Tools for Practice Tuesday
Scalesandmeasures.net is a database of 1,480 health and mental health scales covering a variety of topics. I have found it helpful to find scales for clinical practice. Most appear to be on the public domain. Some are not in which case they will provide the link for purchase. It is user friendly although it is a little challenging using from a mobile phone.
As a social worker, I find scales helpful to give clients feedback. Sure there are times when scales are fairly transparent and clients will “tell you what you want to hear.” When a client answers honestly the feedback can be valuable. Sometimes just pulling a few questions from a scale can be helpful.
I had a 15 year old client self-rate ADHD symptoms (using the Vanderbilt Rating Scale) higher than both her teachers and her parents. The parent/teacher ratings were very high as well. This was a young lady who was highly against medication. Providing the feedback on this discrepancy helped her make an informed decision to take a stimulant medication. As a result her academic performance improved. The answer to lack of progress might be found on scalesandmeasures.net. Happy measuring 🙂
