If you’ve been experiencing the symptoms of a mental health disorder, completing a psychological assessment can be an essential step on your path toward effective treatment and a healthier future. The thought of being assessed or evaluated can sometimes be disconcerting, but when you learn what happens during a psychological assessment — and you understand why this process can be so important – you can approach the experience with a much more positive outlook.
What Is a Psychological Assessment?
A psychological assessment is an evaluation that is conducted by a qualified expert in order to ascertain a patient’s mental and/or behavioral health status. This is a somewhat general term, as psychological assessments can be conducted in a variety of ways and include several different components.
Depending on the structure and goal of a psychological assessment, the process may include elements such as:
- A conversation between the patient and the professional
- A review of documentation from the patient’s previous treatment experiences
- Behavioral observations (which are most common when the patient is a child)
- Various types of tests
The purpose or value of psychological assessments can include:
- Collecting the information that will allow the professional to accurately diagnose the patient with a mental or behavioral health disorder
- Quantifying the patient’s cognitive abilities
- Helping the professional gain greater insights into the nature and severity of the patient’s symptoms
- Exploring how the patient’s life has been affected by their mental or behavioral health struggles
- Identifying underlying causes or co-occurring concerns that may have contributed to or otherwise influenced the patient’s mental health struggles
- Developing a comprehensive, personalized treatment plan that can address the full scope of the patient’s needs
- Documenting the patient’s progress during or after their time in treatment
As tools for understanding a patient’s needs and guiding the development of their treatment plan, psychological assessments need to gather data on factors such as symptoms, limitations, and functional impairments.
However, this doesn’t mean that the sole purpose of an assessment is to find out what’s “wrong” with a person. Psychological assessments can also address matters such as the individual’s coping skills, their personal support network, their inherent strengths and capabilities, and their immediate and long-term goals.
What To Expect During a Psychological Assessment
As we alluded to in the previous section, psychological assessments don’t all follow the same script. However, most assessments that are conducted by experienced and qualified professionals share certain characteristics.
First, you can expect to have a conversation with a psychologist or another professional, during which you may discuss topics such as:
- Your reason for scheduling the assessment
- The types of challenges or symptoms you’ve been experiencing
- How long you’ve been experiencing these challenges or symptoms
- How these symptoms or challenges have been affecting you on a day-to-day basis
- If you ever had, or are currently having, thoughts of self-harm or suicide
- The strategies you’ve been using to manage your symptoms or cope with your challenges
- Your diet, exercise habits, and sleep patterns
- Your use of alcohol, tobacco, or other substances
- Your family’s mental health history
- If you’ve been in treatment before – and if you have, how it went
- What you hope to accomplish via treatment
- What a healthier or more satisfying life looks like to you
Your psychological assessment may also include a testing component, which may be conducted orally or in writing.
- Oral testing usually involves being asked a series of yes/no or short answer questions. For example, you may be asked if you have been experiencing certain symptoms, and if those symptoms are present rarely, most days, or every day.
- Written tests, either on paper or via computer, are often referred to as performance tests. These can assess a range of cognitive areas, including executive functioning, memory/recall, pattern recognition, and spatial relations.
The professional who conducts your assessment should explain the process and purpose of each element before you begin. You should also feel welcome to request clarification or ask any other questions at any time during your assessment.
Remember: Though the word “testing” is often used when discussing psychological assessments or evaluations, these aren’t the same types of tests that you took in school. Perhaps most importantly, you can’t fail them. They are simply opportunities to gather information about your current strengths, needs, and goals, so that your treatment team can develop the most effective plan for you.
How To Understand Your Psychological Report
There’s no standard template for a what a psychological report must look like, which makes it difficult to provide meaningful, universally appropriate guidance for how to interpret the information it contains.
The best way to understand your psychological report is to review it with the person who conducted your assessment, or with another member of your treatment team.
If the report includes information about any tests you took, they can put these details into an appropriate context for you. If it identifies symptoms of note or includes a diagnosis of a specific condition, they can show you how to use this information to better understand yourself.
We cannot emphasize this enough: The results of your psychological assessment don’t determine your worth as a person, nor do they establish limits on what you can achieve in the future.
Their value lies in their ability to capture a snapshot of where you are today and identify the obstacles that are preventing you from achieving your goals. With this information, your treatment team can help you find your path to a healthier and more hopeful future.
The Next Steps After a Psychological Assessment
Once you have completed a psychological assessment and discussed your results with a qualified professional, the next steps involve deciding how to use this information in the most beneficial manner.
Typically, an assessment will be followed by a recommendation for treatment. Depending on the diagnosis you received or the nature and severity of the symptoms you’ve been experiencing, your options may include:
- Inpatient treatment
- Partial hospitalization program
- Intensive outpatient program
- Outpatient care
Personalization is an essential element of effective mental health treatment. The more your treatment team understands about your history, needs, and goals, the better prepared they will be to develop the customized solutions that are right for you. A psychological assessment can be a vital part of this process.
Contact Montare Behavioral Health About Our Psychological Programs
Montare Behavioral Health offers a full continuum of customized programming for adults who have been living with anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns.
To learn more about our programs and services, to discuss our assessment processes, or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Contact page or call us today.
Published: 12/06/2024
