Clinical Diagnostic Testing

A clinical psychologist is like a detective trying to solve a case. The assessment requires a collection of information from many sources. But final selection of diagnostic tools depends on several factors like severity of the condition, abilities or the age of the particular client. This course explores the administering, scoring, and interpreting some of the tests that typically are used in a clinical psychological diagnosis. The emphasis will be put on practical exercises with the assessment tools.

The course is divided into four sections. The first section introduces to what is an assessment in clinical psychology and briefly presents psychological tools aiming to get the general idea of patient's or client's problems. During this part of the course, students will be practicing with SCL-90-R, CEQ-58, BDI, STAI and one of the structured diagnostic interview MINI.

The second part of the course is devoted to assessment of intellectual and cognitive abilities of a diagnosed person on an example of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Fourth Edition (WAIS® IV). Structure, administering, scoring and interpreting of WAIS-IV will be presented in details. Students will be practicing with the tool on each other. Student's impressions of both roles - the respondent and the administrator will be discussed.

The next part of the course will cover the assessment of personality of a diagnosed person on an example of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Second Edition (MMPI-2). Structure, administering, scoring and interpreting of MMPI-2 will be presented in details. During classes, students will be practicing with clinical cases.

The last, fourth part of the course will try to answer the question in what sense a clinical psychological diagnosis can help when the patient's psychiatric diagnosis is already known on an example of the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Structure, administering, scoring and interpreting of MCCB will be presented in details. Students will be practicing with the tool.

BLOCK I – AN INTRODUCTION TO ASSESMENT IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

WORKSHOP 1 (28.04 - a shorter 1,5h meeting): Assessment in clinical psychology

- What is a clinical psychological assessment? Why to assess?

- When to conduct an assessment and when do not?

- How do I know what psychological tools to use?

WORKSHOP 2 (05.05). Standardized questionnaires in clinical psychological assessment

- How do I know which psychological tools to use?

- Gathering information through SCL-90-R, BDI, STAI and CEQ-58

Literature:

- Groth-Marnat, G. (2005). Handbook of Psychological Assessment. 4th Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc., pp. 62-66 (Chapter 2 fragment); 579-593 (Chapter 13: Brief Instruments).

- Styła, R. & Makoveychuk, O. (2018). Psychometric properties of childhood experiences questionnaire (CEQ-58) used to assess the intensity of traumatic experiences from childhood and adolescence – preliminary elaboration. Adv Psychiatry Neurol. 27(1): 15-30.

WORKSHOP 3 (12.05). Structured diagnostic interviews in clinical psychological assessment.

- Overview of SCID and MINI

- in class exercises in the usage of the MINI

Literature:

- Groth-Marnat, G. (2005). Handbook of Psychological Assessment. 4th Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc., pp. 91-101 (Chapter 3 fragment).

- Sheehan, D., Lecrubier Y., Harnett-Sheehan, K., Amorim, P., Janavs, J., Weiller, E., Hergueta, T., Baker, R. & Dunbar, G. (1998). The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.): The Development and Validation of a Structured Diagnostic Psychiatric Interview. J. Clin Psychiatry,59(20): 22-33. http://www.psychiatrist.com/JCP/article/Pages/1998/v59s20/v59s2005.aspx

BLOCK II – ASSESSMENT OF INTELIGENCE AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING

WORKSHOP 4 & 5 (19.05 & 26.05): The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Fourth Edition WAIS® IV

- Overview

- Test Structure

- Usage in clinical psychological diagnosis

- Overview and administration of the WAIS-IV (in class exercises)

- WAIS-IV scoring

- WAIS-IV interpreting and feedback

Literature:

- Groth-Marnat, G. (2005). Handbook of Psychological Assessment. 4th Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc., pp. 129-196 (Chapter 5 Wechsler Intelligence Scales).

- Wechsler, D. (2008). WAIS-IV Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale –

Fourth Edition. Technical and Interpretative Manual. NCS Perason, Inc. San Antonio, Texax, USA.

BLOCK III – ASSESMENT OF PERSONALITY

WORKSHOP 6 & 7 (02.06 & 09.06) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Second Edition MMPI-2

- Overview

- Test Structure and Administration

- MMPI -2 scoring and interpreting

- MMPI -2 interpreting and feedback (clinical cases; in class exercises)

Literature:

- Graham, J. (2015). MMPI-2: Assessing Personality and

Psychopathology. Fifth Ed.

- Groth-Marnat, G. (2005). Handbook of Psychological Assessment. 4th Edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc., pp. 213-309 (Chapter 7 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory).

-

BLOCK IV – PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

Workshop 8 (23.06): MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery MCCB

- Overview

- Test Structure and Administration

- MCCB administration (in class exercises)

- MCCB scoring

Literature:

- K. Nuechterlein, M. Green, 2006. MATRICS Consensus Cognitive

Battery Manual. MATRICS Assessment Inc., California. Chapter 6 and 7.

Upon completion of the course student will be able to:

- administer, score and interpret SCL-90-R, CEQ-58 and MINI

- administer, score and interpret the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV)

- administer, score and interpret the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Second Edition (MMPI-2)

- compare the results, interpret and draw diagnostic conclusions from the multiple test results (SCL-90-R, CEQ-58, WAIS-IV, MMPI-2 and MINI)

WAIS-IV administering and report: 50% of final grade

- Your task will be to administer WAIS-IV to a partner from the class and write a short paper contain age, sex, education, and behavior of your partner during the test. Those papers along with WAIS-IV answer sheets (without name of your partner) will be collected in a class. This part is worth 25% of your grade. Specific assignment requirements will be given by the instructor during the class.

- Then your task will be to score, interpret and write a feedback based on anonymous data (short paper and WAIS-IV answer sheet) that you will draw during the class. This part is worth 25% of your grade. Specific assignment requirements will be given by the instructor during the class.

Final test report: 50% of final grade

- Throughout the course, you will be receiving further information about a particular case (patient's history, test data: patient’s scores on SCL-90-R, MINI, MMPI-2 and WAIS-IV. Your task will be to write an overall assessment of the person.

Grading scale:

97% or more = 5!

92-96% = 5

84-91% = 4.5

76-83% = 4

68-75% = 3.5

60-67% = 3

below 60% = 2 (fail)

1 unexcused absence is allowed, 2 more absences are only allowed in

case of formal excuse. More than 3 absences results in not passing the course. Any missed work must be made up independently by the student.