Planning the Assessment Process

Planning assessment as part of the rehabilitation counseling process is an important step in providing the individual with critical information that can be used to establish relevant goals, outcomes, and promote self-exploration. In this chapter, the important elements of the planning process are discussed with an underlying assumption that assessment is part of the overall rehabilitation counseling process. With this assumption as a basis, this chapter begins with a brief discussion on how the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) can be used to provide a structure to plan assessment and how process variables such as stages of change (SOC), motivational interviewing (MI), and working alliance (WA) can be used to help individuals engage in the assessment process. After briefly outlining the theoretical orientation issues related to test selection, the chapter discusses evaluating tests, test administration, interpretation of findings, and communicating test results.