What Is a Psychologist Assessment?

A psychological assessment is an attempt by a trained and skilled professional to evaluate and/or diagnose a person referred to them for mental health screening. Usually informal, an assessment can be done in a variety of ways. Professionals are looking for behaviors, tendencies, personality irregularities or other concerns that would lead them to refer a person to mental health services. The assessment is usually individualized to meet the needs of the person who is being evaluated. Although the format may vary, most psychologists' assessments contain similar components.

An Interview

• Many psychologists will asses a person during an interview. The interview can provide a lot of information pertaining to the background and general well-being of the interviewee. The psychologist will pay attention to verbal and non-verbal clues during the interview. The tone and voice inflection can also reveal a lot of information. How the person responds to certain questions, statements or situations will also let the psychologist know more about what steps need to be taken. The interview can be structured or unstructured, depending on the situation and person involved.

Observation

• A psychologist may choose to formally observe a person with or without their knowledge as a part of a psychologist assessment. They would look for behaviors, either intentional or unintentional, that would indicate mental health services are needed. Interactions with others, how the person reacts under various circumstances and what is done in downtime are all possibilities in an observation. This type of assessment would let the psychologist see behaviors that might not be present when the person is questioned or interviewed.

Testing

• Formal testing might be a part of a psychologist assessment. Tests can specifically measure certain aptitudes, talents or intelligences. There are tests for ability and preferences, personality tests and intelligence quotient (IQ) tests. A psychologist would use the information gathered in these tests to further diagnose or refer a person. Tests can be used to eliminate the need for mental health services as well. Most tests are scheduled, administered formally and are taken by the subject or patient voluntarily.

Informal Assessments

• An informal assessment can be a step in a psychologist's assessment. The psychologist will look at data and previous information on the person before or after a meeting. Test scores, previous interviews and other psychologists' notes will be reviewed informally and mental health services can be refereed based on the information found. This type of assessment is common with children. The parents will be present, but the child in question may not. Often, this type of assessment is used as a pre-evaluation before further testing is recommended.