533 Clinical Assessment

This course introduces students to the purposes, issues, types, and process of clinical assessment.  Special issues in assessment, including biases, assessment with special populations, and ethical considerations are presented.  Research in clinical assessment will be discussed.  Course activities will focus on assessment considerations with several clinical conditions, assessment of mental status, risk assessment, and Adlerian approaches to clinical assessment.  Techniques for understanding non-verbal behavior, speech and language, and interpersonal transactions are reviewed in a context of behavioral observation as an assessment tool, as well as part of objective and projective types of assessment.