Psychological Assessments
Psychological assessments are a systematic approach to evaluating an individual's mental health, cognitive abilities, personality traits, and emotional functioning. These assessments involve a combination of techniques, including standardized tests, interviews, observations, and review of relevant records. The goal is to gather comprehensive information to aid in diagnosis, treatment planning, and understanding an individual's psychological state. Here at Aptiva, we specialize in traumas and workplace injuries for people over the age of 18. However, we do also accept people with other mental wellness concerns who may need a psychological assessment.
Key components of psychological assessments include:
Standardized Tests: These are structured tools with established norms that measure specific psychological constructs such as intelligence (e.g., IQ tests), personality (e.g., MMPI), or specific mental health conditions (e.g., Beck Depression Inventory).
Clinical Interviews: These involve structured or semi-structured conversations between the psychologist and the client to gather detailed personal, medical, and psychological history.
Behavioral Observations: These involve observing the client in various settings to note behaviors, interactions, and emotional responses.
Self-Report Questionnaires: These are surveys where clients provide information about their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Collateral Information: Gathering information from family members, teachers, or medical records to get a comprehensive view of the individual’s functioning across different contexts.
Psychological assessments are used here at Aptiva for the following contexts:
Clinical Settings: To diagnose mental health concerns, guide treatment plans, and monitor progress.
Occupational Settings: For employee selection, career counseling, and workplace accommodations.
Legal Settings: In forensic evaluations to assess competency, risk assessments, and custody evaluations.
Psychological assessments are also used for in educational settings to identify learning disabilities, giftedness, and other educational needs. This isn’t what we typically do here at Aptiva. The results of psychological assessments provide valuable insights that help our clinicians and other professionals make informed decisions about your interventions, supports, and strategies on your way back to wellbeing.
