| Abstract: | How can assessments be more clinically useful and have more impact on a youth's long-term outcome? Assessments can outline a treatment approach in which target problems are linked to goals, client and family strengths, and specific treatment steps. This can be done in a comprehensive way, such that the youth's real-life functioning can be assessed across various domains. The initial assessment can serve as the baseline evaluation, with an expectation set for ongoing, periodic monitoring Parents can be encouraged to be actively involved in setting goals and in assessing their child's progress toward those goals. Outcome data can be aggregated across clients to generate practice-focused studies. These data can also be used to provide supportive evidence on behalf of local clinical programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
