Psychosexual Evaluation

Sexuality is a broad and unique spectrum comprised of an individual’s interests, attitudes, behaviors, and, in some cases, non-normative conduct. Clients participating in a psychosexual evaluation will be asked a number of questions about their sexual experiences beginning in childhood through the present. The clinical interview will include discussions about healthy and unhealthy sexual interests, arousal, and behaviors. For clients who have been charged or convicted of a criminal offense of a sexual nature, questions may be posed regarding this conduct. The clinical interview will be supplemented by a thorough review of available records.

Psychological testing is used to supplement the information gathered during the clinical interviews and collateral record review. Psychological testing offers information about personality, cognitive, and intellectual functioning that cannot be gathered through an interview or a record review. The data gleaned through psychological testing is used to inform recommendations about treatment needs and the overall clinical formulation. The specific battery of measures to be administered is determined by the evaluator on an individual basis.

A risk assessment attempts to predict the likelihood that a client will engage in a specific behavior or set of behaviors. When evaluating risk of sexual offending, the two types of risk assessment tools most commonly utilized include the following: static, meaning unchangeable, historical factors that put someone at risk of engaging in a certain behavior, and dynamic, meaning changeable factors that put someone at risk of engaging in a certain behavior. The role of risk assessment within the psychosexual evaluation is to present the likelihood that a client could commit a sexual or non-sexual offense in the future. The assessment of risk should be considered in conjunction with the treatment recommendations, as these interventions are aimed at managing and, ideally, reducing the client’s risk of problematic sexual conduct by recognizing static risk factors and addressing dynamic risk factors.

The information gathered during clinical interviews, psychological testing, risk assessment, and collateral record review are used to inform individualized treatment recommendations. The evaluation will outline the type and intensity of recommended treatment interventions, as well as specific treatment objectives informed by applicable dynamic risk factors and other factors identified through psychological testing. The evaluation will also identify the client’s personal strengths and protective factors that will benefit the client’s treatment progress.

Psychosexual evaluations are most often conducted secondary to a referral from the legal system, either through a court order or at the request of prosecuting or defense attorneys. Psychosexual evaluations may be utilized to assist with trial strategy, sentencing decisions, sex offender registration status, or to consider the client for civil commitment as a Sexually Violent Predator (SVP). In other cases, the psychosexual evaluation may be requested by a social service agency for the purpose of identifying appropriate resources. Finally, sex offender treatment providers may request psychosexual evaluations as a guide for treatment and to promote meaningful engagement with the treatment process. Regardless of the referral source, the psychosexual evaluation should be recognized for its role in promoting public safety and assisting the client to manage their own risk.

Psychosexual evaluations are highly comprehensive and incorporate many sources of information. The comprehensive clinical interview can typically be completed in several hours across one to two days. Psychological testing may take one day or several days depending upon the specific battery of tests to be completed. Record review and contact with collateral sources can also take varying lengths of time. Every effort will be made to complete and submit the evaluation within 14 calendar days of the conclusion of the clinical interviewing and psychological testing processes. Reports may be expedited if clearly communicated at the outset of the evaluation process.