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It’s great to be back in podcasting world! After a 4-5 week break from podcasts, I’m happy to return and be talking about managing difficult behavior in the testing room. Working primarily with kids means sometimes running into defiance, anxiety, hyperactivity, or just silliness while testing. I learned a lot in grad school about administering and scoring tests with kids, but not much about how to actually interact with kids during the testing process. Spoiler: I tend to be a lot looser and “go with the flow” than the testing manuals specify. In this episode, I talk all about…
- How to prepare kid clients for testing (i.e., “You’re not going to get any shots today”)
- How to set a positive tone for testing from the very beginning
- How to ease anxiety during the testing process
- How to “gamify” the testing day
- Rewards to motivate good behavior during testing
- What to do if kids are just melting down
- Strategies to gauge gross motor skills AND liven up the testing process
About Dr. Jeremy Sharp
Jeremy Sharp, PhD is a licensed psychologist and Clinical Director at the Colorado Center for Assessment & Counseling, a private practice that he founded in 2009 and has grown to include five other clinicians. He earned his undergraduate degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina before getting his Master’s and PhD in Counseling Psychology from Colorado State University. These days, Jeremy specializes in psychological and neuropsychological evaluation with kids and adolescents.
As the host of the Testing Psychologist Podcast, Dr. Sharp provides private practice consulting for psychologists and other mental health professionals who want to start or grow psychological testing services in their practices. Jeremy lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife (also a therapist) and two young kids.
Ready to grow your testing services? Click below to schedule a complimentary 30-minute pre-consulting call!