Psychological Testing

Psychological testing involves identifying possible causes for difficulties an individual may be experiencing.  The reasons for psychological testing vary, but often include some problems functioning at work, school, or within interpersonal relationships.  Based on the reason for referral, assessment materials will be selected based on information gathered during our initial assessment interview.  The selection of materials attempts to maximize the validity of the results, while minimizing the time and cost.

Neuropsychological assessments are requested to assess cognitive functioning for possible or probable disorders and to evaluate a baseline for a client’s future treatment. Just like a person with a broken arm would go into the emergency room to complete an x-ray, neuropsychological assessments assess and evaluate functioning to provide clients with a written image (report) of how their intellect, abstract reasoning, attention, language, problem-solving, memory, visual-spatial abilities, motivation and performance validity, adaptive skills and mood impact them daily

When Would a Psychological or Neuropsychological Test be Considered?

• Mental health screenings
• Cognitive assessments (including intelligence, giftedness, abstract reasoning and categorical thinking)
• Personality assessments
• Social and emotional functioning and interpersonal adjustment
• Attention, concentration and memory functioning
• Executive functioning skills including problem solving, planning, organizing, self-monitoring, mental flexibility, pragmatics and focus
• Perception and perceptual organization
• Pre-surgical evaluations including bariatric and pain management
• Behavioral changes, struggles or concerns
• Adaptive behavior and socio-emotional adjustment, awareness and responsivity
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Spectrum disorders (including autism)
• Changes in memory functioning
• Elementary, high school and college/university accommodations and supportive services
• Treatment planning and diagnostic clarification

What Exactly is Being Assessed?

Neuropsychological and psychological tests may include direct question-and-answer, performance-based tests involving object manipulation, inspection and responses to pictures or patterns, self-report questionnaires, paper-and-pencil written, computer-based or multiple-choice tests that measure functional impairment and abilities in areas such as:

• Intellectual abilities
• Abstract reasoning and categorical thinking
• Attention and concentration
• Language and communication
• Decision-making, strategy formation, and executive functioning (e.g., planning, organization, self-monitoring, mental flexibility, pragmatics)
• Learning and memory
• Motor function, sensorimotor function, lateralized functions
• Perception and perceptual organization
• Visual-spatial cognition and visual-motor praxis
• Mood and affect, conduct, personality, quality of life
• Motivation, response style, response validity (e.g., performance validity, symptom validity)
• Adaptive behavior (Activities of Daily Living)
• Social-emotional adjustment, awareness and responsivity
• Psychopathology (e.g., psychotic thinking or somatization)
• Impulse control and conduct
• Personality characteristics
• Stress, coping, and problem-solving
• Interpersonal adjustment

Each assessment includes multifaceted aspects of data collection, interpretation and feedback. The assessments are completed over 2-4 testing appointments and can include intake assessments, intelligence testing, psychological assessments, cognitive behavioral rating scales, personality assessments, projective assessments, academic testing, self-report measures and the collection of collateral information.

Psychological and Neuropsychological assessments are not something you can “study” for as many of the items have no “right” or “wrong” answers. The assessment is specific to each individual and tailored to a client’s referral question.

After the assessment appointments, a report is specifically developed for a client to address their questions that brought them (or their physician) to request an assessment.

We also take into consideration:

• Biological factors can include physical health, diagnosed medical disorders, immune/stress response, disease, injuries, genetic factors
• Psychological factors can include beliefs, emotions, coping skills, cognitive abilities and/or behavior
• Social factors can include family, social support, environmental factors, trauma, school/work and/or culture

This perspective may mean that you are surprised by the results and hopefully that will help each person build insight and meaning in their lives.