Tools for conducting an integrated psychological assessment
Assessment tools comprise of complete documentation that is needed to asses one or more units regarding competency. Conducting an integrated psychological assessment requires the use of appropriate tools. These tools are; Observation checklist: this behavioural assessment tool, it is used to gather information regarding the behaviour of the affected, it enables the observer to analyze and evaluate the individual. Simulated exercise: this is a practical simulation used by the assessor to test the ability of an individual to participate in activities that are practical. Written test: this is atoll used to test the individual on their ability to answer questions asked from the test; the written test gives the individual an opportunity to express ideas and thoughts in written form. Portfolio and log: this tool an individual to log in to a specific platform and give a report in regards to their activities, the assessor will also log in and check on the individual's activities (De Boeck, 2017) . All the above tools are used to assess the performance of an individual and use the results to make decisions.
Mental health counsellor's role
Mental health counsellor’s role in developing and evaluation of referral questions, treatment plans and reports is a role that requires competency and experience. The mental health counsellor has to research in regards to every mental condition to develop referral questions and treatment plans. Mental health counsellor treats patients with a wide range of mental problems, for example, depression, anger management, eating disorder, anxiety, counselling rape victims, victims of violent abuse and those who have lost their loved ones. The major roles of a mental health counsellor are; managing crisis treatment, managing drug and substance abuse addicts, acting as the lead counsellor in helping a victim that is undergoing life changes (Pope & Vasquez 2016) .
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Assets and limitations of one specific psychological testing instrument
Psychological tests are also known as instruments used to test the mental status of an individual; there are different types of psychological testing instruments. We are going to discuss the advantages and limitations of using one of the testing instruments.
Personality tests; this is a psychological instrument used to test individuals traits and style. Such a test is used in clinics to assess the personality of an individual before coming up with treatment plans and also a report in regards to that individuals’ health. Personality tests are used to examine changes in a person, to evaluate therapy effectiveness, to diagnose problems related to psychology and to screen candidates during hiring processes. Advantages of using personality test as one of psychological testing instrument include; it allows the psychologists to gather information from the individual immediately, it enables the assessor to gather in-depth information regarding a particular individual, it scores the higher rate when it comes to reliability, it also proves to be the valid testing instrument because it allows the assessor to gather information accurately, it also make it easy to conduct the tests
The limitation of using a personality test in psychology includes; invalidity of the tests because an individual could pretend and thus give the psychologist a false impression and wrong judgment. It also takes a longer time to study the personality of an individual. Psychologists could also discriminate when giving reports in regards to the personality of individuals (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 2017) .
Test interpretation versus test integration
Test interpretation is the process where psychologist analyses and examines the scores in a test and translates the scores from quantitative to qualitative form. Test interpretation requires translation of the score into a language that will be understood by the users. Test integration, on the other hand, is the process where a psychologist checks the reliability, functionality and performance of the system used for testing. Integration testing combines different modules that will give the desired result; for example in psychology, two different modules could be used to test an individual to give the desired result. Test interpretation and test integration are used by psychologist to accredit their tools of psychological testing. It is important to note that test interpretation comes before test integration, whereby the results from the test are used to make a decision. The two types of test have the same similarity because they both give the desired results.
Relevance and sensitivity of psychological tests
Psychological testing is a social test that has been used over the years to fit certain social niches. The relevance and sensitivity of the psychological test are based on the cultural factors that influence certain behaviours among individuals. The population being assessed could have cultures that will help psychologists to find answers to certain tests being carried out. It is important first to understand the culture of the population being assessed to develop an appropriate testing instrument to be used. In this case, psychological testing is relevant because it does not interfere with the culture of the population, but tries to derive aspects basing on the culture of that particular population. Because a population could be hostile and would not accept to be assessed, psychological testing proves to be an appropriate instrument for such population. Certain mental disorders are experienced in different cultures, which make it challenging for the assessor to use other testing instruments, because of the sensitivity issue.
Components of psychological report writing
Psychological report writing is a comprehensive individual assessment that is presented on a written form. When writing a psychological report, the assessor has to ensure that all information gathered is communicated; this is because the report will be used by a counsellor in deciding in regards to treatment plans and even developing referral questions. The major component of psychological report writing involves; first a review that presents the problem, this is where there is a reason as to why a person needs to be treated or given attention. The review will enable a psychologist or psychotherapist to have full information on the problem a hand. The second component is psychological interview information; the third component is the psychological test that relates to the problem identified. The fourth component is the summary of results found and also the feedback from the psychologist. The last component is the suggestion and recommendation from the psychologist in regards to the case being handled. To come up with a psychological report, there have to be aspects such as interviews done by an individual, observations, testing and interpretation.
Ethical guidelines for psychological testing
According to the World Health Organization, & Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (2016), ethics are referred to correct rules of conduct required when carrying out research. Every researcher has to stick to ethical guidelines when carrying out research. In a psychological perspective, the ethical guidelines used in psychological testing are; informed consent from the participants; this is a guideline that regulates psychologist from exploiting individuals when conducting research. Informed consent allows the participant to be informed on the intention of the research. An example of a breach of the informed consent is when the researcher interviews or observes the participants without informing them.
The second ethical guideline in psychological testing is; protecting the participants; in every research, the participant should be protected from any harm. In many cases, researchers have breached this conduct by exposing the participant to the environment that is not conducive. For example, when testing an individual with a mental disorder, the researcher or psychologist should create an environment that will enable the participant to be free and able to perform the test. Protecting the participant is an ethical guideline that should be observed in every research to enable participants to provide the necessary information needed.
References
De Boeck, P. (2017). Psychological Testing. Handbook of Item Response Theory, Volume Three: Applications , 313.
Kaplan, R. M., & Saccuzzo, D. P. (2017). Psychological testing: Principles, applications, and issues . Nelson Education.
Pope, K. S., & Vasquez, M. J. (2016). Ethics in psychotherapy and counseling: A practical guide . John Wiley & Sons.
World Health Organization, & Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences. (2016). International ethical guidelines for health-related research involving humans . Geneva: Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences.
