Clinical Assessment

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4. Describe the overall format of the psychological report. What is the general purpose of the report? What information should be included in the report? What aspects of the clinical interview should be incorporated into the report and why? Why is the report an important part of the assessment process?
Essentially, a psychological report is the end result of an assessment. The general purpose of a report is to integrate data from the assessment and provide information that will assist clinician in answering the referral question and understanding the client. The report should include information on the referral question, evaluation procedures, client’s background history, test results and interpretations, summary and impressions, and recommendations.
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To begin with, identifying information (e.g., age, sex, race, and marital status), the reason for referral and referral source should be incorporated in the report. In addition, all relevant information regarding the history of the problem should be included. More specifically, the clinician should incorporate a clear description of the client’s chief complaints (e.g., severity and duration), initial onset of symptoms, and any notable precipitating and predisposing events. The client’s mental health, medical history, and developmental history should also be included. Of note, the clinician should incorporate mental health and medical history specific to the client’s relative. For example, if the purpose of an evaluation is to determine if the client meets criteria for schizoaffective disorder, it would be especially important to report family history of schizophrenia spectrum disorders and other psychotic disorders. Moreover, psychosocial history (e.g., the client’s current and past romantic relationship, occupational history, academic, legal history) should be also be included in the …show more content…
Learning new things was what I enjoyed most about this class. I had no idea the extent to which I learn about assessment. First, I enjoyed learning about the different aspect of psychological assessment from a seasoned psychologist. Specifically, I enjoyed learning practical information not provided in the text. For example, I learned about how assessment experiences may differ depending on the setting (e.g., inpatient unit, outpatient unit, private practice, etc. Lastly, I enjoyed having the opportunity to conduct mock psychological assessments and received feedback from well-established licensed clinical psychologist in the Central Savannah River