Expert: Robin MacFarlane Ph.D. - 10/29/2009

Question
1. Can you describe what you do as a psychologist?
2. What types of assessments and tests are given?
3. What do you give the assessments and tests for?
4. Can you give your general feelings about tests and assessments as a whole?


Answer
Hi Maria,

1. As a psychologist, I work with people by conducting psychological assessments.  Basically, there's usually a question people want answered.  The questions range from, "Why can't my 9 year old son learn to read?" to "Is my depression so severe that I qualify as being disabled from my job?"

2. To answer these questions, I conduct interviews with the person, get information from people who know the person, and use psychological tests to understand more about how the person thinks, feels, and behaves.  

3. I do all these interviews, and, when appropriate, use psychological tests, in order to answer the question that the person wants answered.

4. Answering questions for people by using interviews and tests is fascinating and meaningful for me, and can help people to figure out what their problems are, and let them know how to best begin to cope with their problems.

I hope this answers your questions.  Thanks for asking, Robin