Running head: PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND ASSESSMENT SELECTION
Psychological Testing and Assessment Selection Paper
Grand Canyon University: CNL-523
, 2
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND ASSESSMENT SELECTION
Psychological Testing and Assessments Selection
A psychological assessment, whose sole purpose is “making a psychological evaluation”
is made up of several different components to document an individual’s knowledge, skills,
values and beliefs, and to observe how an individual rationalizes, reacts, etc. (APA, 2020).
Counselors who administer a psychological test incorrectly or without considering certain factors
can find themselves with serious ethical violations. It is very important to know which testing
services a counselor is competent to use in order to not practice outside of their boundaries of
competence which could cause more harm to the client. As section E.2.a. of the ACA Code of
Ethics states, “counselors use only those testing and assessment services for which they have
been trained and are competent… and take reasonable measures to ensure the proper use” (ACA,
2014, p.11). Along with being competent about the different tests, counselors “are responsible
for the appropriate application, scoring, interpretation, and use of assessment instruments
relevant to the needs of the client” (ACA, 2014, p.11).
Resources Available to Counselors for Selection of Appropriate Psychological Tests
There are several resources available to help counselors when they are selecting the
appropriate psychological tests and assessments for their clients. One of the first is education
through textbooks and other research. Counselors should be well educated on what assessments
and tests are appropriate for different types of issues, so that when they are assigned a client
displaying certain symptoms, they can narrow down which assessment or test may be appropriate
in helping them. Another resource available for counselors is the DSM, the most recent version
being the DSM-5. The DSM-5 is a “manual for assessment and diagnosis of mental disorders”
(APA, 2013). The Association for Assessing and Research in Counseling (AARC) is another
common resource that counselors can use to select an appropriate assessment or test. The AARC
Psychological Testing and Assessment Selection Paper
Grand Canyon University: CNL-523
, 2
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND ASSESSMENT SELECTION
Psychological Testing and Assessments Selection
A psychological assessment, whose sole purpose is “making a psychological evaluation”
is made up of several different components to document an individual’s knowledge, skills,
values and beliefs, and to observe how an individual rationalizes, reacts, etc. (APA, 2020).
Counselors who administer a psychological test incorrectly or without considering certain factors
can find themselves with serious ethical violations. It is very important to know which testing
services a counselor is competent to use in order to not practice outside of their boundaries of
competence which could cause more harm to the client. As section E.2.a. of the ACA Code of
Ethics states, “counselors use only those testing and assessment services for which they have
been trained and are competent… and take reasonable measures to ensure the proper use” (ACA,
2014, p.11). Along with being competent about the different tests, counselors “are responsible
for the appropriate application, scoring, interpretation, and use of assessment instruments
relevant to the needs of the client” (ACA, 2014, p.11).
Resources Available to Counselors for Selection of Appropriate Psychological Tests
There are several resources available to help counselors when they are selecting the
appropriate psychological tests and assessments for their clients. One of the first is education
through textbooks and other research. Counselors should be well educated on what assessments
and tests are appropriate for different types of issues, so that when they are assigned a client
displaying certain symptoms, they can narrow down which assessment or test may be appropriate
in helping them. Another resource available for counselors is the DSM, the most recent version
being the DSM-5. The DSM-5 is a “manual for assessment and diagnosis of mental disorders”
(APA, 2013). The Association for Assessing and Research in Counseling (AARC) is another
common resource that counselors can use to select an appropriate assessment or test. The AARC
