Individualizing Psychological Assessment

Book excerpt: Assessments by psychologists, educators, and other human-service professionals too often end with the client being reported in terms of scores, bell-shaped curves, traits, psychodynamic forces, or diagnostic labels. Individualizing Psychological Assessment uses these classification devices in ways that facilitate returning from them to the individual's life, both during the assessment session and in written reports. The book presents an approach and procedures through which a person's actual life becomes the subject matter of assessment. Thoroughly revised from the previous edition, the book presents a wide range of concrete examples and illustrative cases that will serve both students and practicing professionals alike in individualizing assessments.