Therapeutic Assessment
This service is provided
by Dr. Jim Siwy.
A
therapeutic assessment
is a special type of
psychological
intervention in which a
psychologist
collaborates with an
individual, using
interviews and tests, to
answer important
questions in that
person’s life. It is a
procedure developed
primarily by Stephen
Finn, Ph.D. of Austin,
Texas, Constance Fischer
of Duquesne University
and other leading
psychologists who wanted
to have their clients
benefit directly from
taking psychological
tests. Research has
shown that a therapeutic
assessment can increase
self-understanding and
decrease personal
distress. Because the
client is respectfully
treated as a
collaborator in this
self-exploration, it is
a more “user-friendly”
experience than what
most people expect from
an evaluation.
What happens during a
Therapeutic Assessment?
I
will meet with you to
help you form questions
that you would like
addressed. This could
involve areas of your
life that are puzzling
or troubling to you.
With your permission, I
may also speak with
others in your life,
such as your therapist,
who might provide
further information to
help in framing the
focus of the
assessment. We will
then spend two or more
sessions using
psychological measures
and discussing your
experiences as we do
so. I will analyze and
integrate the data that
have been gathered and
then meet with you to
discuss the results and
how they relate to your
questions. You may
choose to have others
present, such as your
spouse or therapist, for
this discussion.
Finally, I will write
you a summary in the
form of a letter that
reviews the findings,
including our
discussion.
What kinds of questions
can an assessment
answer?
There is a vast array of
psychological tests that
can measure many aspects
of a person’s
personality and
abilities. If you are
in therapy, it is
helpful to discuss
possible questions with
your therapist. I will
help you focus questions
into a form that can be
answered by assessment.
You may be at the
beginning of therapy and
want help in identifying
problem areas. Or,
perhaps you and your
therapist feel stuck and
would like suggestions
on how to make better
progress. Some people
fear that they have a
particular problem, such
as a serious diagnosis
(“Do I have bipolar
disorder? Or is it
ADD?”), and would like
to clarify if that is
true. Others want help
with repeated
interpersonal problems,
e.g. “Why do I seem to
irritate other people?”
Or an educational/career
question may arise, such
as “Everyone says I’m
smart enough to get A’s
but I don’t. Why is
that?” Or “Am I capable
of leading a ministry at
my church? What areas
do I need help in?”
How long will an
assessment take?
Typically, I allow for
two to four weeks. But
in some cases, depending
upon the urgency and our
mutual availability, it
can be completed within
a week.
Who will have access to
the results of my
assessment?
Anything you share with
me, including test
results, is
confidential. I do
not divulge that you are
a client or anything
about you or your
assessment without your
written permission.
Exceptions to this rule
are primarily due to
safety. I must inform
appropriate authorities
and individuals if I
believe that you are in
imminent danger of
harming yourself or
others or if you are a
minor, elderly or
disabled person and I
believe that you are the
victim of abuse or you
divulge information of
such abuse. Your
information is protected
by legal privilege;
however, there may be
legal proceedings, such
as if a court appointed
me to assess you, that
may require disclosure
of confidential
information. I
sometimes consult with
professional colleagues,
but would not reveal
your name or other
identifying information
if I did so. Please
feel free to ask any
questions about
confidentiality, as it
is a vitally important
issue for our work
together.
How much does an
assessment cost?
Fees vary according to
the complexity of the
questions to be explored
and the time needed to
explore them. I can
often give an estimated
range of costs during
our initial phone
contact. At the end of
your first appointment,
I will quote you a fee
for the entire
assessment. I usually
require a payment of
$175 at the first
appointment and the full
balance at the final
session. I am flexible
about making individual
payment schedules and
firm about keeping them.
What if I feel
uncomfortable during the
assessment?
Most people find that
they enjoy the
assessment experience
more than they
expected. But if you do
become uncomfortable or
have a strong emotional
response, please tell me
as soon as possible. I
will support you in your
experience and help you
to explore and
understand it. Most of
the work that I do is as
a therapist. I will
respect your personal
boundaries and keep our
sessions safe to the
best of my ability. I
prefer to speak in plain
English than to use
professional jargon. If
you would rather not
receive direct feedback
from me, but instead
prefer me to speak only
to your therapist, I
would respect such
instructions. My first
responsibility is to
proceed in your best
interests. Again, I am
open at any time to
discuss questions that
you may have.
