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Introduction To Clinical Assessment

Cynthia visits a clinical psychologist with concerns about memory loss. The psychologist needs to conduct a clinical assessment to determine the cause of Cynthia's issues. Clinical assessments involve gathering information through methods like tests, interviews, and observations. This allows the psychologist to evaluate the individual situation and generate hypotheses. Understanding patterns of test usage is important, as fully 91% of psychologists conduct assessments, relying most commonly on intelligence, personality, and neuropsychological tests.

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204 views13 pages

Introduction To Clinical Assessment

Cynthia visits a clinical psychologist with concerns about memory loss. The psychologist needs to conduct a clinical assessment to determine the cause of Cynthia's issues. Clinical assessments involve gathering information through methods like tests, interviews, and observations. This allows the psychologist to evaluate the individual situation and generate hypotheses. Understanding patterns of test usage is important, as fully 91% of psychologists conduct assessments, relying most commonly on intelligence, personality, and neuropsychological tests.

Uploaded by

nurmeen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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INTRODUCTIONS

Cynthia walks into your office. She tells you that


she's feeling very stressed out and anxious
because she keeps forgetting things. She
used to be really on top of things, but recently
she has trouble remembering where she
parked her car or what she did just a few
minutes ago.
What's wrong with Cynthia?
TOPICS TO BE COVERED
• What is clinical psychology
• Role of Assessment in clinical psychology / Purpose of clinical assessment / Why
we conduct clinical Assessment
• Role of the Clinician
• Patterns of Test Usage in Clinical Assessment
• Evaluating Psychological Tests
• Validity in Clinical Practice
• Data Gathering, synthesis and Interpreting the data
• Clinical versus Actuarial Prediction
• Clinical Judgment
WHAT IS CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
The branch of psychology concerned with the assessment and treatment of
mental illness and behavioural problems. (Google)
Clinical psychology is an integration of the science, theory and clinical
knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving
psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective
and behavioural well-being and personal development. Central to its
practice are psychological assessment and psychotherapy, although
clinical psychologists also engage in research, teaching, consultation,
forensic testimony, and program development and administration. In many
countries, clinical psychology is regulated as a health care profession.
(Wikipedia)
Psychological assessment can be defined as "the process of systematically
gathering information about a person in relation to his or her environment
so that decisions can be made, based on this information that is in the best
interests of the individual“ (Zeepedia)
WHAT IS CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Clinical psychology is the psychological specialty that provides continuing
and comprehensive mental and behavioral health care for individuals
and families; consultation to agencies and communities; training,
education and supervision; and research-based practice.
It is a specialty in breadth — one that is broadly inclusive of severe
psychopathology — and marked by comprehensiveness and integration
of knowledge and skill from a broad array of disciplines within and
outside of psychology proper. The scope of clinical psychology
encompasses all ages, multiple diversities and varied systems.
APA
ROLE OF ASSESSMENT IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
PURPOSE OF CLINICAL ASSESSMENT
WHY WE CONDUCT CLINICAL ASSESSMENT
What's the point of assessment? To answer that, let's go back to the moment
that Cynthia walks into your office. She tells you that she's feeling very
stressed out and anxious because she keeps forgetting things. She used to
be really on top of things, but recently she has trouble remembering where
she parked her car or what she did just a few minutes ago.
What's wrong with Cynthia? There are many things that can cause memory
loss. The only way that you can find out what's wrong with her is to do some
sort of evaluation. Clinical assessments help you, the psychologist, to know
what might be causing problems for your patient.
ROLE OF THE CLINICIAN
Clinical psychologists deal with a wide range of mental
and physical health problems including addiction,
anxiety, depression, learning difficulties and
relationship issues. They may undertake a clinical
assessment to investigate a clients’ situation. There
are a variety of methods available including
psychometric tests, interviews and direct observation
of behaviour. Assessment may lead to advice,
counselling or therapy. (BPS)
ROLE OF THE CLINICIAN
Understanding of psychopathology and diagnostic/intervention considerations.
Mental health issues across the lifespan based on a solid understanding of
psychopathology.
Assessment: ability to integrate and synthesize personality test data with additional
standardized assessment measures.
Consultation: ability to consult with other health and behavioral health care
professionals and organizations regarding severe psychopathology, suicide and
violence.
Research Base: engagement with specific research and critical review of science,
knowledge and methods pertaining to those areas identified as distinct to clinical
psychology. (APA)
ROLE OF THE CLINICIAN

Psychometrists: Obtain data, results in traits


and abilities, no context
Psychological assessment: attempts to evaluate
an individual in a problem situation, Test
results are used for generating hypothesis.
History: military recruitments
PATTERNS OF TEST USAGE IN CLINICAL ASSESSMENT
Fully 91% of all practicing psychologists engage in
assessment (Watkins et al., 1995)
1940s ,50s 44% > 1969 29% > 1982 22%
81% spend 0-4 hours/week(2000). Reasons??
Reasons being: psychologists are now involved in range
of activities plus the criticism on relaibility and validity
of tests.
PATTERNS OF TEST USAGE IN CLINICAL ASSESSMENT
Surveys of test usage have usually found that the 10
most frequently used tests are the Wechsler
intelligence scales, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory, Rorschach, Bender Visual Motor Gestalt
Test, Thematic Apperception Test, projective drawings
(Human Figure Drawing, House-Tree-Person), Wechsler
Memory Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Millon
Clinical Multiaxial Inventories, and California
Psychological Inventory
PATTERNS OF TEST USAGE IN CLINICAL ASSESSMENT
The earliest form of assessment was through clinical interview.
During the 1980s and 1990s, a wide variety of structured
interview techniques gained popularity
A further trend has been the development of neuropsychological
assessment
During the 1960s and 1970s, behavior therapy was increasingly
used and accepted. Initially, behavior therapists were concerned
with an idiographic (individualised) approach to the functional
analysis of behavior.
Computerised assessment is future

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