What Is a Psychological Evaluation?

Psychological assessment: refers to the general term for a comprehensive, systematic, and in-depth analysis of psychological phenomena of individuals or groups under the common guidance of biological, psychological, social, and medical models. .

Chinese name: Psychological assessment

Applied discipline: psychology
Application range: Clinical and Counseling Psychology

Psychological assessment concept

There are broad and narrow senses of psychological evaluation. Generalized psychological evaluation refers to the evaluation of various psychological and behavioral problems and can be used in the fields of medicine, psychology and sociology. It is mainly used to evaluate behaviors, cognitive abilities, personality traits, and individual and group characteristics to help make judgments, predictions and decisions about people. ^[1]

Narrow psychological assessment is also called clinical assessment, which refers to the use of professional psychological methods and techniques to make corresponding judgments on the psychological condition, personality characteristics and mental health of visitors in the field of psychological clinical and counseling, and make correct explanations when necessary Based on this, a comprehensive analysis and identification are performed to provide the necessary prerequisites and guarantees for psychological counseling and treatment. ^[1]

Psychological assessment at different stages

Psychological assessment during the psychological assessment acceptance stage

The evaluation task at this stage is to collect relevant information of the visitor, and to make a preliminary judgment on the question status and background information of the visitor to identify whether the visitor accepts the psychological counseling and treatment provided by the institution, especially for those who have obvious The characteristics of mental illness require visitors who are involved in a professional medical institution and need to be evaluated for referral.

Psychological assessment

In the early stages of psychological counseling, three aspects of counselors were mainly evaluated through acceptance and initial interviews.

(1) Evaluation of the basic situation of the visitor: name, gender, personal experience, family environment, education level, and whether they are taking psychotropic substances;

(2) Annoying this and the evaluation of the main problems, mental state and other materials;

(3) Evaluation of the main problems and psychological state of the visitor.

Psychological assessment

With the development of psychological counseling, assessment becomes more important. One of the prerequisites for the success of psychological counseling is that the consultant must clarify the direction, goals and plan of the consultation. During the consultation process, the consultant needs to work with the client to agree on the goals of the consultation and the adjustment of the later goals. Based on the evaluation.

Psychological evaluation

In the later stages of the consultation, the consultation relationship between the two parties is about to end. At this time, the psychological assessment can strengthen the visitor's problem solving.

(1) The consultant needs to assess whether the goals of the consultation have been achieved. If the visitor has not changed positively, the consulting relationship and the goals of the entire consultation process need to be reflected and adjusted.

(2) The consultant will inform the visitor of the result of the assessment, so that the visitor can clarify their changes, and promote the consolidation and solution of the problem.

(3) Consultant evaluation to assess whether the visitor is dependent on the consultant and feels lost after the consultation. ^[2]

Psychological assessment

Psychological evaluation is one of the basis for the consultant to determine whether or not a future visitor will be referred. Whether or not referrals need to consider the following.

(1) First of all, it is clear that the visitor is a normal person, but after evaluation, the visitor with severe psychological disorder or mental symptoms should be referred.

(2) Most of the consultants have problems that they are good at solving, especially for beginners. Do not accept those who are not familiar with or have a poor grasp of psychological problems.

(3) Even for consultants, there are unfinished events of their own, so in addition to assessing the psychological problems of the visitors, the consultants must also evaluate their own psychology.

Psychological assessment of crisis events

Sometimes psychological counseling is for visitors who suffer from a crisis of psychological problems. At this time, psychological assessment is very important. This assessment is called crisis assessment. Crisis assessment is the first step in crisis psychological assistance, which helps the crisis to be resolved and eliminated smoothly.

Psychological assessment method

Psychological evaluation is a systematic analysis of the collected information. There are two main methods: one is a standardized test and the other is a non-standardized evaluation method. ^[2]

Standardized assessment for psychological assessment

Standardized testing is a systematic, scientific, and standardized process of testing and assessment. The main psychological tests are intelligence tests and personality tests.

Intelligence test: The Chinese comparison test completed by Wu Tianmin, the Raven standard reasoning test revised by Zhang Houzhen, and the Wechsler Intelligence Test revised by Lin Chuanding and Zhang Houzhen.

Personality test: 1. Guest test: Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Minnesota Personality Questionnaire, 16 Personality Factor Questionnaires. 2. Projection Test: Rorschach Ink Test, Subjectivity Test, Fang Shuren Test, Sentence Completion Test. ^[2]

Psychological assessment scale

A method of determining a score by observing a certain behavior or trait of a person. A standardized procedure for expressing the result of an assessment is called an assessment scale. Main assessment scales: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published by the American Psychiatric Association and the Guidance Manual for the Classification and Diagnosis of International Diseases published by the International Health Organization, and the Chinese Diagnostic Standards for Mental Illnesses and Mental Health Assessments Scale Manual.

Observation of psychological assessment behavior

Observation methods are commonly used to obtain information in psychological counseling. There are two types of observation methods: one is to organize observation content and procedures according to the purpose of observation and the experience of the observer; the other is to use a set of stereotyped procedures to observe according to the purpose. Observation can be carried out in a natural or controlled environment.

Psychological Evaluation Clinical Interview

A clinical interview is a two-way face-to-face interaction between the consultant and the visitor to assess all aspects of the visitor's psychological function and to make related treatment plans. In psychological evaluation, clinical interviews have always played an important role. It is very important to obtain information, understand and analyze the stories of visitors, and establish a consulting relationship.

Basic attitude of psychological assessment

The basic attitude of psychological evaluation refers to the position and personal tendency of the consultant in the process of psychological evaluation.

Psychological assessment continuum perspective

This view means that when conducting a psychological evaluation for a visitor, the consultant must be clear that there is no absolute boundary between normal and abnormal psychology. They are a gradual continuum, and the differences are often relative.

Multifactor perspective on psychological assessment

The performance of psychological activity is affected by multiple factors, which requires that the consultant consider various factors during the psychological assessment, and consider the combined effects of biological and psychosocial factors of the visitor at the same time. In fact, psychological assessment knowledge is constantly approaching the best discrimination criteria. Therefore, psychological counseling should adopt multiple methods to solve the problems of visitors from multiple dimensions.

Psychological assessment of dynamic perspectives

It is necessary to look at the visitor's problems and the entire psychological evaluation process from a dynamic perspective, and avoid using linear thinking to affect the psychological evaluation work. It is clear that psychological evaluation is only a qualitative analysis of the current problems of the visitor, not the final conclusion. See the potential of visitors and the ability to heal themselves.

Psychological assessment principles

Psychological assessment flexibility principle

Flexibility has two meanings. The first is to use multiple evaluation methods flexibly in the evaluation process; the second is that in psychological counseling, the consultant needs to use various psychological counseling theories to put forward various possible hypotheses for the psychological problems of the visitor.

Procedural principles of psychological assessment

The consultant should make clear that psychological evaluation is a process. From the beginning to the end of the consultation, the consultant gradually understands the visitor. As the consultation progresses, the consultant continuously proposes and revises the assumptions of the visitor's problem or consultation plan.

Co-participation principle

Psychological counselor The process of joint participation of consultants and visitors. Psychological assessment is not a single aspect of work. The tools, methods, and goals of treatment need to be agreed upon by both. ^[1]