PA

Psychodiagnostic assessments are conducted by individuals trained in psychological assessment. They provide individuals with diagnostic clarification and treatment planning.

A psychodiagnostic assessment is a collaborative process between you and your clinician that can help you to figure out specific areas of functioning that might be challenging for you and that you want to work on in therapy. 

During this assessment, you will be guided through several questions about different areas of your mental health, psychological and personality functioning. Questions asked are standardized and have undergone rigorous testing to ensure they are properly assessing your areas of functioning in an evidence-based manner. Some questions will be answered in a simple yes or no manner and others will require more detailed responses. Your therapist will support you in answering any questions that are more difficult to respond to. 

A report will be then written based on the information provided. Following the assessment, you will be invited to a feedback session in which you will learn about any diagnoses that were formally made and implications for treatment with your clinician. During the feedback session, you will be able to read through the report and provide any further information that you feel will be helpful. 

A psychologist will be present at the feedback session as well. You will have an opportunity to read our report and suggest any modifications as well. 

In order to have a psychological assessment completed, you can be self-referred and we also accept referrals from physicians.

At FTPS, individuals with advanced skills in psychodiagnostic assessment conduct these assessments under the supervision of a skilled psychologist. Information gathered is discussed and the report is also written under supervision as well. We provide psychodiagnostic assessments for individuals presenting with OCD, anxiety disorders, depression, trauma and a variety of other presenting clinical issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Psychodiagnostic assessments (i.e., psych assessments) are conducted to help an individual understand and identify psychological illnesses that might be present for them. It is often conducted by a registered psychologist or a skilled clinician who is under the supervision of a psychologist. 

Psychodiagnostic assessments often consist of structured or semi-structured interviews. Some common ones include:

  • Diagnostic and Assessment Research Tool (DART)
  • Structured Clinical Interview for DSM 5 Disorders (SCID 5)
  • Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) 7.0.2

Other aspects that can be part of psychodiagnostic assessments include:

  • Standardized self-report measures
  • Collection of collateral information (with consent) from parents, loved ones or other healthcare professionals 

These other sources of information allow psychologists to collect a more comprehensive understanding of an individual’s functioning. In this way, a psych assessment offers insight into an individual from their narrative, self-report measures and others’ perspective. The more sources of information collected, the better the understanding of that individual. Do you want to reach out to a psychologist for a psych assessment?

At FTPS, we offer psychodiagnostic assessments as part of our psychological services. Results from psychologists conducting these assessments include:

  • Deepening one’s understanding of their mental health issues
  • Enhanced case conceptualization of one’s presenting issues
  • Better treatment planning for psychological therapy

This information can be very helpful and powerful to receive. It can often enhance an individual’s understanding of why they are experiencing particular problems. 

Psychodiagnostic assessments can be briefer in nature or be more comprehensive. A comprehensive assessment can also involve the incorporation of personality assessment measures. 
Looking for a psychologist near me to conduct a psychodiagnostic assessment? Look no further than FTPS! We have several team members who conduct psychodiagnostic assessments. These can be very helpful in helping you to understand your presenting issues. It can also be helpful for treatment planning as well.

Psychodiagnostic assessments can be used for a variety of purposes. One purpose of these assessments is to help an individual clarify their mental health issues. Individuals might be experiencing various symptoms that do not always make sense to them. They might have experienced these symptoms for a long time. In these situations, it might be unclear as to what psychological services should be pursued. A psych assessment can help to clarify what an individual has been experiencing. The idea of “finding a name” to explain symptoms can be very powerful. It can provide a sense of clarity that people have never experienced before.

Another application of psychodiagnostic assessments is for the purposes of treatment planning and clarification. Following the completion of a psychodiagnostic assessment, you will meet with the clinician for what is called a feedback session. During this session, you will review the report that was written up, which includes all the information that you provided. The feedback session is important as it ensures that what you said was captured correctly during your psych assessment. Part of this report will also include a section regarding “summary and recommendations”. In this section, you will learn what the psychologists/assessors conceptualized as being most helpful for future psychological services. You will also have an opportunity to ask questions about the counselling services recommended as well as the material included in the report.

Another application of a psychodiagnostic assessment might be for academic accommodations. Individuals attending university might require a comprehensive psychodiagnostic assessment to be able to obtain academic accommodations. Depending on an individual’s diagnostic profile, academic accommodations can be stipulated that then allow for an individual to have a better chance of success. 
Looking for a psychologist who can help? If you want to reach out to a psychologist, you can contact FTPS. We have a team of clinicians who are able to provide a psychological assessment. Reach out to us so you can learn more!

