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Abstract: 

This article describes the Therapeutic Assessment (TA) model for children, adolescents, and families and presents the current evidence of its effectiveness. TA is an innovative semistructured, brief therapeutic intervention that blendsthe extensive conceptualizing benefits of psychological assessment with evidence-based child and family therapy techniques. TA differs from other child and family therapy approaches in that assessment instruments are the substrate upon which the intervention is grounded. TA is governed by a set of core values and follows a six-phase process. A successful TA leads to parents viewing their child in a more accurate, compassionate, coherent, and useful way and provides families with experiences that result in positive outcomes, instilling a sense of confidence in their ability to manage problems in the future. Empirical evidence of TA’s effectiveness with children and families is growing and efforts are currently underway to establish a stronger evidence base.

Keywords: child assessment, evidence-based assessment, family assessment, psychological assessment, Therapeutic Assessment

Affiliations:  1: University of Tennessee.