Psychological Assessment
Would you like to see measures that clinicians use to assess mental health problems in children and adults? Would you like to complete one yourself and see your results? The Asessment Center is a user friendly site where you can learn more about the assessment of anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems in children, college students, and caregivers. The site is maintained by HGAPS (Helping Give Away Psychological Science), an organization of professionals that tries to bridge the gap between psychological research and practice.
Connecting to Care
The Child Mind Institute has excellent articles for parents seeking mental health services for their children. These user-friendly guides cover topics such as:
How to find a children's mental health professional
Preparing for your child's first appointment
What to do if your child resists treatment
Interviewing Kids: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
Dr. Steven Pliszka from the UT Health Science Center demonstrates three types of interviews with a girl who is experiencing thoughts about death. The first interview illustrates an insensitive clinician, the second illustrates an unhelpful clinician who tries to reassure the child, and the third illustrates a sensitive and emphatic clinician who is helpful. Note that all interviews are role-plays with a child actor.
Diagnostic Interview with a Parent and Child
In this role-play, Dr. Pliszka illustrates a diagnostic interview for a girl with ADHD. However, Dr. Pliszka soon discovers that she also has problems with anxiety and mood. The video illustrates a semistructured interview with the parent followed by an interview with the child and Dr. Pliszka's diagnostic impressions.