Integrated Assessment: Child

CLI PA618 - Integrated Assessment: Child

Credits: 2

Building on previous assessment courses offered in the curriculum, Integrated Assessment: Child will focus on developing intermediate to advanced competency in applied psychological assessment with children and adolescents in multiple clinical arenas. Students will develop proficiency in applying multi-method psychological assessment to real-world clinical problems, and will incorporate a trans-theoretical model of psychological functioning as a means of integrating multiple data sources in arriving at differential diagnosis. Students will further develop competency in all aspects of the assessment process, including: managing appropriate referral questions and planning corresponding test batteries; obtaining informed consent/assent, with a clear understanding of ethical and legal issues; administering comprehensive, yet targeted clinical interviews; assessing suicide and violence risk in the immediate clinical encounter; evaluating mental status; and interpreting / integrating multi-method, multi-source test data into a comprehensive psychological report, with corresponding treatment recommendations and feedback to the family and clinical team. The course will also review specific clinical topics including: adapting the assessment process to accommodate complex profiles and legal and ethical issues in psychological assessment. Finally, in keeping with institutional goals of preparing students to contribute to the field of psychology in evolving ways, the course will conclude with a series of modules reviewing how proficiency in psychological assessment may be applied in non-clinical settings such as school consultations, research studies, guardianship evaluations, and early identification/intervention. Prerequisites: PA601, PA602, CS705, and FP755.