Discussion:
Psychological Testing versus Assessment
Distinguishing Between Psychological Assessment and Psychological Testing
As you reviewed in this week's readings, one major purpose of psychological assessment is to assess a client's needs and to determine what types of treatment or support might benefit that client. A psychological test is "one small part of an assessment" (Gregory, 2013). It is important for clinicians to understand this information so that they can request the appropriate assessment process that will provide useful and relevant information with regard to their client and his or her treatment. Keep in mind, taking a course or training in psychological assessment or learning about psychological tests does not mean you are eligible to administer psychological tests.
For this Discussion, you distinguish between the process of psychological assessment and psychological tests and consider the appropriate and inappropriate uses of resulting data.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 4 a brief explanation of the significance of the psychological assessment process in clinical practice. Then explain the difference between the psychological assessment process and psychological tests. Finally, explain three ways psychological assessment data may be misused or misinterpreted in clinical practice.