Psychological evaluationis defined as a way of testing people about their behavior, personality, and capabilities to draw conclusions using combinations of techniques.[1]Over the years, it has developed from unethical methods of locking people up for tests to the many different strategies seen today. We currently see evaluation being used in several different settings for multiple purposes, such as education or legal situations. The purpose behind many modern psychological evaluations is to try to pinpoint what is happening in someone's psychological life that may be inhibiting their ability to behave or feel in more appropriate or constructive ways. It is thementalequivalent ofphysical examination. It is important to use psychological evaluation properly otherwise violations of the professional ethical code can occur, resulting in harm to the client and invalid assessment results. There is also a risk of evaluation based upon unscientific principles, as found in pop psychology, orpseudopsychology.Formal psychological evaluation consists of standardized batteries of tests and highly structured clinician-run interviews, while informal evaluation takes on a completely different tone. In informal evaluation, assessments are based onunstructured, free-flowing interviewsorobservationsthat allow both the patient and the clinician to guide the content. Both of these methods have their pros and cons. A highly unstructured interview and informal observations provide key findings about the patient that are both efficient and effective. A potential issue with an unstructured, informal approach is the clinician may overlook certain areas of functioning or not notice them at all.[4]Or they might focus too much on presenting complaints. The highly structured interview, although very precise, can cause the clinician to make the mistake of focusing a specific answer to a specific question without considering the response in terms of a broader scope or life context.[4]They may fail to recognize how the patient's answers all fit together, they lose the forest through the trees.There are many ways that the issues associated with the interview process can be mitigated. The benefits to more formal standardized evaluation types such as batteries and tests are many. First, they measure a large number of characteristics simultaneously. These include personality, cognitive, and/or neuropsychological characteristics. Second, these tests provide empirically quantified information. The obvious benefit to this is that we can more precisely measure patient characteristics as compared to any kind of structured or unstructured interview. Third, all of these tests have a standardized way of being scored and being administered.[4]Each patient is presented a standardized stimulus that serves as a benchmark that can be used to determine their characteristics. These types of tests eliminate any possibility of bias and produce results that could be harmful to the patient and cause legal and ethical issues. Fourth, tests arenormed. This means that patients can be assessed not only based on their comparison to a "normal" individual, but how they compare to the rest of their peers who may have the same psychological issues that they face. Normed tests allow the clinician to make a more individualized assessment of the patient. Fifth, standardized tests that we commonly use today are both valid and reliable.[4]We know what specific score mean, how reliable they are, and how the results will affect the patient.The Evaluation ProcessInterviews and TestingBased on the reason for referral and needs of the client, our staff will then develop an individually tailored battery of tests that provide a high quality and comprehensive assessment. Afull psychological evaluationtypically includes an in-depth clinical interview in addition to tests of ability/intelligence, academic achievement tests, personality tests, behavior rating scales, and various scales assessing psychopathology. Typically a full evaluation can range from 6 to 8 hours and is often completed over a period of two visits. Information from this evaluation provides a broad view of psychological functioning, which consists of intellectual and academic strengths and weaknesses, personality patterns, and various psychological diagnoses.Psychological/Psychoeducational ReportUpon completion of testing, a complete psychological report is written where results of the evaluation are reported and explained. This in-depth report contains background information, test scores and interpretations, personality/behavioral functioning, and a summary with recommendations. This report is typically completed about two to four weeks following the final testing session. At this point, the client will be contacted to come to the Institute to receive the report and go over the results in an informing conference.Informing ConferenceThe final step in the evaluation process is the informing conference. The informing conference is held with the client, or clients parents if the evaluation is for a child. During this conference, the evaluating clinician and Director of the Center for Psychological Evaluation will discuss the results of the evaluation, answer questions, and provide appropriate recommendations and referrals.