This study presents a Therapeutic Assessment-based method of psychological assessment for use in elementary schools. It focuses on work with the assessed student’s teacher in cases in which conflict between the student and teacher results in a “stuck” relationship. It seeks to improve the student-teacher relationship, increase teacher empathy for the student, improve the usefulness of report recommendations, and reduce teacher stress. A multiple-baseline, single-case design is proposed. Visual analysis and effect size estimates will be the primary analyses used. / text

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One major purpose of school-based assessment approaches is to identify ways to intervene to promote positive school academic, social and well-being outcomes for all students. Although schools traditionally use assessment tools to identify students’ weaknesses and needs, they can also use strength-based assessment tools to guide intervention planning and to validate students’ and teachers’ positive views of student skills and characteristics. Sharing these strengths and how to use them may enhance a student’s perception of the teacher-student relationship, hope and academic competence. Likewise, a second approach to assessment, called Therapeutic Assessment (TA), has yielded similar child outcomes for youth in clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a strength-based therapeutic assessment process on teacher-student relationship, hope, and academic competency beliefs of students as compared to students receiving assessment as usual in school settings. Student participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: the treatment group, which received a strength-based therapeutic assessment approach, or the control group, which received assessment as usual in school settings. Student-teacher relationship quality, student hope levels, and students’ academic competency beliefs were measured before and after experimental conditions were enacted. Although no statistically significant differences were found between students in the treatment and control groups on any of the dependent variables (teacher-student relationship quality, student hope levels, and student-reported academic competency beliefs), a medium strength effect size (d = 0.55) was found for the Children’s Hope Scale (CHS). This indicates that the treatment condition may have moderate practical significance in increasing student hope levels. Additionally, a small, but meaningful effect size (d = -0.38) was found for the Competence Beliefs and Subjective Task Values Questionnaire (CBSTVQ) average math variable. This indicates that the treatment condition is moderately associated with students experiencing a decrease in perceived math competence. Future research on this topic should use a larger sample size in order to better determine whether or not the treatment condition has statistically significant effects on the dependent variables of teacher-student relationship quality, student hope levels, and academic competency beliefs.

This dissertation investigated the effects of infusing therapeutic assessment practices into school-based psychological assessments on parent experience. Fourteen assessment professionals from a medium sized public school district in central Texas were assigned to one of two groups based upon previous exposure to Finn’s Therapeutic Assessment (2003) model. Those in the Therapeutic Assessment-infused (TA-I) group were trained on collaborative assessment concepts, while those in the standard practice group were asked to conduct assessments as usual, while being required to conduct initial and feedback meetings with parents. Outcomes were measured using the Parent Experience of Assessment Survey – I (PEAS-I), Parents’ Positive and Negative Emotions (PPNE), the Experience of School Investment and Collaboration Scale (ESICS), and post-interviews with parents and assessors. Parent ratings from both groups were compared using a MANOVA. It was hypothesized that parents in the TA-I group would report having learned more, more positive parent/assessor and child/assessor relationships, more collaboration with the assessor, less negative emotion related to the assessment, and a higher perception of family involvement in their child’s problems. Parents in the TA-I group were also hypothesized to report a greater sense of home-school collaboration and school investment in their child. Finally, it was proposed that parents in the TA-I group would report feeling more positive and less negative about their child’s future. The group difference was not statistically significant, due in part to limited sample size. However, small to medium effect sizes were achieved for several outcome scales, including parents’ positive emotions following participation, positive parent-assessor relationship, and parental sense of collaboration throughout the assessment. An exploratory measure indicated a significantly greater sense of future collaboration with their child’s school for parents in the TA-I group. Post-participation interviews indicated clear appreciations of the TA-I model. Parents experiencing standard practice assessments, however, also expressed high satisfaction, though the requirement of two face-to-face parent meetings may have contributed to a notable departure from standard practice. Results suggest that infusing TA-I practices into school assessments may be effective in increasing parental satisfaction and home-school collaboration. Further research is warranted, and discussion of potential improvements for future research is provided. / text

