Jadine Marie Sawyer, an 18-year-old female, was referred for counseling after experiencing a panic attack in her math class. She was assessed using several instruments including the ACT, Brief Mood Survey, intake interview, Strong Interest Inventory, and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The assessments found Jadine to be struggling with anxiety, stress, and feelings of being overwhelmed as a single parent. Recommendations focused on helping Jadine manage her anxiety and stress through lifestyle changes and counseling.

1. Running head: ASSESSMENTS 1
Assessments in Counseling and Education Final Project
Audrey J. O’Neal
Walden University

2. ASSESSMENTS
Assessments in Counseling and Education Final Project
This purpose of this paper is to present a psychological report based on a hypothetical
case study about a hypothetical client, Jadine Marie Sawyer. The paper will examine the reasons
why the client was referred to counseling, the assessment instruments that were used, the
assessment results, and the paper will also include a validity statement for each instrument used.
In addition, this paper will highlight the nature of the referral and the goals of each assessment.
Further, the paper will outline behavioral observations, background information, a summary of
conclusions based on the assessment results, and recommendations based on the information
gleaned from the instruments used.
The Psychological Report
Name of person being assessed: Jadine Marie Sawyer
Dates (s) of Testing: Intake interview 12/11/12, ACT test 4/11, The Strong Interest
Inventory (SII) and Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 3/22/12, The Brief Mood Survey
(BMI) (no date indicated).
Chronological age: 18 years and 3 months
Reason for referral:
Jadine Marie Sawyer, an 18 year old Caucasian female was referred to counseling by her
Math teacher at County High School in Callia, Florida. The reason she was referred was because
she experienced a panic attack. The intake interview was used to gain a better understanding of
Jadine’s presenting problems and decide which other assessments might be appropriate to
undertake.
Nature of the referral and goals of the assessments:
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The goal of the intake was to undertake a clinical interview for the purpose of
understanding Jadine’s presenting problems. Jadine had a panic attack during class and she is
unsure of her direction after high school. She is also not eating well as she experiences stress.
Lifestyle affects peak functioning in early adulthood, and unhealthy habits can impact later years,
so Jadine is vulnerable. In addition, there are other areas of her life that need to be examined. For
example, she is a young mother and her boyfriend will not be available to help care for her child,
as he is joining the Marines. She is overwhelmed by her role as a single parent.
The purpose and goal of the ACT is to assess her college readiness and provide direction
in selecting an appropriate college major based on her skills.
Jadine came to the counseling office to complete The Brief Mood Survey, a screening
instrument which measures Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Anxiety, Anger, and Relationship
Satisfaction. The results will be helpful in determining Jadine’s levels of Anxiety among other
areas of psychological distress.
Previously, Jadine came to counseling to explore the results of The Strong Inventory and
The Meyers Briggs Type Indicator which will help her determine her career and academic paths in
the future. As a whole, these assessments will yield valuable information about Jadine’s
functioning psychologically, academically, and vocationally.
Evaluation instruments and methods:
The ACT
The Brief Mood Survey (BMI)
The Intake Interview
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The Strong Interest Inventory (SII) combined with The Meyers Briggs Type Indicator
(MBTI).
The ACT
The ACT is a test high school students take in eleventh or twelfth grade. Colleges
use the scores to make admissions decisions (Whiston, 2013). The test developers have
made an attempt, “to measure as directly as possible, the knowledge and skills students
will need to perform college-level work” (p. 171). Generally, the test score demonstrate
what students have learned in high school and also provide colleges with information that
is useful in admissions. The English section consists of 75 questions which measure
standard English and rhetorical skills. The Math section consists of 60 questions which
measure high school level mathematical skills. The Reading section consists of 40
questions which measure reading comprehension skills. The Science section consists of 40
questions which measure problem solving skills in science, as well as interpretation and
analytic skills.
Jadine took four subject tests in English, Reading, Science, and Math. For
example, the test scores for English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science range from 1,
which indicates a low score to 36, which indicates a high score. Jadine’s highest scores
were in English. Jadine scored a 24 and and a 23 in Reading. Jadine’s Science score was
18, and her Mathematics score was a 19. The ACT is intended to motivate students to
perform well on the test based on their abilities.