A psychodiagnostic assessment can take a few sessions to complete, depending on the purpose of this psychological service. Your clinician will then spend time reviewing all the information collected, score any collected measures and collate all the information into a well-written report. You will then meet with them for feedback. A psychologist will also be present at the feedback session. 

At FTPS we offer options for a brief psychodiagnostic assessment as well as a comprehensive psychodiagnostic assessment. In a brief psychodiagnostic assessment, the clinician will focus mostly on diagnostic issues. This psych assessment will provide clarity with respect to mental health issues. Self-report measures are also frequently included in psychological services such as this. This can be very useful for treatment planning and, sometimes, academic accommodations. 

In a more comprehensive psych assessment, we will collect information regarding symptoms presentation and we might also include: collateral information from loved ones and healthcare providers, self-report measures and personality assessment measures. The latter can provide insight into interpersonal functioning as they look at personality traits and relational styles. This can then be addressed when you engage in counselling services. 
Do you need a psychologist who can help provide a psychological assessment? Please reach out to us at FTPS and learn more about the assessment services that we provide.

A mental health assessment can be a term used to describe many different types of assessments examining different aspects of one’s mental health and functioning. Psychologists are able to conduct mental health assessments that would allow an individual to receive different types of diagnoses. This can lead to a better understanding of their mental health concerns. The types of assessments most often conducted to better understand our mental health and psychological functioning include: psychodiagnostic assessments, personality assessments and psycho educational assessments. 

A psychodiagnostic assessment provides insight into whether an individual is endorsing enough symptoms in particular areas of functioning to warrant what is referred to as a psychological or psychiatric diagnosis. This catalogue of symptoms is often based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Version 5. When enough symptoms are endorsed by an individual, they then meet criteria for a particular diagnostic category. In some instances we also use “specifiers”. These specifiers can indicate whether a diagnosis is in the past or present as well as the severity of the symptoms being experienced. 

The types of questions during a psychodiagnostic assessment will often focus on a variety of presentations, including: mood disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, trauma, substance use disorders, eating disorders, body focused and repetitive behaviours (i.e., skin picking or hair pulling) and sleep disorders. 

During a mental health assessment, individuals might also be asked about their work and/or education, family and romantic relationships, friendships and goals for treatment. These types of questions allow for a holistic understanding of the individual. 

All of this information can be very beneficial in preparing an individual to begin psychological therapy. It can help inform the individual and therapist regarding the types of counselling services that might be warranted. For example, if a psychodiagnostic assessment reveals that the most important concern for an individual is a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder, then it can be discussed whether psychological services involving CBT for depression would be a good course of treatment. 
Wanting a psychologist near me who offers psychodiagnostic assessment? Look no further than FTPS. We offer different packages and types of assessments to best suit your needs. It is one of many psychological services that we offer.

Are you interested in a psychologist near me to conduct helpful psychodiagnostic assessments? At FTPS, we offer different types of psychodiagnostic assessments: 

Mini Psychological Assessments:

  • Often can be accomplished in one psychological assessment visit
  • Provides diagnostic clarity and treatment recommendations
  • Brief note provided or delivery of a feedback session only

Brief Psychological Assessments

  • One to two psychological assessment visits; in-depth assessment and interview
  • Provides diagnostic clarity and treatment recommendations
  • Short report and feedback provided

Comprehensive Psychological Assessments

  • A few psychological assessment visits; in-depth assessment
  • Provides comprehensive diagnostic clarification; information on interpersonal functioning; and treatment recommendations
  • A full report and feedback provided

Reach out to us to find out which type of psychological evaluation would be best for you!

Psychologists receive specialized training to be able to conduct psychological evaluations and diagnose an individual with a psychological disorder. This ability to diagnose informs a psychologist’s treatment understanding. This is very beneficial for individuals seeking counselling services. It allows for individualized treatment planning that can enhance your therapy goals. 

In order to be able to conduct a proper psych evaluation, psychologists will use specific assessment tools. This type of psychologist testing is referred to as a psychodiagnostic assessment. You will be asked numerous questions about symptoms that you may or may not experience. You will also be asked about your mental health background. You will also be asked questions about your overall psychosocial functioning, including relationships, education, work and family life. As part of the psychological evaluation you might also be given a depression checklist, mood tests and other self-report measures for anxiety, emotion regulation, OCD and trauma. This type of a psych evaluation can be brief or more comprehensive, depending on your needs and the objectives of the test of mental health. No matter what type of psychological assessment you choose, it should be helpful for further psychological therapy. 
Looking for a psychologist near me to conduct psychodiagnostic assessments? We can help you at FTPS! We have several clinicians that conduct these assessments. Contact us to find out more!