Psychological Assessment Training course - Study online

This course is studied by distance learning and provides you with a detailed background into the history of psychological testing, before looking at the various psychological tests available and what they are used for.

The course consists of seven lessons, which cover a range of topics, including:

This course does not qualify you to undertake specific psychological assessments.

It does provide you with detailed information on psychological tests. It is a good introductory course to finding out more.

Lesson Structure

There are 7 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction
   • What is psychological assessment
   • Types of psychological tests
   • Achievement tests
   • Aptitude tests
   • Intelligence tests
   • Occupational tests
   • Personality tests
   • History of psychological testing
   • Justification for using tests
   • Advantages and disadvantages of using psychometric testing
   • Ethnicity and different cultures
   • Psychological testing of language minority and culturally different children
   • Why your child should be tested
   • Why it is important for parents to know about testing
   • Validity and reliability
   • Construct, discriminant and convergent validity
   • Test retest reliability
2. Context of Clinical Assessment
   • Ethical practice
   • Confidentiality
   • Case study: confidentiality
   • Informed consent
   • Record keeping
   • Dual relationships
   • Professional boundaries
   • Selecting tests
   • Case study: ethics and lie detection
   • Computer assisted assessment
   • Virtual reality; new tool for psychological assessment
   • Personality traits and designing a questionnaire
   • Weaknesses
   • Ambiguity and bias
   • Closed and open questions
3. The Assessment Interview
   • The interview
   • Screening for psychological disorders
   • Structured and unstructured interviews
   • SCID
   • Assessing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among veterans
   • Screening and referral procedure overview
   • If patient refuses referral to mental health care
   • Use of a primary care screen
   • Discussing screening results with patients
   • Discern if traumatic events are ongoing
   • Making a recommendation
   • Scheduling a follow up
   • Psychometric properties of SCID
4. Behavioural Assessment
   • Behaviourism
   • Kinds of consequences
   • Reinforcers
   • Intrinsic and extrinsic reinforcers
   • Consequences and timing
   • The Premack principle
   • Extinction
   • Criticisms of behaviourism
   • Methods of behavioural assessment
   • The focus of assessment
   • Functional analysis
   • Analysis of problem behaviour
   • Motivational analysis
   • Behavioural vs traditional assessment
5. Wechsler Intelligence Scales
   • Introduction
   • Measuring intelligence
   • Cognitive, cognitive contextural and biological theories
   • Psychometric theories
   • Wechsler Intelligence scales
   • Normal results
   • Sub tests, verbal subtests, performance subtests
   • Cultural bias
   • Precautions with intelligence testing
   • The intelligence test as a tool
6. Wechsler Memory scales
   • Memory
   • Wechsler Memory test
   • Wechsler Memory Scale III
7. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
   • Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Assessment
   • Problems
   • False negatives; false positives

Aims

• Explain the main kinds of psychological tests and why they are used, and meaning of test reliability and validity
• Explain ethical and other factors that constrain clinical assessment
• Describe a structured and an unstructured interview
• Explain behavioural assessment and how it can be conducted
• Discuss Wechsler scales in detail
• Explain the purpose and use of the Wechsler Memory Test
• Explain the purpose and usage of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

Sample Course Notes - Some Ethical Considerations 

The requirements for ethical practice will vary in different countries and within different organisations, however the following considerations are not uncommon.

Confidentiality

When a client visits a psychologist for a psychological assessment, it should remain confidential between the assessor and the client. However, there will be situations when this does not occur. For example, if the assessment is being carried out as part of a recruitment process etc.  Assessment and the information that the assessment provides should be kept confidential. However, there are the following exceptions to confidentiality: 

• when disclosure is required to prevent clear and imminent danger to the client or others; 
• when legal requirements demand that confidential material be revealed; 
• when a child or vulnerable adult is in need of protection.

Criminal Activity 

Some clients may have committed a crime and be concerned that this would be revealed. This is a grey area.  If a psychologist is carrying out a psychological assessment, for example, for a job, they may have to reveal this information. However, if the assessment was for a job application, you would probably have to sign to confirm that you agreed with the information being released to the potential employer.  However, in general psychology, this would remain confidential UNLESS you were still engaged in criminal activity and that activity jeopardises the life of yourself or others.   

Suicide

Some clients may reveal that they think about suicide, or plan suicide.  There is a concern that the psychologist may put them in hospital etc., however, the psychologist will need to consider whether there is a reasonable suspicion that you are likely to kill yourself. So thinking about suicide does not mean that this will lead to an extreme behaviour on the part of the psychologist. A good psychologist should be able to detect the different between real danger and dark fantasies about suicide.

Informed Consent

When assessors become aware of their client’s intent or potential to place others in clear or imminent danger, they use reasonable care to give threatened persons such warnings as are essential to avert foreseeable dangers.

When assessment is initiated, and throughout the assessment process, as necessary, assessors inform clients of the purposes, goals, techniques, procedures, limitations, potential risks and benefits of services to be performed, and other such pertinent information.

Assessors make sure that clients understand the implications of diagnosis, fees and fee-collection arrangements, record keeping, and limits to confidentiality. Clients have the right to participate in the ongoing assessment plans, to refuse any recommended services, and to be advised of the consequences of such refusal.

Record Keeping

Assessors maintain records in sufficient detail to track the sequence and nature of professional services rendered and consistent with any legal, regulatory, agency, or institutional requirement. They secure the safety of such records and create, maintain, transfer, and dispose of them in a manner compliant with the requirements of confidentiality.

Assessors understand that clients have a right of access to their records, and that disclosure to others of information from these records only occurs with the written consent of the client and/or when required by law.

Accurate records are required as information can be used in a court of law.

Who Is This Course Suitable For?

 The course is suitable for anyone interested in gaining more knowledge of the use of psychological tests, such as:

Learn about psychological tests

• If you would like to learn more about psychological tests, how they are used and in what environments, then this course will provide you with an excellent starting point from which to become your studies.
• This is a good introductory course to finding out more, but it does not qualify you to undertake psychological assessments.

Any Questions?

Please click here to contact a tutor or Request a course handbook here.