Clinical Psychology Chapter 3 Outline Nash
Assessment in Clinical Psychology
The Clinical Assessment Process:
The book defines a clinical assessment as: the process of collecting information to be used as the basis for informed decisions by the assessor or by those to whom the results are communicated.
Questions that need to be answered to begin the assessment process(planning and data collection):
1. How much info is enough?
2. Which data is most valuable?
3. How can inaccurate info be detected and eliminated?
4. Where should we look for info?
The data processing step raises questions such as:
1. How should assessment data be combined?
2. How can the assessor minimize bias when interpreting the data?
3. Could a computer process assessment data more competently than a human being?
Questions needing answers in regards to communicating assessment data:
1. Who should be given access to assessment results and why?
2. How will assessment affect those who are assessed?
3. How can people be protected from misuse or abuse of assessment info?
I. Planning data collection procedures
Planning for assessment: What do we want to know, and how should we find out about it?
Depending on clinical approach or approaches adopted by the assessor
In order to decide how to collect the specific date needed to assess the clinician will develop a case study guide. On the case study guide there will be general information that should give a slight window into other areas the clinician should go deeper into.
A Case Study Guide
1. Identifying data: Name, sex, occupation, income, marital status, address, date and place of brith, religion, education, culture.
2. Reason for seeking service.
3. Present and recent situation (dwelling place, daily activities, life changes).
4. Family Life(descriptions of parents and siblings and relationships with them)
5. Early memories
6. Birth and development (age of...