Psychological assessment: From interviewing to objective and projective measurement

Best practice guidelines in psychological assessment include client evaluation models that are staged within a multi-step, multi-method, and multidimensional process. A multi-step assessment process involves a series of components often organized a priori to facilitate hypothesis generation and testing. Each component serves as a pillar for the next, and there is a sense of strategic sequencing; however, both structure and flexibility play equally important roles. Although there is not a fixed model for psychological assessment understanding each one of these steps will certainly help the clinician to organize an assessment plan that would serve as an instrument to better understand the client with the ultimate goal of making informed decisions about his or her current status and service needs. A clinical psychological assessment should facilitate generating a series of recommendations that provides the client caregivers and families, and other professionals with tools to initiate both short-term and long-term intervention programs. Due to the potential implications of psychological assessment, state and provincial psychology boards in North America regulate this activity. This chapter summarizes best practice guidelines in psychological assessment, from the intake interview to testing using both objective and subjective measures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)