinations?) Thinking Thinking –Intellectual functioning –Orientation –Memory, Attention, and Concentration –Insight –Judgment –Thought content