Psychological Testing Services
Why Psychological Testing?
Although a clinical diagnosis is important to guide treatment planning and recommendations, a mere diagnosis is not always accurate and does not provide a description or explanation of the individual’s mental health functioning. In contrast, psychological testing and evaluation help to solidify or revise the clinical diagnosis and also explore the underpinnings of an individual’s psychiatric problems. Further, psychological assessment aims to comprehensively describe and explain clinical symptoms and patterns of behavior. In addition, psychological test findings allow for specific treatment planning, which is tailored and customized to meet the needs of the client or patient. These test findings also provide the individual with a better understanding as to what may be contributing to his or her current problems with life, relationships, stress, and so on.
Unfortunately, there remains a social stigma regarding mental health problems and psychiatric distress, which will ideally improve with time and increased societal awareness. However, it is crucial to understand that mental health functioning and evaluation are just as important as physical health functioning and evaluation. As such, routine psychological evaluations or ‘check-ups’, even if there is “nothing wrong”, may help the individual to maintain a sense of awareness regarding her or his emotional well-being in addition to possibly uncovering psychological symptoms, which may warrant further investigation.
What is Psychological Testing?
Psychological or personality testing includes the administration of various types of psychological measures, research-validated questionnaires, and easy-to-read ‘checklists’ that are completed by the client or patient and scored and interpreted by Dr. Antonio Rotondo. These test results provide very important information, which may not always be in the individual’s conscious awareness. A psychological evaluation also includes a comprehensive clinical interview in which the individual discusses his or her social and developmental history; this information is considered along with the psychological test findings to guide diagnostic impressions, recommendations, and treatment planning. Dr. Antonio Rotondo then generates a psychological report, which he reviews with the patient or client. Psychological testing may further involve evaluation of intellectual functioning (IQ) and other cognitive domains. The length of these types of evaluations may vary. Rotondo Neuropsychology and Psychotherapy can answer any additional questions you have.