Foundations of Psychological Assessment

This course introduces you to foundational knowledge and applied skills required to contribute to psychological assessment within the Psychology Assistant scope of practice. The course focuses on the assessment of common mental health difficulties, including depression, anxiety, and substance use problems. You will learn to conduct routine risk of harm screening, triage assessments, semi-structured interviews, review case files, and administer approved psychometric and screening measures. Assessment skills are developed for use across the lifespan, including an introduction to key principles for engaging with children, young people, and their whanau. Students will develop the ability to organise and integrate assessment information to produce psychologically informed case summaries that support team formulation and intervention planning within mental health and addiction teams. Emphasis is placed on culturally safe, ethical, and collaborative approaches to assessment that reflect Te Tiriti o Waitangi, holistic Maori models of wellbeing, and responsiveness to Pacific and other diverse communities, while incorporating lived-experience perspectives. Assessment is approached as a relational process with tangata whaiora and whanau, with particular attention to safety, power, clarity, and trust.