This book is the first on the craft of effective writing structured expressly for the psychologist-assessor. Author J. B. Allyn, a professional writer who specializes in psychology, combines reference book with tutorial. She blends information on the qualities that create a writer’s unique presence on the page with illustrations of correct English grammar. All of the questions, answers, and illustrations evolved from the concerns of psychologist-assessors, as did the examples, which are grounded in their writing and communication needs. The result creates a guide for report writing that can be used by either practicing professionals or graduate psychology students. The book divides into three sections: The first and third sections discuss various aspects of effective communication, while the second is a handbook of common grammar problems. Helpful elements guide the reader through the text, including frequent bullet lists, tables and graphs, and grammar and style examples that are framed around assessment reports. It is also written in a conversational tone, which creates the same style it proposes for effectively written reports, and is a key tool for clear and appropriate communication. Readers will refer back to this book, both for quick tips on style and grammar, which are appropriate for any mental health practitioner, and for more detailed advice on writing and communication in assessment reports.

Instructive guide to preparing informative and accurate assessment reports for a variety of individuals and settings Assessment reports are central to the diagnostic process and are used to inform parents, clients, and clinicians, among others, about academic problems, personality functioning, neuropsychological strengths and weaknesses, behavioral problems, and the like. Essentials of Assessment Report Writing provides handy, quick-reference information, using the popular Essentials format, for preparing effective assessment reports. This book is designed to help busy mental health professionals quickly acquire the knowledge and skills they need to write effective psychological assessment reports. Each concise chapter features numerous callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bulleted points, and extensive illustrative material, as well as test questions that help you gauge and reinforce your grasp of the information covered. This practical guide focuses on efficiently and effectively communicating referral and background information, appearance and behavioral observations, test results and interpretation, summary and diagnostic impressions, and treatment recommendations. The authors provide examples of both good and bad case report writing and highlight ethical issues and topics relevant to presenting feedback. Essentials of Assessment Report Writing is the only pocket reference illustrating how to prepare an effective assessment report.

The bestselling guide to reporting writing, updated and reworked for today's practice Essentials of Assessment Report Writing offers effective solutions to the creation of reader-friendly, yet targeted, psychological, and educational assessment reports. Parents, clinicians, clients, and other readers need more than test-by-test descriptions—they need an accessible analysis of the entire situation to determine their next steps. This book provides clear guidance for busy practitioners seeking ways to improve their report writing skills. With a focus on current practice, this new second edition covers DSM-5 updates and the latest assessment instruments including the WJ IV, WISC-V, WAIS-IV, KTEA-3, and the CAS2. New discussion includes advice on tailoring the report to the audience, and annotated case reports provide illustrative models of effective report styles, interpretation, and analysis. Key concepts are highlighted for quick reference throughout, and end-of-chapter questions help reinforce understanding. Reporting styles vary widely within the field, in both content and style; there is no definitive "standard," but many reports fail to reflect best practices and therefore prove less than useful to the reader. This book provides expert guidance throughout the reporting process to help practitioners provide high-quality, accessible reports. Integrate assessment results to provide a person-centered report Identify and navigate critical decision points in the interpretive process Write efficiently yet effectively while enhancing the reader's experience Provide an accurate, informative, and readable assessment report Incorporate practical recommendations to address the referral concerns Expertly-conducted assessments should culminate with a carefully constructed analysis that provides direction via clear communication. Because this report will be used to inform treatment, intervention, and ultimately, the client's quality of life—it is critical that it provides clear, informative guidance in a way that readers can understand. Essentials of Assessment Report Writing provides comprehensive guidelines for navigating through the report writing process.

This new second edition brings the same refreshing matter-of-fact guidance that made the first edition so popular with both students and professionals. Although the suggested format for psychological evaluations remains essentially the same, the authors have updated and expanded several sections within that format to enhance the quality of the evaluation report. A new section, Notification of Purpose and Limits of Confidentiality, has been added and new material on background information and the use of collateral information has been included. New examples have been added to supplement and clarify the text and a new example of a full report is presented. The Recommendations section has also been modified to incorporate specific strengths and problem areas. This book offers a wealth of descriptive information, organizing questions, guidelines, and other strategic information to make your written report as clear, comprehensive, and error free as possible.

