Conducting a Psychosocial Assessment

A psychosocial perspective to conducting a clinical assessment is unique to the profession of social work. Its primary focus is on contextualizing the person being assessed. History, current situation, and the person's value system determined by environmental factors are key elements to making formulations about an individual (strengths and weaknesses). The contextualization of the individual also is particularly suited to determining what interventions are likely to produce the greatest benefits in a timely manner.

Psychosocial assessments are analogous to a documentary description of an individual's life which is then used to explain that person's current functioning. Formulations about an individual, a couple or family, derived from this theoretical perspective, inform extremely well a court sentencing determination, child welfare court proceedings, physical rehabilitation treatment plans, parenting plan court proceedings, and treatment plans in general to name just a few applications.