Hours: by appointment only
Lesley Hiebing & Jamie Ryan
Clinic Coordinators
Clinic Phone: (319) 273-7941
The Psychological Assessment Clinic and Laboratory is a facility dedicated to research, training, and clinical services related to psychological assessment.
Clinical Activities
The Psychological Assessment Clinic provides diagnostic services to the University and surrounding communities. Assessments are conducted in
Psychology I;
client fees will be used to support practice, research, and training in
psychological assessment.
Who We Are:
The Psychological Assessment Clinic is a not-for-profit training facility
that is associated with the psychology graduate program at the University of
Northern Iowa. Clinicians include beginning and advanced masters graduate
students who are receiving specialized training in clinical assessment.
Supervision is provided by the clinical psychology faculty, specifically
Dr. John E. Williams. Dr. Williams is a Licensed Psychologist and a faculty
member at the University of Northern Iowa who has clinical and research interest
in psychological assessment
What We Do:
The Psychological Assessment Clinic has three main functions (a) to offer
psychological assessment services to the university and the Central and
Northeast areas of Iowa; (b) to provide professional training for clinical psychology graduate
students; (c) to support clinically relevant research projects. We provide
assessment services for clients from the school age child to adults.
Some common reasons why an individual would be assessed at this facility are: evaluation of learning disabilities; evaluation of problems related to the ability to sustain attention and concentration; educational planning, evaluation of emotional difficulties; education and research. Summaries of evaluations may be used for educational or research purposes, but in no case will clients be identified. In the educational and research uses specified above all information client’s provide will be confidential.
What the tests are
like:
Most clients enjoy the tests as interesting, challenging tasks. Almost
always, testing includes: a test of abilities used to measure basic skills in
reading, writing, and arithmetic; and a personality inventory, designed to help
us understand characteristic style, coping patterns, and current difficulties.
Depending on the reason for the visit, the client may also be administered tests
of attention and concentration, memory, or neuropsychological functioning. If
the client is a child, we may ask the caregivers or the child’s teacher to
complete some ratings of the child’s typical behavior.
In addition to conveying the results of testing, the purpose of the feedback meeting is to ensure that the results “make sense.” Please note that the parents of college-age students can receive test results or attend this meeting only with the student’s permission because of confidentiality laws (even when parents are paying for the service).
Fees and Insurance:
All fees include complete evaluations, including testing, test scoring,
report preparation, and the feedback meeting.
Fees can be paid by check or in cash at the evaluation session. Insurance policies rarely cover psychological evaluations and the clinic does not bill insurance companies. If the client wishes to contact an insurance representative, and inquire about his/her policy coverage for the purpose of reimbursement, they must do so themselves.
For a limited number of cases per academic year, the fee can be reduced via a sliding scale, depending on monthly family income and the number of dependents.
Specific procedures
for evaluating Learning disabilities and Attention Disorders:
Success in school work requires many skills and abilities: (1)
Intellectual Ability; (2) Academic Skills (reading, writing, mathematics); (3)
Study Skills (organization and motivation); (4) Attention and Concentration; (5)
Auditory and visual memory; and 6) freedom from emotional distress. Learning
problems can arise from difficulty in one or more of these areas. Evaluations
are correspondingly complex; they typically include the following procedures:
Interview:
To get the most thorough understanding of a given learning problem we
gather information about academic, developmental , and medical history; as well
as current adjustment to school (including social support and study habits). We
also request copies of counseling and previous educational evaluations.
Ability Testing:
Tests of ability give a good estimate of aptitude for the cognitive
demands of work or school. They provide information on the strengths and
weaknesses. Determining which test to use depends upon the
student’s facility with the English language and prior experience with ability
tests.
Memory Testing:
Memory Problems sometimes account for learning difficulties. We may
evaluate immediate and delayed memory for both visually and orally presented
information using the Wechsler Memory Scales and the Wide Range Assessment of
Memory and Learning.
Achievement Testing:
Achievement tests tell us what basic skills the client has acquired. At a
minimum, we usually examine basic reading skills, reading comprehension,
mathematical calculation and reasoning skills, and written expression. We
commonly use the Wechsler Individual Achievement tests and Woodcock-Johnson
Tests of Achievement.
Attention and Concentration:
Attentional deficits (Characteristic of ADHD) can interfere with in-class
learning, note taking, sustained work, and study skills. Many of the tests
listed above demand sustained attention. We sometimes administer supplemental
tests to evaluate attention, such as the Continuous Performance Test.
Personality Testing:
Personality testing can point to emotional difficulties that are
interfering with academic or job performance. We often use the Minnesota
Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2, the NEO Personality Inventory, or the Beck
Depression Inventory-2.