The 10 types of psychological report (and their characteristics)

In the field of psychology, psychological reports are one of the most important tools that a psychologist must know how to handle in order to perform their profession with solvency, since in many cases the psychological report will be the one that marks the guidelines to be followed by both the psychologist and their consultants.

A psychological report is an instrument used in psychology in order to present a series of results obtained by means of a psychological evaluation of a person in different contexts (clinical, human resources, educational, expert and security vial). All of them must contain all the information that the psychologist has collected during the evaluation process.

This article will briefly explain the main types of psychological report what is there and what are they used for.

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What are the main types of psychological report?

There are different types of psychological report, being divided according to different causes: according to the means of transmission (oral or written report); according to the objective and purpose of the evaluation (evaluation report, selection or orientation or intervention); finally, according to the context of its application (selection, clinical, educational, expert or traffic and safety report).

Any of the different types of psychological report must follow a number of fundamental principles. Let's see what they are.

The first principle to follow when conducting a psychological report is that things should be explained as briefly as possible, bluntlyso that those who read or listen to this report can easily understand it.

The second principle to follow is don't use too much technical terms in order to appear more professional or even scientific, so it is best to use plain language to facilitate the understanding of the report by those to whom it goes managed.

The third principle is that the speech used in the report must be adapted to the person or persons to whom it is addressed, so that they can understand it.

By way of conclusion, any of the different types of psychological report should follow the guidelines of clarity, brevity and adequate exposition.

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Types of psychological report according to the transmission medium

Below we will explain the different types of psychological report classified according to their transmission medium, with two fundamental means: oral and written.

1. Oral or verbal report

This is one of the types of psychological report that is used throughout a return interview, in which the information obtained about them is returned in a structured way to the evaluated person.

In the oral or verbal report three objectives are followed to apply it correctly:

• Provide the evaluated subject with a professional explanation of the causes for which they have been evaluated.
• Help the evaluated subject understand her problem and teach him how she can handle or control it.
• In the clinical setting, this report is also used to negotiate how your psychological treatment will be.

2. Written report

The normally written report It is used as a complement to the oral report to facilitate clarification and make all the qualifications that are considered necessary with respect to the oral report. Therefore, the principles to be followed in the oral report must also be taken into account when preparing a written report.

One aspect to keep in mind is that when using psychological terms in any report, they must be detailed in such a way that the The patient understands what the psychologist is referring to because many times patients use psychological terms in a wrong. In this way, misunderstandings between the psychotherapist and the patient can be avoided.

It is very important that written reports are signed and initialed by the psychologist who has done it.

Types of psychological report according to the objective of the evaluation

Depending on the objective and purpose of the evaluation, there are 3 different types of psychological report that we will briefly explain below.

1. Psychological evaluation report

This psychological report it is used for the purpose of further diagnosis, so this report must include the explanation of the diagnosis in a clear and precise way so that the patient to whom it is directed can understand it without difficulties, as well as a series of recommendations for the corresponding psychological treatment that should be received to achieve an improvement or a change.

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2. Selection or orientation report

The main objective of this type of psychological report is to propose to the evaluated subject a profession or professions for which he could be more suitable based on the aptitudes that he has shown to have and having taken into account his personal preferences and interests in this regard.

Another objective of this type of report would be to provide the evaluated subject with the final conclusion with the explanation of the causes for those who have been accepted or not to perform a certain job to which they aspire, which is why they have been evaluated.

These reports of selection of people or orientation, commonly used in the area of ​​Human Resources, they are also often referred to as psychological evaluation reports, like the one explained above for diagnosis in the field of clinical psychology.

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3. Intervention report

This type of report is carried out when the psychologist has received a request to carry out a psychological evaluation in order to carry out an intervention with the patient to help you make changes after you have gone to therapy. In this case, a final report should be made in which the results obtained through the therapy sessions are communicated to the patient.

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Types of psychological report according to the context of its professional application

Depending on the context in which it is applied, there may be 5 types of psychological report, how we will apply below.

1. Clinical report

Clinical reports are the most frequently performed in psychology, since a high percentage of graduates in psychology opt for the two variants that exist in Spain in order to provide psychological therapy to patients: a place through the PIR exam (resident intern psychologist) to work in the hospital environment or by completing a master's degree in general health psychology (MPGS), which are taught both in public and private universities, whose purpose is to qualify psychologists to be able to give psychological therapy in the private sphere (for example, cabinets of psychology).

