Psychological assessment is a collaborative process designed to help an individual (of any age) and the important people in their life to recognize things about themselves and their world that are not always easy to see or understand. The assessment process is helpful for understanding the emotional and intellectual life of an individual and acts as a valuable input to any mental health professional for reaching a more informed diagnosis. This process not only leads to recommendations for treatment, but also provides the individual and/or the family members with greater insights into the problems of living they have been facing.

How do I know if I or my family member needs or can benefit from a psychological assessment?

A psychological assessment is useful in the following scenarios:

1. You or your family member is undergoing some intellectual, behavioural or emotional difficulties and you or a professional you are seeing would like to have a diagnostic clarification for the same.

2. You have some questions about yourself, your work, your behaviour or your feelings and you would like to have a better understanding of these issues. Examples of some questions typically asked by people of different age groups are listed below.

 

What are the steps involved in the assessment process?

Step 1: In the first session, the assessor will meet with the individual and/or

the family members to develop an understanding of the presenting issues or

questions prompting the assessment. This will also help decide which

assessment procedures to use. Once the choice of assessment procedures has

been made, the assessor will provide an estimate of time and cost to the

patient and/or the family. If the time needed and cost is acceptable,

assessment sessions will be scheduled.

 

Step 2: The individual will undergo the process of assessment with the

assessor. Gupta. This might take 3-10 sessions. Each session is typically 1.5- 2

hours long. In the case of children, the psychologist might schedule a play interview or might even want to talk to school teachers to get a more detailed

impression of the child. Some of the assessment procedures are paper and

pencil type, while others are done while interacting with the psychologist.

 

Step 3: After about a week of the last assessment session with the client, the

assessor will meet the client and/or the family members to discuss the test

results. In case the assessment has been requested by another professional,

the assessor will also call him/her to discuss the results.

 

Step 4: The assessor will take somewhere between 5-7 days after the feedback

session to email the report.