Psychological testing is less intimidating than you may think.
By Malynn Kuangparichat, Psy.D., J.D.
I know, anything with the word ‘testing’ can raise anyone’s heart rate. Testing conjures up school memories of clammy hands and sweating over the ticking clock. You might even find that your jaw is sore afterwards; you hadn’t realized it was clenched so tightly that entire time you were filling in all those multiple choice bubbles or trying to write a short answer in a limited amount of time.
So, understandably, many of our clients come to us with many questions and nervousness about psychological testing for themselves or for their kids or teens. What exactly does the test look like? How long will it take? Is there prep work involved? What if I don’t want my child to be labeled and put into a box? Naturally, you don’t want to add any more pressure or stress to your or your child’s life, and testing sounds like exactly that.
Since I’ve administered so many evaluations over the years now, I thought it would be helpful to write about the 3 things to know about psychological and psycho-educational testing so you can put your mind at ease with (1) the different types, (2) the true value of testing, and (3) how to understand the results.
Before we dig in, let’s just take a quick look at what exactly psychological testing is with this handy acronym: TOP.
(T) Type — Psychological testing ranges from brief screeners to comprehensive evaluations.
(O) Opportunity — These evaluations are opportunities to gain insight into someone’s present level of well-being and behaviors.
(P) Plan — From there, therapists offer multiple, tailored recommendations intended to serve as a stepping stone towards your ultimate goals.
Now that you have a basic framework for psychological testing with TOP, we can hop right into 3 things for you to know about psychological and psycho-educational testing.
Types of Testing
At CCWB, we provide three types of testing:
Psychological Screener
Estimated time: 1.5 – 2 hours
This is a brief evaluation for diagnostic clarification of ADHD, Mood Disorders, and Anxiety Disorders.
Psychological Evaluations
Estimated time: 2-4 hours, depending on complexity
Digging deeper than a screener, this is a comprehensive evaluation of an individual’s cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social well-being.
Psycho-Educational Evaluations
Estimated time: 1.5 hours for interview, plus 4-6 hours of testing
From primary-level to college-age, and even for adults returning to get a higher degree and needing school or work accommodations, Psycho-Educational Evals are a comprehensive evaluation clarifying an individual’s cognitive functioning, academic achievement, and learning style.
So, what do these tests look like exactly??
This may come as a surprise to you, but psychological and psycho-educational testing is not just a single test. These evaluations may include a variety of assessments from conversational interviews to questionnaire-type forms.
Essentially, these evaluations can take on different shapes and forms. That way your psychologist can get a more comprehensive and holistic snapshot of you as an individual within the framework of psychological, academic, social or behavioral functioning. Here are several ways ‘testing’ can look:
- Interviews
Interviews are conversations with the client and with anyone familiar with the client (meaning, for youth, this includes teachers, caregivers, etc). These conversations allow a psychologist to observe social and communication skills. In addition, they give psychologists the opportunity to gather background information to develop a tailored testing battery.
- Norm-Referenced Measures
These assessments are standardized and allow a psychologist to compare the client with a “normed” group. If you’re a parent, this means how your teen compares to the “average” teen.
- Behavioral Observations
For youth, this is observing the client’s behavior in her or his daily environments (school, at recess, home, etc) and during assessments.
- Informal Assessment Procedures
These are supplementary assessments and can include medical records, school records, questionnaires, etc. Informal assessments are used to support the formal testing procedures.
Importantly to note, these evaluations take into account the client’s many strengths and passions. I cannot emphasize this enough, but testing isn’t about labeling or ‘boxing in’ a person; that type of attitude is stigmatizing and harmful. These evaluations provide a snapshot in varying areas of a person’s life to essentially add value to their well-being.
How to Prep for Testing
A quick side note about meds: Many clients ask if they need to take their medication on the day of testing. The answer to this is– YES. This allows us to see how you perform under your typical circumstances. That means if you typically take medication, then we can see how you approach tasks during the testing.
The Value of Psychological and Psycho-Educational Testing
To help you understand the value of psychological or psycho-educational testing, let me ask you a question.
If you are seeing physical symptoms that are hindering your daily life, what would you do?
Typically, you go see the doctor for a consultation. From there, the doctor may suggest a medical test to find the root cause of the symptoms. After analyzing the results of the test, your doctor or a specialist develops a treatment plan to address the root cause.
Similarly, when you see behaviors popping up that may need professional mental health support, a psychological test can provide insight into the behaviors that your psychologist can develop into a plan of action.
Adding on to this, for psycho-educational evaluations, the test results will provide valuable recommendations for learning or work accommodations, ranging from primary to college-level and adults returning to school for a higher degree.
Understanding Your Evaluation Results
At our practice, we walk you through the results to help you better understand the diagnosis and recommendations. During this time, you can ask any clarifying questions or bring up any additional concerns.
Importantly to note, we draw from each client’s strengths, integrating them into practical, personalized recommendations as identified by the findings of your evaluation.
We speak with you about our treatment recommendations, and provide you with a copy of the report with your eval results for reference.
This report includes:
- All the background information
- Tables with results
- Clinical impressions integrating the findings
- Recommendations
On top of an action plan, we may also suggest supplemental resources to help you along your journey, such as books, apps, etc.
Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3…
I hope this blog post puts you more at ease when it comes to psychological and psycho-educational testing. There is so much value in an evaluation when it comes to finding solutions to your mental health needs. Moreover, in our practice, we look to your strengths and passions in order to develop a customized plan that works for you.
Lastly, if you’re a parent looking for therapy services for your child, tween, or teen, we’ve got a helpful guide all about your child’s first therapy session.
Contact Us
Looking for psychological or psycho-educational testing? Chester County Well-Being (CCWB) provides:
- psychological screeners
- psychological evaluations
- psycho-educational evaluations
You can find more mental health resources by connecting with us on Facebook and Instagram.
Disclaimer: The contents of this blog does not constitute a clinical relationship or replace the need for professional services.
About the Author
Malynn Kuangparichat (Psy.D., J.D.) is founder and psychologist at Chester County Well-Being.
She has a collaborative approach that results in highly tailored evaluations intended to meet her clients’ unique needs. She focuses on an individual’s strengths, which are integrated in the practical, personalized recommendations identified by the findings of an evaluation.
In her free time, she enjoys running, spending time with family and friends, and getting ice cream or doughnuts from the local shops.