As a psychologist who conducts psychological evaluations, I focus on providing concise, objective and comprehensive psychological evaluations that answers the referral party’s specific questions about an individual. Whether the referral party is an attorney who wants me to explore his/her client’s mental state at the time of a criminal offense or is interested in me exploring his/her client’s personality and mental health to assist with sentencing or plea negotiations, my approach to conducting an evaluation is always comprehensive. I gather information about an individual from different sources (e.g., clinical interview, collateral interviews, record review), so as to obtain different perspectives about the individual. I administer culturally and linguistically appropriate psychological testing instruments, taking into account the individual’s demographic information. I then compile all of the information that I have into a report that is written in a matter that is understandable and to the point. I believe that it is my responsibility to provide referral parties with comprehensive evaluations that are objective, concise and ethical.

I value diversity and feel it is important to consider each individual’s diversity variables to be able to ethically answer referral questions. For example, when evaluating Latino individuals, I consider relevant diversity factors/variables, such as level of acculturation, immigration experience, language preference, country of origin (because each Latin country is diverse) and level of education. Psychological testing is not always appropriate when tests have not been standardized with an individual’s specific, demographic characteristics. When I am not familiar with an individual’s Latin country of origin, I will educate myself about the culture by reading about the culture and research that might have been conducted with this particular Latin subpopulation. In addition, I will consult with fellow colleagues who are more familiar with the particular subpopulation in question.