The 10 types of psychological report (and their characteristics)

A summary of the types of psychological reports and how they are prepared and used in the profession.

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 be able to perform his profession with solvency, since in many cases the psychological report will be the one that will set the guidelines to be followed by both the psychologist and his consultants.

A psychological report is an instrument used in psychology in order to expose a series of results obtained through a psychological evaluation of a person in different contexts (clinical, human resources, educational, expert and road safety). All of them must contain all the information gathered by the psychologist during the evaluation process.

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

What are the main types of psychological report?

There are various types of psychological report, being divided according to various causes: according to the medium of transmission (oral or written report); according to the objective and purpose of the assessment (assessment, selection or orientation or intervention report); 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 us see what they are.

The first principle to be followed in the preparation of a psychological report is that things should be explained as briefly as possible, without beating around the bush.The second principle to follow is that the report should be written in such a way that those who read or listen to it can understand it without difficulty.

The second principle to follow is not to use too many technical terms in order to appear more professional or even scientific, so it is best to use simple language to facilitate understanding of the report by those to whom it is addressed.

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

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

Types of psychological report according to the means of transmission.

We will now explain the different types of psychological reports classified according to their means of transmission, there being two fundamental means: oral and written.

Oral or verbal report

This is one of the types of psychological report that is used in the form of a a return interviewIn this type of report, the information obtained about the person being evaluated is given back to him/her in a structured manner.

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

• To provide the evaluated subject with a professional explanation of the causes for which he/she has been evaluated.
• To help the person being evaluated to understand his problem and to teach him how he can manage or control it.
• In the clinical setting, this report is also used to negotiate how their psychological treatment will be.

2. Written report

The written report usually is used as a complement to the oral report to facilitate clarification and to make any clarifications deemed necessary with respect to the oral report.. Therefore, the principles to be followed in the oral report should also be taken into account when making a written report.

One aspect to take into account is that when psychological terms are used in any report, they should be detailed in such a way that the patient understands what the psychologist is referring to, since patients often use psychological terms in an erroneous way. In this way misunderstandings between the psychotherapist and the patient can be avoided.

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

Types of psychological report according to the purpose of the evaluation

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

1. Psychological evaluation report

This psychological report is used for the purpose of making a subsequent diagnosis.This report must include the explanation of the diagnosis in a clear and precise way so that the patient to whom it is addressed can understand it without difficulties, as well as a series of recommendations for the corresponding psychological treatment that he/she should receive to achieve an improvement or a change.

2. Selection or orientation report

The main objective of this type of psychological report consists of propose to the person being evaluated a profession or professions for which he/she could be more suitable, based on his/her demonstrated aptitudes and taking into account his/her personal preferences and interests in this respect. and having taken into account his or her personal preferences and interests in this respect.

Another objective of this type of reports would be to provide the evaluated subject with the final conclusion with the explanation of the reasons why he/she has been accepted or not to perform a certain job position to which he/she aspires, the reason for which he/she has been evaluated.

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

3. Intervention report

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

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

According to the context in which it is applied, there can be 5 types of psychological report, as we will apply below.

1. Clinical report

Clinical reports are the most common in psychology.A high percentage of psychology graduates opt for the two variants that exist in Spain to be able to provide psychological therapy to patients: taking the PIR (psychologist in residence) exam to work in the hospital environment or taking a master's degree in general health psychology (MPGS), which are taught in both public and private universities, whose purpose is to enable psychologists to provide psychological therapy in the private sector (e.g., psychology offices).

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

The following is an example of a clinical report, which is the clinical report proposed by the Center of Applied Psychology of the Autonomous University of Madrid. has the following sections:

• Personal data of the patient or consultant.
• Number and name of the psychologist.
• Details of the center or institution where it is carried out.
• Date of the beginning and end of the evaluation.
• Summarized description of the patient's request.
• Evaluation instruments and areas that have been evaluated.
• Results obtained and conclusions.
• The diagnosis according to DSM-5 can be added in the conclusions section, if relevant.
• Treatment objectives, previously condensed with the patient.
• The psychological intervention proposal.
• Informed consent, having been clarified with the patient.
• Date of issuance, along 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, whichever one is chosen, keep in mind that this one should help the psychologist to organize all the necessary information about the patient and the necessary information about the patient and the situation that has brought him/her to the consultation in order to provide the most appropriate treatment in his/her particular case.

2. Screening report

This type of report are usually used by psychologists working for a company in order to evaluate applicants for job vacancies that are being offered.. It is also common for this type of report to be carried out by military psychologists in the army for prospective soldiers. These reports serve as a screening to select a certain number of applicants for the final phase of the selection process where they will have to undergo other tests (e.g. medical examination).

In these types of psychological reports a number of principles must be taken into account:

• Respect the privacy of the candidate being evaluated.
• Evaluate aptitudes and characteristics of the applicants within legal margins.
• The information in the report must be kept safe under the responsibility of the psychologist and the company.
• It is forbidden to apply any test that undermines the integrity of the applicants.
• Keep in mind 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 writing an expert report, the psychologist must take into account to whom the report is addressed, since this is a very relevant factor when drafting the report. 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, while a lawyer will only require the information he/she needs according to the role he/she will play in the trial, depending on whether he/she is acting on the side of the defense or the prosecution).

Below are 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 person.
• Data of the person who has requested the report and the reasons for the request.
• Facts that have been denounced.
• Documentation of the summary that has been consulted at the time of making the report.
• Questions asked to the expert.
• Interviews carried out.
• Brief anamnesis of the evaluated subject.
• Current psychopathological exploration of the evaluated subject.
• Exploration by means of psychometric tests.
• Results and corresponding commentary.
• Conclusions and interferences of interest.
• Annexes.

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

4. Traffic and safety report

This type of report is carried out by psychologists that work in the medical examination centers for 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 in order to grant the driving license to the person being evaluated, and these are a series of psychophysical aptitudes that the psychologist must evaluate by means of the appropriate tests, these aptitudes being the following:

• Visuomotor coordination.
• Movement estimation.
• Practical intelligence.
• Multiple reaction time.

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

5. Educational report

This type of report is used in the context of psycho-educational evaluation. in order to be able to identify the educational needs of the students of the center where it is carried out in which it is carried out that have some type of difficulty in the development or that may have difficulties at the level of 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 abilities or to guide the student in a series of decisions regarding the options that are presented to them in the future to continue their studies.