“This book focuses on how to write a psychological report that is first and foremost helpful to consumers, while also being technically and legally defensible. Like the reports the authors describe, the book is carefully organized, beautifully written, and accessible to practitioners as well as graduate students. It is a brilliant accomplishment that should be required reading for every school psychologist.” —Brent Duncan, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Humboldt State University, Arcata CA PRACTICAL GUIDANCE ON WRITING USEFUL, ACCESSIBLE, AND LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL REPORTS From clearly identifying reasons for referral to making recommendations based on assessment results, Writing Useful, Accessible, and Legally Defensible Psychoeducational Reports offers practical guidance for creating reports that enhance the understanding of children and their strengths and challenges in order to better meet their educational and functional needs. The authors offer step-by-step guidelines for developing an assessment plan in a collaborative process with parents, teachers, and other professionals, choosing appropriate assessment and data collection tools, gathering relevant information, and providing clear and feasible individualized recommendations that directly respond to referral concerns in a format easily understood by parents and teachers. Ideal for graduate students in school psychology, school psychologists, and other professionals in related fields who work with children in a school setting, Writing Useful, Accessible, and Legally Defensible Psychoeducational Reports: Provides specific suggestions for increasing the usefulness and accessibility of reports including readability, positive phrasing, and vocabulary Illustrates how to develop well-formed questions and how to choose assessment tools to answer referral questions Reviews the legal mandates of report writing and discusses what must be included Demonstrates how to accurately document and integrate data from record review, interviews, observations, and tests Discusses how the use of the referral-based consultative assessment and report writing model can promote more active involvement in collaboration, prevention, and intervention Features numerous real-world cases, helpful checklists, examples of question-driven referral reports, and a model interview protocol

Outlining a step-by-step assessment model, Psychological Assessment and Report Writing, Second Edition covers five key topics central to psychological assessment: understanding the context of a referral; determining what data is needed to answer referral questions; gathering the data; integrating the data; and communicating the findings. Authors Karen Goldfinger and Andrew M. Pomerantz review each facet of psychological assessment and report writing—providing how-to instructions and alerting readers to a myriad of issues they must consider when conducting assessments in clinical, forensic, or educational environments. Filled with varied case examples that promote interest and meet instructional requirements, including one detailed case study that recurs throughout multiple chapters, the book uses sidebars and question and answer sections to encourage readers to consider their own case material and use critical thinking skills as they review each section of the model.

A guide to conducting Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment to promote client growth Mental health professionals are increasingly enthusiastic about and ready to use psychological test data, research, and theory in life-relevant ways to improve diagnosis, client care, and treatment outcomes. With Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment (C/TA), clients participate actively with the assessor in exploring how their test scores and patterns reflect who they are in their daily lives and how they can learn to help themselves cope with life's challenges. Using a case study approach to demonstrate how to apply C/TA in practice, Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment provides practitioners with a variety of flexible and adaptable case examples featuring adults, children, adolescents, couples, and families from different backgrounds in need of treatment for assorted concerns. Designed for both experienced and novice clinicians, the book begins with a brief history of C/TA, and provides clear definitions of the distinctions among many common approaches. It uniquely presents: Eighteen diverse C/TA assessments covering: depression, multiple suicide attempts, severe abuse, dissociation, an adolescent psychiatric ward, custody evaluation, a couple in crisis, and collaborative neuropsychology Guidance on how both client and clinician can agree on the best course of action through joint exploration of assessment procedures, results, and implications Closely related approaches to psychological testing, including Individualized Assessment, Collaborative Assessment, Therapeutic Model of Assessment, Collaborative/Therapeutic Neuropsychological Assessment, and Rorschach-based psychotherapy Clearly labeled Teaching Points in each chapter Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment provides psychologists in all areas of assessment, and at all levels of experience, with powerful C/TA examples that can dramatically illuminate and improve clients' lives.