It is not unusual for the court to require youths to submit to psychological testing in order to gather information and make decisions which will assist a youth in benefiting from his or her experience with the court system. There are three levels of testing used by the court.

Level I Assessment consists of a clinical interview. Questions to be answered in a Level I Assessment include the following:

• Does this person need therapy?
• If so, how can this person benefit from therapy?
• If not, give an explanation.
• If they can benefit, what is the recommended treatment plan?

Expected time for a Level I Assessment is 1 hour.

Level II Assessment should include the same information in Level I and should also include the following:

• An actuarial test (e.g., Millon, MMPI or Hilson Adolescent Profile; for younger youths, other tests may be substituted)
• An I.Q. range (e.g., Shipley, Slossen)
• A clinical interview with DSM-IV diagnosis
• Treatment Recommendation

Expected time for a Level II Assessment is 2-4 hours.

A Level III Assessment consists of the same information in a Level II and also includes the following:

• Projective Testing (e.g., TAT, Sentence Completion, Drawings, Rorschach)
• An ADHD Evaluation/Screen
• More specific intelligence testing if indicated (e.g., WISC)

Expected time for a Level III assessment is 4-6 hours.

Any licensed therapist in Kansas or Missouri is qualified to complete a Level I assessment.  A Level II may be completed by a master's level psychologist.  Only a licensed Ph.D. psychologist may complete a Level III assessment. We suggest client's begin their search by contacting their insurance provider.

If you have questions regarding psychological testing, please contact your supervising officer.