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The Brief Mood Survey (BMI)
The Brief Mood Survey is an instrument that uses a checklist to screen for
Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Anxiety, Anger, and Relationship Satisfaction. The client is
asked to check scales from 0-4 indicating the intensity to which they feel depressed,
anxious, angry, or suicidal. Clients are also asked to indicate how satisfied they feel in
their relationships. The responses range from 0 which indicates Not at All, 1 which
indicates Somewhat, 2 which indicates Moderately, 3 which indicates A lot, and 4 which
indicates Extremely.
The Intake Interview
The intake is a clinical interview that is helpful in assessing a client’s presenting
problems, needs, strengths, and is also used to develop interventions for the client. In
addition, the intake interview is also used to introduce a client to the counseling process,
and can be helpful in beginning to build a collaborative counselor/client relationship (Vacc
& Juhnke, 1997). The intake interview was one of the assessments used, but it was not
necessary to create a table to represent the results.
The Strong Interest Inventory (SII) combined with The Meyers Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI)
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The assessment (The Strong) consists of six sections of a total of 291 items. A 5 point
Likert type response scale ranges from strongly like to strongly dislike. The Meyers
Briggs Type indicator was developed for the assessment of Jungian types. It provides
information about the examinee’s personality, and asks the examinee about their interests.
Brief description of the person:
Jadine Marie Sawyer is a Caucasian female, 18 years of age. She was born on Sept. 1,
1994, and is a 12th grade student at County High School in Callia, Florida where she resides. She
works at the Bright Days Day Care and is also a mother of an infant daughter, Sierra. Jadine is a
creative individual who enjoys working with people. She is also a talented athlete and a member
of the track team. She is thriving academically and is a member of The National Honor Society.
Background information:
Jadine currently lives with her infant daughter, Sierra. Jadine had complications with the
pregnancy, and had been confined to bed rest for three weeks. It appears her mother and her
boyfriend’s mother support her with child care. Jadine is concerned that her boyfriend, Marc
(Sierra’s father) will be joining the Marines and will be away for an extended time. She also
reported that she feels overwhelmed by the responsibilities she is shouldering in terms of being a
mother, a student, and a worker. She is currently employed at a daycare center that her mother
operates. On the job, Jadine functions as an office assistant and classroom teacher. She reported
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she is thriving academically, and anticipates graduating high school with honors. Thus far, she has
completed two college courses. Jadine has a GPA of 3.29 and her rank among students who took
the ACT test is in the top 25%. Jadine reported that as a result of her anxiety, she is not eating
well. She reported that her social life is non-existent. Jadine also reported experiencing headaches,
heart palpitations, and sleep problems, feelings of panic, the inability to relax, and memory
problems. In addition, she reported she has difficulty making decisions, has trouble concentrating,
feels misunderstood, experiences feelings of emptiness, and reported having no appetite. She has
not been diagnosed with an eating disorder. In terms of medications she is taking, Jadine reported
taking birth control pills and a multivitamin. The experience of being a single parent appears to
have contributed to Jadine’s feelings of isolation. She reported she has no social life, has few
friends, and has experienced loneliness.
Behavioral observations:
During the interview she was alert and articulate, but Jadine reported that a times she
experiences confusion and the inability to relax. Hence, she is often tense. She also reported
feeling nervous, and experiencing poor concentration. In addition, she has struggled with sleep
problems, or insomnia and as a result, struggles with fatigue. Jadine reported she suffers from
memory problems, and is often restless and fearful. She has also reported struggling with shyness
and timidity. Jadine reported she suffers from symptoms such as headaches and heart palpitations
frequently.
Validity statement for each instrument:
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The intake interview validity
Vacc & Junkhe (1997) explained the intake interview as it is unstructured, renders the
assessment an unreliable one that is subject to error. The intake interview does not contain the
psychometric properties that would allow for measurement. Whiston (2013) noted a structured
assessment might possibly be more valid than an unstructured one.
Predictive Validity of the ACT Writing Test and English subscales.
The rater-agreement reliability for the essay test was estimated using multiple pairs of
raters ranged from .92 to .94. The generalizability co-efficient was .64 which is high for a writing
assessment. The standard error of measurement was 1.23. The median G co-efficient for the
Writing test was .70 over the six prompt pairs. (“Reliability”). Cronbach alpha scores or
correlation coefficients were not provided on the publisher's website. In connection with Course
Placement Validity for The ACT Writing, English, and English/Writing Scores in English
Composition, the increase in variance was accounted for by adding the Writing Test is .03
(“Reliability”).
