I’ve been told I would benefit from Psychological Testing – what is it?
A psychological evaluation is a mental health assessment, where a professional, such as a psychologist, checks to determine if you are experiencing a mental health problem. This evaluation generally involves multiple components, which can include answering questions verbally, completing written inventories and questionnaires, as well as working with other unique psychological assessment instruments. It is the foundation of addressing issues of emotional difficulties and mental illness.
For psychologists, these assessments help determine the exact nature and extent of a person’s mental illness. Utilizing a wide array of mental health measures, professional psychologists can gain insight into a person’s personality. While these evaluations are dealing with your sensitive personal and private information, a well-trained psychologist is not judging you, but rather, they are working to help you understand and manage any issues or symptoms impacting your life.
Think of these types of assessments as similar to medical tests, in that they serve the same purpose of determining what exactly is causing problems or psychological symptoms. If you have physical symptoms, for instance, a doctor may order blood work or X-rays to better understand the cause of the symptoms and help inform an effective treatment plan. Psychological evaluations serve the same purpose, as mental health professionals use these tools to measure and address behaviors, and then develop a treatment plan to resolve the identified mental health concerns. Specific recommendations and methods for improving one’s psychological functioning is one of the outcomes of a psychological evaluation.
What does counseling involve?
Counseling is the process of providing assistance and guidance in resolving personal, social, or psychological problems and difficulties by a professional trained in psychology, typically with a graduate and doctoral education.
When you reference a consultation, what does that include? Who would be eligible for a consultation?
Consultation can include many things but typically it is specifically geared to giving a professional opinion with recommendations for the resolution of the issue at hand and resources to aide in that situation. Anyone seeking guidance for psychological and / or emotional issues can benefit from this type of consultation.
What are some resources that Dr. Tonnacliff might recommend?
Gottman books / The Lies we tell Ourselves / The 5 love Languages