Problem solving and intervention design: Guidelines for the evaluation of technical adequacy

Psychologists make many types of decisions in professional practice (e.g., screening, diagnosis, classification, placement, treatment planning, progress monitoring), and these decisions represent the most fundamental level of analysis for the evaluation of technical adequacy. Research has suggested, however, that even the best available measures may not lead to reliable and valid decisions. To organize future research and the development of effective practices, the technical adequacy of the entire decision-making process requires scrutiny. The basic structure for decision making in professional psychology is problem solving. In this article, guidelines for evaluating the technical adequacy of that process are described. The guidelines highlight the interdependencies among assessment functions, subsumed by the goal of helping, and the role of structural factors (e.g., collaboration) in shaping the meaningfulness, appropriateness, and usefulness of the assessment-intervention process.