It is sound professional policy to allot a given amount of time to a client’s evaluation. Psychologists can estimate quite accurately how long a test will require to administer to your client. Pychologists cannot always estimate how long it will take to complete your client’s case history. This will depend upon the nature of the problem to be explored, the richness and depth of your client’s experience, and his/her intelligence level.

A case history is the most important part of an evaluation. Material derived from this exercise is the primary and sometimes the only source for baseline data. Childhood illnesses, early fears, family migration, grade school achievement, dating experiences, job experiences, and so on all provide the essential material for understanding the underpinnings of current functioning. The attorney should provide the psychologist with as much background material as he/she can obtain. This may include school records, medical charts, military records, employment records, and psychological records.

One of the most frequent questions asked of me in depositions is, “Doctor, did you do acase history?” ?Sometimes this question is used to establish whether I am meeting basic standardsof evaluation. More often, however, it is used to assess whether I have overlooked or not paid attention to an event in the person’s life history that my questioner deems is important to his/her argument. It is to your advantage that your expect witness be well prepared with background information and a thorough case history.