The Brief Mood Survey Validity
According to Carins & Dobbs (2004) there are two versions of The Brief Mood Survey.
One assesses violent urges and the other assesses relationship satisfaction. Both surveys assess
depression, suicidal urges, anger, and anxiety. Jadine completed The Brief Mood Survey which
screens for Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Anxiety, Anger, and Relationship Satisfaction.
According to Burns (2003) the brief Depression checklist Cronbach alpha score is .89 to .90 (n=
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70 and 73) and correlation with The Beck Depression Inventory equals .85 (.99 when corrected
for measurement error.) The Cronbach alpha score for The Brief Mood Survey 5 item Anger
scale is .89 in a non-clinical population (n=73). The 5 item Panic Scale Cronbach’s alpha score is .
75 in a non- clinical sample. The Cronbach alpha for the Brief Relationship Satisfaction test is .92
to .96 in samples ranging from 50 to 319.
The Strong Interest Inventory and The Meyers Briggs Type Indicator Validity
Donnay et al. (2005) explained in terms of reliability for The Strong Interest Inventory.89,
the alpha coefficients on the GOTs, or General Occupational Themes ranged from .90-.95. In
terms of shorter intervals on test-re-test reliability coefficients, they ranged from .84 with a
median of .86. Longer intervals of test re-test coefficients ranged from .74-.90 and with a median
at .83-.84. The authors pointed out the alpha coefficients for Occupational Scales (OS) were not
reported. The OS test re-test reliability coefficients fell within the range of .70-.91 with a median
of .86. In terms of validity, the General Occupational Themes (GOT) demonstrated two types of
convergent and discriminant validity, as noted by Donnay et al. (2005). The GOTs correlated with
the OSs for women and men in the General Representative Sample (GRS). What was obvious
were the patterns that were predictable (Donnay et al. 2005). Concurrent validity appeared to
show correlations of the OSs within the GOTs. For women, the OS correlations within themes
ranged from .39-.57 with a median of .41. For men, the range was .27-.58 with a median of .52.
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Assessment results and Tables for each instrument:
The ACT test results
Jadine’s composite score was 21. The composite score is actually the average of the four
test scores. Jadine took tests in English, Reading, Science, and Math. For example, the test scores
for all four subject areas ranged from 1 to 36. A score of 1 indicates a low score and a score of 36
indicates a high score. Jadine’s highest scores were in English. Jadine scored a 24 in English and a
23 in Reading. Jadine’s Science score was 18 and her Mathematics score was a 19.
The ACT
Composite Score 21
English 24
Mathematics 19
Reading 23
Science 18
Combined English/Writing 25
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Writing subscale (score range 2-12) 10
The Brief Mood Survey results (follows on next page)
Jadine’s score on the Depression scale was 7 indicating Mild Depression. Her score on the
Suicidal Ideation scale was 0, indicating the absence of Suicidal Ideation. Jadine’s score on the
Anxiety Scale was 23, indicating the presence of Extreme Anxiety. This score is consistent with
the symptoms she described.
Jadine’s Score Range
Depression 7 Mild
Suicidal Ideation 0 None
Anxiety 23 Extreme
Anger 7 Mild
Relationship Satisfaction 18 Neutral
The Strong Interest Inventory and MBTI results
The assessment (the Strong) consists of six sections of a total of 291 items. A 5 point Likert type
response scale ranges from Strong Like to Strongly Dislike. The Meyers Briggs Type Indicator
was developed for the assessment of Jungian types. This means it provides information about
personality and asks examinees about their interests. Among the General Occupational Themes
(GOT), Jadine’s responses indicated a high interest in work activities such as teaching,
counseling, and training employees. The Social GOT score was 62, whereas Jadine’s Artistic
GOT score was 45 indicating her interest in artistic self- expression, art appreciation,
communication, and culture. Jadine’s GOT score in the Enterprising section was 41, and it
indicated she has little interest in business or politics, but shows potential skill in verbal ability,
and the ability to direct and motivate others. In the Investigative (34), Conventional (40), and
Realisitc areas (32), Jadine also demonstrated little interest.
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Theme Interest Level Score
Social High 62
Artistic Moderate 45
Enterprising Little 41
Conventional Little 40
Investigative Very Little 34
Realistic Very Little 32
In terms of the results of the Intake Interview, Jadine indicated she had never been in
counseling and that there was no history of mental illness in her family. Jadine indicated there
were complications related to her pregnancy, and that they have affected her well-being. Although
she has never been diagnosed with an eating disorder, she indicated she has a poor appetite, and is
not eating well. She also indicated she experiences stress, and is unable to relax. With regard to
her counseling goals, she indicated she wants to work on her future career and educational plans.
