First Friday Forum: A Brief Introduction to Therapeutic Assessment

This program will be held virtually via Zoom. Details with instruction on how to view the webinar will be sent to all registrants the day before the program (1/4).

Program: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. This session is at the intermediate level and is designed for psychologists and other mental health professionals.

Friday Forums are cosponsored with the Metropolitan State University Psychology Department.

About the Program:
Therapeutic Assessment (TA) was developed by Stephen Finn, Ph.D., and his colleagues, and it is the most well-structured and researched of the Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment approaches. TA is a highly individualized and collaborative approach to psychological assessment that often leads to growth for clients. Participants will come to understand the core values of TA and the interpersonal stance that contributes to the successful application of the model. Key concepts related to TA will be presented, and common psychological tests used in the model will be introduced. Participants will be exposed to the different steps that are part of the Adult TA model and come to appreciate how to develop questions to be answered through testing, and how to explore test results to build client insight. As the steps of the model are explained, clinical vignettes, including video and test data, will illuminate the application of this approach. Participants will be given some key takeaways about the model and steps they can use to enhance client care. 

This program qualifies for 3.0 continuing education credits. Attendees must attend entire session to gain credit. Registration fee includes access to live webinar, program agenda, program PowerPoint, and continuing education certificate. 

Participants will be able to:

1. List and describe the different steps in the adult Therapeutic Assessment model.
2. Implement basic skills for identifying client’s Assessment Questions (AQs).
3. Describe the values and skills necessary for conducting an Extended Inquiry following standardized testing and begin to use 2-3 of these skills with clients.
4. Organize a Summary/Discussion Session following TA principles and guidelines.

About the Presenter:

Raja David, Psy.D., LP, ABPP is the founder and owner of the Minnesota Center for Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment and on faculty at the Therapeutic Assessment Institute (TAI). He received his Doctorate in Psychology (PsyD) at the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology and is board-certified in Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology (ABPP). He took part in intensive training on TA with the model’s creator, Dr. Stephen Finn, in Austin, Texas. Raja holds certification in the adult model of TA and in 2022 was invited to join the TAI Board of Directors and take over editorship of the TAI professional newsletter, The TA Connection. Raja routinely teaches and writes about TA. He is a co-author of the primary book on TA, Assessment with Adults: Using Psychological Testing to Help Clients Change (Routledge, 2022). In 2020, he authored a chapter on conducting the initial TA session for the Oxford Handbook of Personality and Psychopathology Assessment, 2nd Ed. (2021; J. Mihura Editor), and in 2021 published Virtual Delivery of Therapeutic Assessment: An Empirical Case Study in the Journal of Personality Assessment. Raja was an Assistant Professor and Program Dean at the MN School of Professional Psychology, and he developed a doctoral-level course on TA which he most recently taught at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN. He has presented at professional conferences on TA and was a plenary speaker at the 2015 and 2021 International Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment Conference. Raja has trained hundreds of clinicians on TA and routinely provides consultation to clinicians and mental health centers looking to implement the model.

The speaker has indicated a conflict of interest to report, Raja David, Psy.D., LP, ABPP, receives royalties from the Therapeutic Assessment book he co-authored. Raja David, Psy.D., LP, ABPP earns money from consultation and training in Therapeutic Assessment through his practice. 

The Minnesota Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Minnesota Psychological Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS:  If you need disability related accommodations to make this event accessible, please contact the Metropolitan State University Center for Accessibility Resources, 651-793-1549, or [email protected].  

Registration Pricing: