Psychological Testing and Assessment
Psychological evaluations are commonly conducted within psychiatric settings with the goal of informing treatment decisions that are intended to benefit the patient. In addition to a clinical interview and review of records, the evaluation includes the selection, administration, scoring, and interpretation of psychological testing. Guided by the question(s) from the referring party, this multifaceted process occurs within a setting of existing care that requires clarification of the roles/duties of the professionals and organizations relative to each other and the patient. Additionally, psychological testing involves unique ethical considerations (e.g., psychometrics) not typically encountered during psychotherapy or psychiatric care. A variety of standards, provided in the form of rules that require or prohibit specific behaviors, has been created by governing organizations in order to inform the ethical decision-making process while conducting psychological assessments. These standards are understood within the broader framework of aspirational principles of ethics (e.g., nonmaleficence) universal to biomedical practice.