Psychological Assessment

Assessment pervades nearly every aspect of psychological or psychotherapeutic work with older adults. Thorough evaluation of the psychological status of an older person is an important but oftentimes complex and daunting process, even for experienced clinicians. In general, psychological assessment techniques are designed to evaluate a person's cognitive, emotional, social, and personality functioning. In clinical settings, the purposes of assessment are to find out what kinds of problems an older person is experiencing, to clarify personality features, to identify psychiatric disorders, to develop case conceptualization and intervention plans, and to evaluate effects of treatment. Traditional assessment strategies require some modification for older persons, given their often complex problems, unique socialization and life circumstances, and frequent comorbid health problems.