Finn (2007) recently outlined procedures for applying Therapeutic Assessment (TA) techniques to work with couples. The current study used a time-series design to follow three heterosexual couples as they took part in a TA intervention. Participants were couples who were involved in ongoing couples therapy at the time of the study, but who felt they were not making satisfactory progress in therapy. Participants completed brief, daily measures of relationship satisfaction before, during, and after the TA. In addition, couples completed longer, standardized measures of relationship satisfaction, psychological symptomatology, and therapy progress. Qualitative feedback about the TA was also elicited from couples and their therapists. A time-series analysis revealed that all six participants reported significant improvement on at least some daily measures of relationship satisfaction, and that many of these improvements were sustained over a four-week follow-up period. In addition, four of the six participants reported fewer psychological symptoms at follow-up. Finally, qualitative feedback from participants revealed that all three couples and their couples therapists found the TA intervention to be a largely positive, useful experience. / text

This study investigates the concurrent and predictive validity of Power Management (PM), a newly developed online integrative therapeutic assessment. PM consists of a self-report personality inventory, the Relational Modality Evaluation Scale (RMES), a series of self-guided narrative prompts, and a detailed follow-up score-report. The study had three aims: (1) to evaluate the convergent validity of the RMES in relation to the Big Five Inventory-10 (BFI-10) and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems Short-Circumplex (IIP-SC), (2) to investigate the test re-test reliability of the RMES, and (3) to investigate the therapeutic benefits of PM by comparing it with narrative and mindfulness self-guided interventions over time, on outcome measures evaluating affect, insight, psychopathology, well-being, self-esteem, ability to change, and personal relevance. Aim 3 was investigated using a short-term longitudinal design, in which outcome measures were administered at baseline (before interventions), immediately following interventions (post), and two weeks later (follow-up). The sample was recruited online through Mechanical Turk and at baseline included 82 men and 101 women, mean age = 35.82 years (SD = 9.61). Participants were randomly assigned to one of three interventions: PM (42 men, 56 women), narrative writing (26 men, 25 women), and mindfulness (14 men, 20 women). For Aim 1, partial correlations, controlling for demographics, identified statistically significant relationships between RMES, BFI-10, and IIP-SC subscales predicting personality constructs with high agency and high affiliation, high agency and low affiliation, low agency and high affiliation, low agency and low affiliation, as well as psychopathology. For Aim 2, The RMES showed strong test re-test reliability over a two-week period (r = .84, p < .000). For Aim 3, mixed-model repeated-measures ANOVAs indicated that the PM group had statistically significantly higher scores on outcome measures reflecting increased psychological well-being, insight, and motivation for change compared to the other groups. Scores improved between baseline and post for most psychotherapy outcome constructs across interventions. Gender mostly did not moderate results. Results suggest that PM is a promising therapeutic assessment worthy of further investigation. Mindfulness and narrative writing also showed evidence of effectiveness as delivered in an online format.

