Therapeutic Assessment in Sport Psychology

This paper outlines the history of assessment in sport psychology and provides a summary of controversies and criticisms of psychological testing in athletics that have persisted throughout the development of the field. Such concerns include the use of personality inventories and tests for talent identification, the misuse of tests and related ethical concerns, cultural sensitivity of tests, and debates about the validity and reliability of assessment measures. In spite of these concerns, interest and demand for psychological assessment in sport remains. Therapeutic Assessment, an emerging but not yet well-known model of collaborative psychological assessment, addresses many of these criticisms and limitations and offers the potential to enhance athletic performance as well as promote general psychological well-being of athletes. With increasing calls in the sport psychology literature for interdisciplinary thinking, alternative methodologies, and evidence-based interventions in mind, Therapeutic Assessment is a model that could shift assessment and service delivery in sport psychology

Adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder in childhood: A systematic review of the literature and an additional case report

To investigate the diagnostic and therapeutic assessment in children with adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder (AMG)

Traditional psychodiagnosis and therapeutic assessment: paradigms confrontation?

A atividade psicodiagnóstica é valorizada na Psicologia por sustentar seu status científico e fundamentar a identidade profissional. Embora o Psicodiagnóstico Tradicional contraponha atividades avaliativas e terapêuticas, o Psicodiagnóstico Interventivo as aproximou, modificação que acarretou consequências epistemológicas e metodológicas. O presente estudo examinou essa alteração e suas consequências para o status científico da Psicologia e para a identidade profissional. Para tanto, realizou-se uma exposição dos paradigmas quantitativo e qualitativo de investigação e uma análise dos fundamentos epistemológicos e metodológicos dessas duas práticas. As conclusões revelam que o Psicodiagnóstico Interventivo encontra-se coerentemente baseado na perspectiva qualitativa, ao contrário do Tradicional, que apresenta embates paradigmáticos internos. Diante disso, o Psicodiagnóstico Interventivo oferece aos psicólogos um modelo de identificação profissional mais sólido que o Tradicional.Psychodiagnostic activity is appreciated in Psychology for sustaining its scientific status and supporting the professional's identity.Although the Tradicional Psychodiagnosis contrasts diagnostic and therapeutic activities, the Therapeutic Assessment has approximated them. This change has generated epistemological and methodological consequences. The present study analyzed such a change and its consequences to Psychology's scientific status and professional's identity. To achieve this goal, a presentation of the quantitative and qualitative investigation paradigms and an examination of the epistemological and methodological foundations of those practices were accomplished. The conclusions show that the Therapeutic Assessment is coherently founded on the qualitative approach, in contrast to the Traditional Psychodiagnosis that presents internal paradigmatic contradictions. Given this, the Therapeutic Assessment offers psychologists a more solid basis for professional identification than the Traditional Assessment

Does clinical management improve outcomes following self-Harm? Results from the multicentre study of self-harm in England

Background Evidence to guide clinical management of self-harm is sparse, trials have recruited selected samples, and psychological treatments that are suggested in guidelines may not be available in routine practice. Aims To examine how the management that patients receive in hospital relates to subsequent outcome. Methods We identified episodes of self-harm presenting to three UK centres (Derby, Manchester, Oxford) over a 10 year period (2000 to 2009). We used established data collection systems to investigate the relationship between four aspects of management (psychosocial assessment, medical admission, psychiatric admission, referral for specialist mental health follow up) and repetition of self-harm within 12 months, adjusted for differences in baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. Results 35,938 individuals presented with self-harm during the study period. In two of the three centres, receiving a psychosocial assessment was associated with a 40% lower risk of repetition, Hazard Ratios (95% CIs): Centre A 0.99 (0.90–1.09); Centre B 0.59 (0.48–0.74); Centre C 0.59 (0.52–0.68). There was little indication that the apparent protective effects were mediated through referral and follow up arrangements. The association between psychosocial assessment and a reduced risk of repetition appeared to be least evident in those from the most deprived areas. Conclusion These findings add to the growing body of evidence that thorough assessment is central to the management of self-harm, but further work is needed to elucidate the possible mechanisms and explore the effects in different clinical subgroups

Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors of Practicing Psychologists Regarding Psychological Assessment

Recent research has documented the effectiveness, benefits, and value of psychological assessment, yet the use of psychological assessment is declining. To better understand why an effective treatment intervention is being underutilized, this project sought to understand the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of practicing psychologists regarding psychological assessment. The investigators of this study surveyed 26 psychologists who are members of a statewide association of psychologists in the western United States. Results revealed that 96% of participants enjoyed their graduate training in psychological assessment and 93% of participants view psychological assessment as valuable, yet 78% believed that psychological assessment was underutilized. Participants were most likely to refer for neuropsychological testing followed by cognitive testing, personality testing, Therapeutic Assessment, and vocational testing. The price of psychological testing was by far the strongest deterrent to a professional from making a referral. Other deterrents with some influence included the time involved and not knowing good assessors to refer to for an assessment. Most participants surveyed had little or no knowledge of Therapeutic Assessment. Recommendations for increasing the use of this valuable resource for health care providers are provided

The effect of acculturation on parental perception of child psychological assessment among Chinese Americans

textPsychological assessment has a long history to be used for diagnostic purposes for all ages. This traditional model of assessment has been common for decades, but has not emphasized some important aspects of best practice (Brenner, 2003). To address the limitations of the information gathering model of assessment, collaborative and therapeutic approaches to assessment have been developed over the past several decades (e.g. Finn & Thonsager, 1997; Fischer, 1970). Therapeutic Assessment (TA) emphasizes the opportunity to provide positive changes in the client and their system by involving the client throughout the assessment process, and establishing a meaningful and collaborative relationship between assessor and client (Finn, 2007). The TA has been found to produce many positive impacts on client’s assessment experiences in mainstream American culture. It is important to note how these positive impacts transfer to clients of different cultures. Thus the purpose of this study will be to investigate the effect of acculturation on Asian American parents’ perception of existing models of child assessment. This study will examine the relations between acculturation and perception of assessment models (information gathering model versus Therapeutic Assessment) among Chinese American parents.Educational Psycholog