Essentials of Testing and Assessment: A Practical Guide for Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychologists » (2nd Edition)

Dr. Neukrug received his doctorate in counselor education from the University of Cincinnati and is currently Professor of Counseling and Human Services in the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling at Old Dominion University. In addition to teaching, Dr. Neukrug has worked as a crisis counselor, an outpatient therapist, an associate school psychologist, a school counselor, and a private practice psychologist and licensed professional counselor. He has published a number of texts, including: THE WORLD OF THE COUNSELOR: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE COUNSELING PROFESSION; EXPERIENCING THE WORLD OF THE COUNSELOR: A WORKBOOK FOR COUNSELOR EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS; SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR HUMAN SERVICE PROFESSIONALS: COUNSELING ENVIRONMENT, HELPING SKILLS, TREATMENT ISSUES; SKILLS AND TOOLS FOR TODAY'S COUNSELORS AND PSYCHOTHERAPISTS: FROM NATURAL HELPING TO PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING (with Alan M. Schwitzer); and ESSENTIALS OF TESTING AND ASSESSMENT: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR COUNSELORS, SOCIAL WORKERS, AND PSYCHOLOGISTS (with R. Charles Fawcett).

Charles Fawcett is a doctoral student at the University of Virginia. He is formerly a Faculty Lecturer at Old Dominion University where he also received his M.S. Ed. in Counseling. His therapy experience includes working with individuals, couples, and families at an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) as well as leading substance abuse groups. Charles previously served 10 years as a Naval Flight Officer and Bombardier/Navigator in the A-6 Intruder.

This undergraduate textbook examines how formal and informal tests are created, scored, and interpreted by mental health professionals when evaluating clients, and surveys the various techniques commonly used for assessing educational ability, intelligence, career and occupational aptitude, and clinical issues. The final section describes the Diagnostic and statistical manual, fourth edition (DSM-IV-TR), and walks through the process of writing an effective assessment report. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

INTRODUCTION TO SECTION I: HISTORY AND CURRENT PROFESSIONAL ISSUES. 1. History Of Testing And Assessment. 2. Ethical, Legal, And Professional Issues In Assessment. INTRODUCTION TO SECTION II: TEST WORTHINESS AND TEST STATISTICS. 3. Test Worthiness: Validity, Reliability, Practicality, And Cross-Cultural Fairness. 4. Statistical Concepts: Making Meaning Out Of Raw Scores Raw Scores. 5. Deriving Meaning From Test Scores. INTRODUCTION TO SECTION III: COMMONLY USED ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES. 6. Educational Assessment Of Ability: Survey Battery, Diagnostic, Readiness, And Cognitive Ability Tests. 7. Assessment of Intelligence. 8. Career And Occupational Assessment: Interest Inventories, Special Aptitude And Multiple Aptitude Tests. 9. Clinical Assessment: Objective And Projective Personality Tests, Defining Clinical Assessment. 10. Informal Assessment: Observation, Rating Scales, Classification Methods, and Records and Personal Documents. INTRODUCTION TO SECTION IV: DIAGNOSIS AND WRITING THE ASSESSMENT REPORT. 11. Diagnosis In The Assessment Process Importance Of A Diagnosis. 12. The Assessment Report Process: The Interview, Assessment Techniques, Environmental Assessment, The Report. References. Appendices.