Note it was not necessary to develop a table to represent the results of the Intake interview. It is
mentioned in this section as it was one of the assessments used when Jadine first came to
counseling.
Summary of assessments and conclusions:
According to the Brief Mood Survey, Jadine is experiencing Extreme Anxiety and will
need to address her psychological distress in depth while in counseling. From the information
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gleaned through the clinical interview, it is evident that early parenting and responsibilities that
she now shoulders as a single mother have significantly contributed to her stress level.
The Strong Interest Inventory combined with The Meyers Briggs Type Indicator showed
that Jadine will find work in the Artistic and Social realms rewarding. In addition, Jadine’s results
on the ACT indicate her college readiness and that there is a strong likelihood she will be
successful in her coursework. Her essay score reflected she has strong writing ability. Her writing
ability may also be instrumental in her academic success.
Recommendations:
• It is recommended that Jadine continue in counseling to address her anxiety and
help her to balance her work, school, and family life.
• A counselor trained in Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy is recommended as
they would be able to help Jadine indentify some of her cognitive distortions that
may be the cause of her underlying depression and anxiety.
• It is recommended that Jadine be introduced to mindfulness techniques such as
meditation to help reduce her stress level.
• Jadine would benefit from joining a support group designed for single mothers like
herself. Participation in a support group may help alleviate some of her feelings
centered around being isolated and lonely.
• In order to address her poor appetite, it is recommended Jadine make an
appointment with her primary physician, so she can undergo a full evaluation
including diagnostic tests that would help determine any vitamin deficiencies.
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• It is also recommended Jadine meet with a qualified nutritionist that may help
Jadine in planning and preparing nutritious meals to stimulate her appetite.
• Since the Brief Mood Survey indicated the presence of Extreme Anxiety, it would
be helpful in counseling to encourage Jadine to consider medication.
• The Meyers Briggs Type Indicator showed Jadine does not feel comfortable taking
risks, and the process of future career exploration will prove challenging. In
counseling, it will be important to address the values she holds, and how they
might be congruent with career choices she will make in the future.
• With regard to her results on The Strong Interest Inventory, it is recommended
Jadine explore her top ten occupations as this may shed light on her future path.
• It is recommended Jadine also explore careers of Dissimilar interest as she would
be able to contribute a unique perspective to a number of fields, she may otherwise
not have chosen.
• It is recommended Jadine explore her Basic Interest Scales as a guide to help her
decide on a suitable college major that would be more aligned with her interests.
______________
Signature and credentials
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Conclusion
This paper presented a psychological report based on a hypothetical case study about a
hypothetical client, Jadine Marie Sawyer. The paper examined the reasons why the client was
referred to counseling, the assessment instruments that were used, the assessment results, and the
paper also included a validity statement for each instrument used. In addition, this paper
highlighted the nature of the referral and the goals of each assessment. Further, the paper
outlined behavioral observations, background information, a summary of conclusions based on the
assessment results, and recommendations based on the information from the instruments used.
The experience of having written a psychological report that is also detailed, but concise in nature
will impact my future counseling practice in a positive way, as I will have a better understanding
of how to extract relevant information provided by assessments, and connect all the pieces
together in order to form conclusions and make recommendations based on the information from
all the instruments used with my clients, as well as behavioral observations.
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References
American College Testing. (2014). Reliability of the ACT Writing Test. Retrieved from
http://www.act.org
Briggs, K. C., & Meyers, I. B. (n.d). Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
Carins, S. & Dobbs, J. (2004). Assessing counseling services: planning for successful outcomes.
[Power Point slides]. Retrieved from http://www.caucuss.ca/Librarydocuments/scarins-
cacuss2004-outcomes.pdf
Donnay, D. C., Morris, M. L., Schaubhut, N. A., Thompson, R. C., Grutter, J., & Hammer, A. L.
(2005). Strong Interest Inventory
Vacc, N. A., & Juhnke, G. A. (1997). The Use of Structured Clinical Interviews for Assessment
in Counseling. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 75(6), 470-480.
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Whiston, S. C. (2013). Principles and applications of assessment in counseling (4th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning.
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