Submitted by Mariana Dornelles Vargas (marianadv) on 2015-04-24T17:32:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 psicodiagnostico_interventivo.pdf: 442463 bytes, checksum: 52deaf3a2e2a602fa5714efe1ea58de6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-24T17:32:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 psicodiagnostico_interventivo.pdf: 442463 bytes, checksum: 52deaf3a2e2a602fa5714efe1ea58de6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Nenhuma / Esta dissertação de Mestrado buscou aprofundar o estudo do Psicodiagnóstico Interventivo de orientação psicanalítica como prática clínica interventiva eficaz, de intervenção precoce que atende às transformações e demandas que a atualidade impõe. Na Seção I, será apresentado um artigo teórico acerca do psicodiagnóstico, contemplando definições, alicerces históricos e filosóficos, e o processo de evolução das práticas clínicas até chegar à proposta do Psicodiagnóstico Interventivo. Ele está fundamentado em estudos sistematizados por pesquisadores (Barbieri, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010; Paulo, 2006; Tardivo 2007). Esta prática tem sido foco de estudo por adequar-se às demandas atuais e também por estar firmemente alicerçada nos pressupostos epistemológicos da pesquisa qualitativa. Desta forma, oportuniza, ao profissional que a utiliza, não apenas um recurso muito eficaz de avaliação/intervenção, mas também a possibilidade de integrar o conhecimento gerado através da prática clínica com a produção de conhecimento científico. No artigo empírico da Seção II, será apresentado o estudo de caso clínicos de um adolescente, atendido seguindo a proposta do Psicodiagnóstico Interventivo. Esta técnica cumpriu os dois objetivos a que se propõe: Como técnica de avaliação/intervenção e como método de investigação científica, baseado nos pressupostos da pesquisa qualitativa. Assim, este estudo objetivou aprofundar o conhecimento teórico da técnica, bem como contribuir para a consolidação deste método de investigação científica na pesquisa em Psicologia Clínica. / This dissertation aimed to deepen the studies on Intervention Psychodiagnosis of psychoanalytic orientation as an effective intervention clinical practice that meets the current changes and needs. In Section I, we present a theoretical article on psychodiagnosis by covering definitions, historical and philosophical foundations and the process of evolution of clinical practices until reaching the purpose of Intervention Psychodiagnosis. It is based on studies systematized by researchers (Barbieri, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010; Paulo, 2006; Tardivo 2007). This practice has been the focus of studies for meeting the current needs and also for being widely based on the epistemological presuppositions of qualitative research. Thus, it represents to professionals who use it not only an effective resource in assessing/intervening, but also the possibility of integrating knowledge generated through clinical practice with the production of scientific knowledge. In the empirical article of Section II we present the study of clinical case of one adolescent who was assisted according to Intervention Psychodiagnosis. This technique accomplished the two objectives set: as an assessment/intervention technique and as a method of scientific investigation based on the presuppositions of qualitative research. This study then aimed to deepen the theoretical knowledge of the technique as well as to contribute to consolidate this scientific method in researches in Clinical Psychology.

Therapeutic Assessment (TA) is a hybrid of assessment and therapy techniques in which assessors actively collaborate with clients during an individualized assessment. TA is centered around client assessment questions and provides a safe environment where clients can create shifts in their ‘story’ of self. More specifically, TA with children and their parents has demonstrated more confident parenting and parents’ better understanding of their child’s difficulties, while children have shown decreased problem behaviors and improved social/emotional functioning. The theoretical framework behind TA emphasizes the importance of the interpersonal interactions between the assessor and client, such as the development of a strong assessor client relationship and collaboration. These interpersonal processes are conceptualized as catalysts for greater depth of parent investment in the assessment and deeper levels of feedback results. The need for greater parent involvement and partnership in child mental health services is increasingly recognized in the client/parent satisfaction literature. Parent feedback to child mental health services is most often acquired through satisfaction questionnaires. However, the satisfaction literature has well known limitations, specifically a lack of unifying theory and methodological issues in scale development. Parent satisfaction research indicates that interpersonal experiences are more related to satisfaction than outcomes or client characteristics, and that more psychometrically sound measures are needed. Currently, satisfaction surveys do not provide a detailed understanding of parents’ experiences to inform practice and research. The current study outlines the development of the Parent Experience of Assessment Scale (PEAS). The PEAS is anchored in the theoretical orientation of TA and provides a more quantifiable measure of hypothesized underlying TA constructs. Moreover, the development of the PEAS uses advanced statistical techniques, such as Confirmatory Factor Analysis and invariance testing, to provide a higher level of psychometric rigor. The resulting scale consists of 24 items divided among 5 subscales with demonstrated relationships to general satisfaction. Structural equation modeling provides insight via direct and indirect effects among the PEAS subscales and their relationship to general satisfaction. Through the development of the PEAS, this study provides empirical evidence and support for TA theory and a more nuanced understanding of parent experiences related to satisfaction. / text