That is why the clinical report It is the one with the largest number of studies, research, articles and book chapters in which it is explained how it should be applied in order for it to be effective and to achieve the objectives that it is intended to achieve with its application, thus having various methods for its application.

Below we will present an example of a clinical report, this being the clinical report proposed by the Center for Applied Psychology of the Autonomous University of Madrid, which It has the following sections:

• Personal data of the patient or consultant.
• Collegiate number and name of the psychologist.
• Data of the center or institution in which it is carried out.
• Date of the beginning and end of the evaluation.
• Summary description of the patient's demand.
• Assessment instruments and areas that have been assessed.
• Results obtained and conclusions.
• The diagnosis according to the DSM-5 can be added in the conclusions section, if pertinent.
• Treatment objectives, previously condensed with the patient.
• The proposal for psychological intervention.
• Informed consent, having been clarified to the patient.
• Date of its issuance, together with the signature of both (psychologist and patient).

There are several models of psychological report; However, there is none that is more valid than others, so it is important that, regardless of which one is chosen, keep in mind that this should help the psychologist to organize all the information necessary on the patient and the situation that has led him to consultation in order to provide the most appropriate treatment in his particular case.

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2. Selection report

This type of reports They are usually used by psychologists who work for a company in order to evaluate applicants for some jobs that are offered. It is also common for these types of reports to be made by military psychologists within the military for future aspiring soldiers. These reports serve as a screening in order to select a certain number of applicants to the phase end of the selection process where they will have to take other tests (for example, the recognition doctor).

In these types of psychological report a series of principles must be taken into account:

• Respect the privacy of the evaluated candidate.
• Evaluate aptitudes and characteristics of applicants within legal margins.
• The information in the report must be kept safely under the responsibility of the psychologist and the company.
• It is forbidden to apply any test that undermines the integrity of the applicants.
• Take into account the brevity, simplicity and clear ideas on the part of the candidates who aspire to a position.

3. Expert report

This type of report can be used by psychologists in various fields (criminal law, civil law, labor law, military law and canon law).

When making an expert report, the psychologist must take into account who is going to be addressed, because it is a very relevant factor when writing it. depending on the quality, quality and quantity of the information collected in it (For example, a prosecutor or a judge will require as much information as possible to provide; while a lawyer will only demand that information that he needs based on the role that he is going to play in the trial, depending on whether he acts on the defense or prosecution side).

Below we will expose the different sections that should be included in an example of a psychological expert report:

• Identification of the psychologist.
• Court data.
• The confidentiality of the report must be indicated.
• Affiliation of the informed.
• Details of the person who has requested the report and the reasons for the request.
• Facts that have been reported.
• Documentation of the summary that has been consulted at the time of making the report.
• Questions that have been made to the expert.
• Interviews carried out.
• Brief anamnesis of the evaluated subject.
• Current psychopathological examination of the evaluated subject.
• Exploration through psychometric tests.
• Results and their corresponding comment.
• Conclusions and interferences of interest.
• Annexes.

In the expert reports, it should be noted that the conclusions reached have very relevant and serious repercussionsTherefore, this type of report is a great responsibility for the psychologists who carry it out, since the information developed in them can be key in a criminal process.

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4. Traffic and safety report

These types of reports are those made by psychologists who They work in the medical examination centers of drivers who aspire to have a driving license or who come to renew it.

In the case of driving licenses, the following requirements must be taken into account to grant the driving license to the person evaluated, and these are a series of psychophysical aptitudes that the psychologist must evaluate through the appropriate tests, these aptitudes being the following:

• Visomotor coordination.
• Estimation of movement.
• Practical intelligence.
• Time of multiple reactions.

In these centers they are also carried out for those people who come to obtain or renew the license of possession and the use of firearms, the possession of potentially dangerous animals or the possession of the boat title of playtime.

5. Educational report

These types of reports are used in a psychoeducational evaluation context in order to identify the educational needs of the students of the center in which it is carried out that they have some type of difficulty in development or that they may have difficulties at the level of the school curriculum or any other reason.

Therefore, the purpose of this report is to provide the student with a series of recommendations to be able to progress in the development of their capacities or to guide the student in a series of decisions regarding the options that are presented to him in the future to continue his studies.