A psychological evaluation is a structured examination that answers a defined question about how a person thinks, feels, and functions. Dr. Meghan Semenick, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, conducts psychological evaluations from Sandy, Utah, serving Salt Lake City and referral sources statewide.
Evaluations are commissioned for two broad reasons. A court, an attorney, an employer, or an agency needs a question answered that bears on a decision they must make. Or a person, a family, or a treating provider needs to know what is actually going on, because the answers given so far have not held. The methods overlap; what differs is the question, who receives the report, and what the report is permitted to say.
What a Psychological Evaluation Is
An evaluation is not a longer therapy session and it is not a diagnosis given at the end of an initial appointment. It is a separate piece of work with its own method: the referral question is defined first, the records that bear on it are reviewed, a clinical interview is conducted, standardized measures are selected because they speak to that question, and collateral information is gathered where it is authorized and available. The findings are then written up in a form the person who commissioned the evaluation can use.
The discipline of the exercise is that the question comes first. Measures are chosen to answer it rather than administered as a fixed battery, and the report addresses the question asked rather than offering a general impression of the person.
Psychological Evaluation, Assessment, and Testing
These three terms are used interchangeably in everyday speech, and the distinctions between them matter less than referring parties often fear. In practice, a psychological assessment and a psychological evaluation describe the same activity: a structured examination producing written findings. Psychological testing refers more narrowly to the standardized measures administered within that examination.
Testing on its own is rarely the answer to anything. A score is a data point, not a conclusion, and its meaning depends on the history, the interview, the collateral information, and the question being asked. An evaluation is what turns test data into findings that can support a decision.
Evaluations Available in Utah
The practice conducts evaluations across criminal, civil, juvenile and family matters, alongside diagnostic evaluations where the question is clinical rather than legal. Each has its own page setting out what it covers and what the report can and cannot address.
Evaluations prepared for criminal proceedings:
- Psychosexual evaluations and sexual violence risk assessment
- Violence and suicide risk assessment
- False confession and Miranda waiver evaluations
- Federal competency to stand trial evaluations
- Federal criminal responsibility evaluations
- Mitigation and sentencing evaluations
Evaluations for civil litigation and workplace decisions:
- Personal injury and claimed emotional injury evaluations
- Fitness for duty evaluations
- PTSD and trauma assessment
Evaluations for juvenile, family, and diagnostic questions:
- Juvenile forensic evaluations
- Parental fitness evaluations
- Diagnostic psychological evaluations for ages six and older
What the Process Involves
Most evaluations follow the same sequence, with the depth of each stage set by the question. The referral question is clarified first, in a consultation before any appointment is scheduled, because a question that is vague at the outset produces a report that is vague at the end.
A typical evaluation involves:
- A review of the records that bear on the question, gathered before the interview where possible
- A clinical interview covering relevant history
- Standardized measures selected for the referral question
- Collateral information where it is authorized and available
- A written report setting out method, findings, and their limits
How long this takes depends on records volume, the number of appointments the assessment requires, collateral availability, and any external deadline. Expedited scheduling may be available where a hearing date or a program deadline is fixed. Cost depends on scope, and fees are quoted in writing after an initial consultation.
The Report, and Who It Is For
The report states the referral question, the method used to answer it, the findings, and the limits of what those findings can support. It is written for the person who has to act on it, which in legal matters means a reader who is not a clinician.
In forensic work the client is the court or the retaining party rather than the person being evaluated, and no treatment relationship is formed. That is explained to the person being evaluated before the examination begins. In a diagnostic evaluation commissioned by an individual or a family, the person evaluated is the client and the report goes to them.
In either case the findings are reported as they are. An evaluation that could only ever have reached one conclusion is not an evaluation, and a report that will not survive scrutiny is of no use to the party who commissioned it.
Scheduling and Serving Utah
The practice is based in Sandy, Utah, about twenty minutes from downtown Salt Lake City and within reach of Provo, Ogden, and Park City. The location for an evaluation is arranged case by case rather than at premises open to visitors. Virtual appointments are available for consultation and for the portions of an evaluation where remote administration is appropriate, which allows referrals from counsel, courts, agencies, and families across the state.
Dr. Semenick is licensed in Utah, license number 12848919-2501.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a psychological evaluation and a psychological assessment?
In practice there is none. Both describe a structured examination that answers a defined question and produces written findings. Psychological testing refers more narrowly to the standardized measures used within that examination.
How long does a psychological evaluation take?
It depends on the question, the volume of records, how many appointments the measures require, and collateral availability. A timeline is given at consultation, and expedited scheduling may be available where a hearing or program deadline is fixed.
Who receives the report?
The party who commissioned the evaluation. In forensic matters that is the court or the retaining attorney rather than the person evaluated, and this is explained before the examination begins. In a diagnostic evaluation arranged by an individual or family, the report goes to them.
Do you conduct evaluations outside the Salt Lake City area?
Yes. The practice is based in Sandy and takes referrals from across Utah. The location for an evaluation is arranged case by case, and virtual appointments are available where remote administration is appropriate.
Can an evaluation be arranged without going through an attorney?
Diagnostic evaluations can be arranged directly by an individual, a family, or a treating provider. Evaluations prepared for a legal proceeding are ordinarily commissioned by counsel or ordered by a court, because the report's purpose and its recipient are set by that context.
Request a Case Consultation
If you are considering an evaluation and are not certain which one answers your question, a consultation before any referral is made is usually the fastest way to find out.
Reviewed by Dr. Meghan Semenick, Licensed Clinical Psychologist — Forensic & Trauma Psychological Services.
Utah license #12848919-2501