Join the TAI

The Board of the Therapeutic Assessment Institute invites all professionals and graduate students to become active members of our vital, creative community of people interested in Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment. Read about membership benefits and join by clicking here.

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General donations to the TAI support costs of trainings, scholarships for students and new professionals to be trained in TA, and the development of training materials. All donations are tax deductible, as the TAI is recognized as a 501c3 organization by the US Internal Revenue Service. To make targeted donations for a specific project or purpose, please contact Dale Rudin.

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Upcoming Events

April

Relating across cultures: Strategies toward anti-racist assessment practice

May

An Introduction to Therapeutic Assessment

This two-day, 9-hour workshop is designed for professionals and graduate students interested in learning about the Therapeutic Assessment model developed by Stephen Finn and his colleagues. Therapeutic Assessment (TA) is a highly individualized and collaborative approach to psychological assessment that often leads to growth for clients. Participants...

Level 1 Certification Process

LEVEL 1 CERTIFICATION IN THERAPEUTIC ASSESSMENT

Rationale
In view of increasing interest in Therapeutic Assessment around the world, and the time and effort required for practitioners to become fully certified in TA, the Therapeutic Assessment Institute will now publish on our website a list of professionals who have demonstrated that they understand the principles and techniques of Therapeutic Assessment. We believe this list will help potential clients and referring professionals locate TA-informed clinicians in their geographical area. This new process will be called “Level 1 TA Certification” or “becoming a candidate for full TA certification.”

Eligibility and Exam Process
TAI members have the opportunity to take a 30-item online exam concerning the principles, research, and methods of Therapeutic Assessment with adults, adolescents, children, and couples. The fee for the exam is $45 USD, payable through PayPal. The exam is “open book,” i.e., you may consult articles, training materials, videos, etc., and in fact, we have created a list of resources you may use to prepare for the exam. Once you start the exam, you will have 4 days to complete it. Once you finish, you will be asked to sign a statement affirming that you have taken the exam on your own without help from another person. If you achieve a score of 90% (27 correct items) you have passed. If your score is lower, you may retake the exam immediately (with different items) at no charge. If you do not pass a second time, you must wait one month and pay the $45 exam fee before you try again (with the possibility of an immediate retest). There is no limit to the number of times you may take the exam.

Benefits
TAI members who have passed the Level 1 exam AND who are licensed as psychologists in at least one jurisdiction will be listed on the TAI website with their contact information, practice specialties, and the following statement:

“Candidates for Full TA Certification: The professionals listed below are members of the Therapeutic Assessment Institute and have demonstrated via an online exam that they have a basic knowledge of the principles and techniques of TA. You may contact these people for information about their services and about how they apply TA in their work. For a list of assessors who are fully certified in TA, see….”

One you have passed the exam, to retain your name on the website, you only have to renew your TAI membership each year. We will now require Level 1 certification for anyone seeking consultation from TAI faculty at the TAI member rates and for those people applying for full TA certification.

How to Take the Exam
Log in and go to the Members Area of the TAI website. There you will see a link on the Member Menu for Level 1 Certification Exam. Pay the $45 fee; then you will have access to the exam. You do not have to finish the exam all at once; you may begin, save your work, and finish later if you wish. Again, this is an open book exam, so feel free to consult whatever materials you want. But please do the exam on your own.

Resources to Prepare for the Exam

Aschieri, F., Fantini, F., & Smith, J. D. (2016). Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment: Procedures to enhance client outcomes. In S. Maltzmann (Ed.), Oxford handbook of treatment processes and outcomes in counseling psychology (pp. 241-269). New York: Oxford University Press.

Finn, S. E. (2007). In our clients’ shoes: Theory and techniques of Therapeutic Assessment. Mawah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Finn, S. E. (2015). Therapeutic Assessment with couples. Pratiques Psychologues, 21, 345-373.

Finn, S. E. (2016). Therapeutic Assessment with adults [DVD]. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Finn, S. E., Fischer, C. T., & Handler, L. (Eds.) (2012). Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment: A casebook and guide.Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Finn, S. E., & Martin, H. (2013). Therapeutic Assessment: Using psychological testing as brief therapy. In Geisinger, K. F. (Editor-in-Chief.), APA handbook of testing and assessment in psychology, vol. 2 (pp. 453-465). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Tharinger, D. J., Finn, S. E., Wilkinson, A. D., & Schaber, P. M. (2007). Therapeutic Assessment with a child as a family intervention: Clinical protocol and a research case study. Psychology in the Schools, 44, 293-309.

Tharinger, D. J., Gentry, L. & Finn, S. E. (2013). Therapeutic Assessment with adolescents and their parents: A comprehensive model. In D. Saklofske, C. R. Reynolds, & V. L. Schwean (Eds.), Oxford Press handbook of psychological assessment of children and adolescents (pp. 385-422). New York: Oxford University Press.

Most of these are available for download under the Resources section of the website.