The psychological report you should receive

There is no excuse. The psychological report is a document to which those attending therapy or therapeutic treatment have the right.. Therefore, this should not be done just in any way.

Although each professional has their own way of working, the truth is that there are some elements that always have to appear in a report. It is a document not only informative for the rest of the people, but also for the client. that has been part of the therapy.

From the manual Psychological evaluation: concepts, methods and case studies (2013), Rocío Fernández-Ballesteros and other professionals talk about the need for a psychological report understandable, useful and always based on evidence and different scientific guarantees.

Thus, they emphasize the need for a verbal report at the same time as the written one to facilitate its internalization, and as a good resource to end therapy.

Why is a psychological report so important?

Fernández-Ballesteros is clear: the psychological report is an element that can become very important in the user’s life. The report is not merely informative for family members and the staff themselves. since it represents the culmination of a process that sometimes lasts years.

Thus, Fernández-Ballesteros finds the value of the psychological report in:

The lasting and scientific expression of a process that can be reopened and whose information about the different methods used may be useful to other professionals. Furthermore, in the report procedures carried out in therapy are describedsomething that sometimes seems like a “nebula” for those who do not quite understand what is done in a psychological consultation. It facilitates the communication of the results not only to the client, but also to their family and friends or to professionals that need these reports as long as the client has given their consent (teachers…). It can be established as a legal document that reflects a very specific moment in your life, and sometimes it can support legal decisions or not. The psychological report can be established as an “uncontaminated” information point from its preparation. It may reflect, for example, interventions received in the adolescent stage or examinations carried out during childhood.

The three essential characteristics of the psychological report

Likewise, and although there are various types of psychological report, Fernández-Ballesteros identifies three essential characteristics that any document of this nature should present: the report must be scientific, serve as a vehicle of communication and, in addition, be useful.

An empirically validated report

A psychological report must be presented with the same scientific rigor as a research article or the points of a treatment to be carried out.

The psychologist must have based himself on empirically validated, genuine, useful and effective techniques to establish the different points of the client’s treatment. The report It must be replicable and verifiable by other evaluators.

Thus, Fernández-Ballesteros proposes some key points that can appear in the report and that would facilitate the maintenance and inclusion of scientific rigor. Some of them are:

Evaluator identification data: give a clear image of who is carrying out that intervention or expert opinion, including the member number.Anamnesis and identification of objectives: in the psychological report it is recommended that it appear a brief summary of the customer’s demand and that it is established what the client wants to achieve with the therapy, to observe during the course if the expectations are met.Evaluation dates and interventions.Procedure followed: the techniques used are included, the learning processes that are sought to be implemented, the different problems that certain approaches may have involved, the tasks that have been assigned…Quantitative and qualitative results: These can be developed through pre-post scores (such as mood, anxiety levels) and observing what the objectives were.

An informative report: down with the technicalities!

It is recommended that a psychological report be a communication vehicleboth for users and for family members or professionals who need what is written in it.

For this reason, and without compromising the professionalism of the document itself, it must be written in an understandable manner, without suppressing technical data, but making it easier for people to understand what has been worked on and how.

For this reason, Fernández-Ballesteros insists that a psychological report should not give rise to stereotypes, nor should it include devaluating labels. In the same way, any statement presented in the report must be justified with data that supports itwithout falling into rigorous or expert arguments.

Furthermore, the report does not have to be based on the interpretation of its reader, and therefore The conclusions must be presented clearly. Finally, verbal presentation of the report is recommended so that the psychologist is sure that his client understands the document that he is carrying in his hands.

The usefulness of the report

All the information that appears in a report must be useful. Although it is a fairly obvious statement, there are many psychologists who include statements that, although true, They are in no way relevant to the client.

Fernández-Ballesteros gives examples of phrases such as:

“He has a tendency to worry, but not too much.”“He likes being with people he knows well.”“New situations cause anxiety.”

These are statements applicable to most people and do not provide clinically significant or relevant data; Therefore, they should be eliminated.

What does the COP say about the psychological report?

The issue of the psychological report has also been addressed by the Official College of Psychologists. In fact, some of the articles of the psychologist’s code of ethics They are directly related to the writing of the psychological report.

Some of those articles are:

Article 12. Especially in her written reports, the psychologist will be extremely cautious, prudent and critical, in the face of notions that easily degenerate into devaluing and discriminatory labels, such as normal/abnormal, adapted/inadjusted or intelligent/deficient.Article 48. The psychological reports must be clear, precise, rigorous and intelligible for its recipient. They must express its scope and limitations, the degree of certainty that the informant has about its various contents; its current or temporary nature, the techniques used for its preparation, stating in all cases the data of the professional who issues it.

Writing a psychological report, after all, should not be taken lightly. It is recommended, in addition to reading the manual presented in the introduction, to obtain information through the Guides to the Psychological Assessment Process (GAP).

These sources of information recommend what to do with inconsistencies in results or unaddressed demands at the end of a treatment.

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