Evaluations, Assessments, and Tests, Oh My!

Have you ever found yourself filling out a questionnaire asking you about your mood, emotions, and thoughts before a medical appointment? Are you wondering what the purpose of those questions might be? It’s all about early detection of mental health issues! However, while they are a quick and easy tool to identify possible concerns, sometimes a more formal psychological assessment can be a good idea.  And what is a psychological assessment you may ask? In a few words, it is a thorough evaluation of your mental health and behavior and can be your first line of defense in diagnosing and treating a mental health condition, helping to prevent your symptoms from getting worse.

Psychological assessments are often a great place to start on your journey to optimal health, wellness, and functioning. Each assessment is tailored to your needs and referral question (i.e., what seems to be the problem). Through the assessment process, your provider will be able to determine the nature and severity of your problems and formulate a comprehensive treatment plan. Early intervention is the key to most mental health issues and, once you know what is going on, you can feel confident that you are on the right path to treatment.

Let’s try to answer some other questions you may have about the process.

Why should I seek out a psychological assessment?

People often wonder when they should undergo a psychological assessment. While our first answer would be, why not? Let’s get into some of the main reasons why someone could consider going through with a psychological assessment. Some indications that it might be the right time for an assessment include:

Changes in mood

Increased feelings of sadness or nervousness

Social withdrawal

Changes in sleep or eating patterns

Difficulties concentrating

Learning challenges

Problems within relationships

Having trouble doing things one normally does

For example, Lisa is a successful professional but the last four months has found she has difficulty concentrating at work, trouble sleeping and frequent stomach aches. Teacher John reports your son loves math but it takes him three times longer to complete his daily assignments compared to his peers. Brixton might share with their parents that they are feeling more nervous and anxious when out with their friends. Other times, however, an assessment may be beneficial if you are interested in a general understanding of how you think, feel, and interact with the world around you. It can help you gain a better understanding of why you are experiencing problems in some area of your life and provide a great starting place for treatment.

Again, not only can psychological assessments help diagnose mental health concerns, but they can determine the severity of one’s symptoms, identify a person’s strengths and weaknesses, detect risk factors, and identify the root cause of one’s emotional struggles, personality patterns, and behavioral difficulties.

What exactly is a psychological assessment and what should I expect at my appointment?

Once you’ve determined that a psychological assessment is right for you, you may be thinking, “What exactly is it?” A psychological assessment is conducted by a licensed psychologist and involves the use of tests or assessment tools to measure and observe a person’s behavior and symptoms and then take that information to formulate a diagnosis and comprehensive treatment plan. Through this process, the clinician will gather information about how a person thinks, feels, and behaves; this may include measuring a person’s intellectual abilities, language and/or visual skills, reasoning abilities, problem-solving skills, judgment, development, personality patterns, and cognitive abilities (e.g., attention, concentration, memory, etc.).

The process typically starts with a thorough clinical interview that helps the clinician understand your problems and identify what tests or assessments will be used. During the interview, you will be asked questions about your history, which may include questions about your family, childhood, academic experiences, work history, social functioning, medical history, substance use, and mental health. You will also be asked about your current symptoms and behavior. You always have the choice to share as much or as little as you want during the interview but know that the more you share the better understanding your provider will have about you.

At the conclusion of the clinical interview, the assessment itself may include self-reports (questionnaires or checklists) and/or standardized assessment tools or instruments that have been developed to measure specific areas of functioning; for example, there are assessments that measure how quickly a person processes information or how well they can read and understand written language.

As you can imagine, the assessment process can take several hours, and it may include more than one visit to your provider’s office. However, you will be guided throughout the process by your clinician, who is well versed in the administration of psychological assessments and can answer any questions or concerns that you may have as you progress.

Once the clinical interview and assessment is complete, the clinician will then interpret the results and determine how your functioning compares to your peers, to help identify concerns, delays, or impairments. The results of the assessment will help guide treatment recommendations, including any referrals to other specialists (e.g., medication management, nutrition consultation, functional medicine, etc.). Your provider will then share the results with you, to make sure you understand your results as well and help you with the next steps in your journey.

So why should I come to the Center for Collaborative Health for an assessment?

At the Center for Collaborative Health, we pride ourselves on our thorough psychological assessments. Our doctoral level psychologists offer evaluations to children, adolescents, and adults in both English and Spanish. We are trained in a wide range of assessments, and if a referral is out of our area of expertise, we will help you find the right provider in the community. We firmly believe that understanding and gaining insight about your mental health is a valuable way to maintain a healthy lifestyle and prevent future difficulties and we are here to help.

We all have obstacles in life, but we don’t need to let them be roadblocks. You start with an assessment, then progress into a well-coordinated plan in which you are supported by a team of experts serving the WHOLE YOU.

Have more questions? Ready to schedule?

Learn more and schedule your first step towards a better understanding of YOU here.