Multimethod Assessment of PTSD in Psychological Injury Evaluations (1.5 CEs)

The presenters in this symposium will describe an evidence-based, multi-method approach to the evaluation of PTSD in psychological injury evaluations. Each presenter will describe the strengths and limitations of one method for testing rival hypotheses about the presence or absence of PTSD. Following a didactic presentation, each presenter will provide clinical data for the audience to consider. Combining didactic presentation with a problem-based learning approach, the presenters will engage the audience in considering what constitutes evidence for and against PTSD in personal injury evaluations. The first presenter will provide data from an open-ended interview and the Clinician Administered PTSD scale-5. The second presenter will discuss the data from the MMPI-2 and MMPI-3. The third presenter will discuss the data from the Rorschach Performance Assessment System. The presenters will utilize a problem-based learning approach in which data is presented to the audience without the presenter drawing ultimate conclusions about the presence or absence of PTSD. Instead of a discussant, the presenters will engage the audience to considering the evidence, emphasizing the reasoning process in forensic decision-making. At the end of this workshop, the learner will be able to: 1. Describe the elements of evidence-based assessment of PTSD in psychological injury evaluations; 2. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of various interview and assessment methods for evaluating PTSD in a multi-method test battery; 3. Identify key data points useful for testing rival hypotheses; and 4. Apply the principles of evidence-based, multi-method assessment to a forensic case.

Saul Rosenberg | University of California 

1. Describe what types of psychological tests are used in multi-method assessment.
2. Describe how multi-method assessment differs from assessments that are not multi-method.
3. Describe why a performance test like the Rorschach adds information that cannot be obtained from a self-report.