Psychological evaluation is a procedure by which a specialized psychologist gathers information about the patient through tests and interviews in order to assess the patient’s functioning and abilities in certain areas and, in turn, to predict what the patient’s behavior will be like in the future.
The psychological evaluation is performed in order for the patient to improve his/her self-awareness.
What does it consist of?
The psychological evaluation is carried out by means of: interview, psychometric tests, records and observations.
- Interview and psychometric tests: information is collected from the patient on different aspects of his life, analyzing on the one hand the aspects of the interview and on the other hand the attitude shown by the person: the way of speaking, the tone, the order of his speech…
There are two types of interviews, depending on the purpose sought in this phase.
– Structured: it is a battery of questions with a selection of closed answers.
– Unstructured: it is characterized by the use of open questions that allow the individual to speak more. - Records and observations: these are the data that the psychologist collects as a result of the questions asked in the interview. The records are the tools used by the specialist to collect information. This is useful when preparing the psychotherapy intervention.
Why is it done?
It is performed so that the patient improves self-knowledge, thus favoring the patient’s decision making with respect to work, family, social and couple life.
Preparation for the psychological evaluation
It is recommended that the patient attends a session with the psychologist prior to the evaluation in order to have a first contact with him/her.
How do you feel during the examination?
The patient may experience some mood alterations during the psychological evaluation because very personal issues of the patient are touched upon during the evaluation.
Meaning of abnormal results
Depending on the type of result obtained in the examination, the psychologist will submit the patient to one type of treatment or another, always choosing the most favorable and effective for the patient.