ABSTRACT
When a family assessment includes a standardized test battery, the assessment applies scientifically sound psychological instruments that have stood the test of time with practicing clinicians. Although most of these tests were originally developed to evaluate individuals, the instruments discussed in this chapter have considerable value with couples and families. This chapter will describe four well-known and highly regarded instruments for the process of couple and family evaluation. These tests are the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2, the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III, the Rorschach Inkblot Test, and the Kinetic Family Drawing Test. Then, it describes a seven-step clinical strategy for effectively utilizing these instruments in the process of assessing couples and families. Finally, it provides a detailed case example that illustrates the tests and the clinical protocol. This chapter reflects the basic orientation of A. Rodney Nurse’s Family Assessment: Effective Uses of Personality Tests With Couples and Families (1999).
