Psychological assessment is a process of assessing a person’s strengths and weaknesses by using a combination of techniques to help arrive at some hypotheses about a person and their behavior, personality and capabilities. A psychological assessment is composed of a clinical interview, administration of a battery of psychological tests and formal or informal observations. Psychologists are the only professionals expertly trained to perform and interpret psychological tests. A Psychological Report may also be requested by the client following a psychological evaluation. Psychological assessments may be provided for specific purposes as explained below:

Personality Assessments

Personality is a dynamic and organized set of characteristics possessed by a person. Personality arises from within the individual and remains fairly consistent throughout life. Personality assessments measure a person’s underlying personality; needs, fears, anxieties and attitudes. Such assessments may be helpful when a person is experiencing significant distress in his or her life as the person may gain knowledge on how they feel, think, behave and view the world, thus identifying areas for personal growth. Personality assessments may consist of objective tests, usually in the form of questionnaires and/or projective tests.

Psychological Assessment for Adoption/Fostering Purposes

A psychological assessment is one of the requirements for those going through the adoption process. At times such as assessment may also be requested from those wishing to foster a child. Such an assessment usually consists of clinical interviews with the prospective adoptive parents or foster carers, individual clinical interviews as well as administration of specific psychological tests to assess strengths and weaknesses as well as parenting capacity. A detailed psychological report will be drawn up following the evaluation process. Such a report will be presented to the respective board by the clients themselves.

Educational Psychology Service

Educational Psychology strives to promote the learning, emotional development and well-being of children and young people. This is achieved through individual support, as well as systemic work with families and school professionals. The services provided by an Educational Psychologist are usually tailor made for the individual needs of the student, and generally include:

• Psycho-educational Assessment in view of determining the child’s strengths, and any factors that might be impacting on his/her academic and learning progress.
• Consultation service for Parents and School personnel.
• Support to children with special and diverse educational needs. E.g:
  • Specific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia),
  • Social, Emotional and Behavioral difficulties,
  • Physical and Mental Health difficulties (e.g. School related anxiety/refusal)
  • Communication difficulties (e.g. autism),
  • Giftedness

• Psychological Reports are provided in relation to Statementing and Exam Access Arrangements.