What’s The Difference Between Clinical Evaluations and Forensic Evaluations?
Summary
Clinical evaluations and forensic evaluations are both medical procedures, but their purpose and referral sources differ. Here are some differences between these types of assessment.
Body
Understanding the difference between clinical and forensic evaluation requires you first to know what forensic and clinical psychology involves. Both clinical and forensic psychologists perform evaluative practices with their clients, but their ethical obligations are dissimilar. While clinical psychology consists of applying psychological research techniques, and principals in the treatment and analysis of human behavior, forensic psychology applies mental knowledge in making legal decisions. Below are some differences between clinical and forensic evaluations.
Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Who are the clients of clinical evaluations and forensic evaluation?
During the clinical evaluation of an adult, the individual under assessment becomes the client, but for a child’s assessment, the parent or guardian acts as the client. On the other hand, in a forensic evaluation, the retaining party, which is often an agency, court or attorney, becomes the client. Additionally, for clinical evaluation, the client receives their test results, but for a forensic assessment, the report, recommendation, and opinions get directed to the referral source.
Which are the referral sources for the evaluations?
More than often, clients who undergo clinical evaluations follow their doctor’s or therapists’ advice to do so mainly because they deem the exercise helpful to their health or that of their child. Conversely, individuals who undertake forensic evaluations receive an order to do so from a government agency or defendant attorney for legal purposes. However, in some cases, the request comes from employers who need test results to act as a pre-employment evaluation.
Confidentiality of the report and client relationship
Information provided during the clinical assessment and the test results delivered by psychologists to their clients is confidential. However, any information obtained during a forensic evaluation ordered by a court is not confidential, and in some instances, some courts post results of all forensic assessments on their websites. Additionally, psychologists issue results of forensic evaluations ordered by an employer to the referral source, which limits the confidentiality of the information.
During clinical evaluations, the psychologist plays a helping and support role to the client by trying to solve their medical problem. However, most forensic evaluations aim at solving legal matters or meeting particular legal conditions and regulations; thus, the psychologists only maintain an adversarial relationship with their clients.
Advancing your studies as a mental health professional will help you gain a better understanding of both clinical and forensic psychology then enable you to specialize. At Concept Continuing and Professional Studies at Palo Alto University, we custom design in-person and online post-graduate training on mental health for our clients then connect them with experts to train them on the relevant topics. Also, we provide our clients with education materials and interactive exercises they can apply in the real world. Purchase your training today.
