Psychological assessments are designed to help us understand a person’s unique strengths and needs in a variety of areas, including intellectual, academic, emotional, social, and behavioural functioning. The psychological assessment process is very comprehensive. It starts with a thorough intake interview during which a Clinical Psychology graduate student who is under the supervision of a psychologist will gather background information to better understand the presenting concerns. The student will then meet individually with the person being assessed, and they will conduct a variety of psychometric assessments that consist of structured questions and activities. There are usually three 2-hour long face-to-face sessions, but these may be more or maybe less depending on the age and needs of the person being assessed. The psychology student will likely also give several questionnaires and inventories to the client, the client’s caregiver, and the teacher (if appropriate). In between meetings with the person being assessed, the responses to the tasks and activities are scored and interpreted in a standardized manner. Once all assessment sessions are completed, the results are analyzed, and a report is prepared that provides a thorough summary of the findings and makes recommendations for the future. These findings, recommendations, and reports are shared in a feedback session with the client and their caregivers if appropriate. The psychologist is always present during this feedback session so that they can answer any questions or provide a diagnosis if there is one.
The Clinic does not have psychiatric or emergency services on hand; therefore, we do not provide services when there is a risk of frequent or severe crisis or involvement with the law. If you require urgent support, please contact your local mental health crisis line. In Kingston and Frontenac, you can call 613-544-4229.
It is always important that you are aware of the benefits and risks involved in any psychological procedure. There are a lot of potential benefits to participating in a psychological assessment. Often an assessment can lead to a better understanding of the client and their concerns. It can also guide treatment and help you access school or workplace accommodations if needed. However, there are no guarantees that the assessment will be conclusive. It is also important to be aware that sometimes people can get uncomfortable during the assessment sessions, especially if they find the tasks challenging. That said, the risks of participating in an assessment are relatively low. The decision to participate in an assessment is always up to the individual themselves. Should an individual choose not to participate, they have the right to withdraw at any time.
The staff and students at the Psychology Clinic at Queen’s understand the importance of your privacy and are committed to protecting it.
We collect, use, disclose, retain, and dispose of your personal health information in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (2004, PHIPA). Before proceeding to our electronic referral or participating in psychological services with our Clinic, please review the following information so that we know you are aware of these procedures.
We may use or disclose your personal health information to:
-
Provide psychology services to you.
-
Plan, administer and manage our internal operations (for example, waitlist prioritization, choosing clinicians to work with you and services to offer you).
-
Evaluate the quality and usefulness of our services.
-
Monitor wait times, patterns of referrals, and other statistics related to our services.
-
Provide clinical training and supervision.
-
Support you in accessing other services and supports. With your consent, we can share information with other service providers.
-
Comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
We may be required to share your information if:
-
there are concerns about someone at risk of serious bodily harm,
-
there is a vulnerable person in need of protection,
-
there are concerns about abuse by a healthcare provider,
-
there is reason to believe we have information about a missing person, and we receive a written request from the police;
-
there is a subpoena authorizing its release; or
-
our files are audited by the College of Psychologists of Ontario
-
We protect your personal health information by:
-
Only asking for information we believe is needed to provide you with clinical services.
-
Ensuring that only people involved with providing you services have access to your information.
-
Keeping your information in a secure, locked area or in a secure electronic format (encrypted).
-
Retaining your file for at minimum ten (10) years after our final service or your 18th birthday, whichever is later.
-
Asking for your consent before using your information for research.
-
You can access your personal health information:
-
You have the right to see the information in your file. If we believe there is a possibility of harm to you or someone else by seeing the information, we may support you with accessing the information in a way that we feel protects your safety.
-
If you believe that information in your record is inaccurate, you may make a written request to correct your record. If we disagree with the correction you request, you may file a notice of disagreement into your record.
-
All inquiries, questions, and concerns about privacy policies may be addressed to the Psychology Clinic Director: Dr. Sheelagh Jamieson, C.Psych. at 613-533-6021.
-
If you prefer to speak with someone other than the Clinic Director, concerns and questions can be directed to Queen’s University’s Chief Privacy Officer: Carolyn Heald at 613-533-6095 or by email at access.privacy@queensu.ca
-
You also have the right to complain to The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario via www.ipc.on.ca.
As the Psychology Student is working under the supervision of a registered psychologist, you may request a meeting with the psychologist during the assessment process. It is also possible that the psychologist or the student may request a separate meeting with you from time to time.
As this is a teaching clinic, clinical activities (including assessment and/or treatment sessions) may be recorded for the purposes of supervision, teaching and training. All efforts will be made to protect the confidentiality, including eliminating any reference to last names or identifying information and storing the recordings according to a coded numerical system. If your sessions are going to be recorded, the student and supervising Psychologist will discuss this with you beforehand and will obtain your written consent before proceeding.