The use of drawing for psychological assessment in Britain: survey findings

The current study reports previously unpublished data on drawing as an assessment tool obtained from a survey of broader assessment practices of British clinical psychologists (Bekhit, Thomas, Lalonde, & Jolley, 2002). A questionnaire was completed by 158 clinical psychologists practising in Britain concerning their use of, and views about psychological assessment and the use of drawings in such assessment. The results were compared with those of a similar survey conducted in the United States by Lubin, Larsen, Matarazzo, and Seever (1985) and Watkins, Campbell, Nieberding, and Hallmark (1995). Drawing tests are used extensively by North American clinical psychologists despite controversy over their reliability and validity. In contrast, the current survey's results indicate that British clinical psychologists hardly ever use formal drawing tests, but approximately half of them reported using drawings as an informal assessment aid. The frequent but informal use of drawing as an aid to assessment by British psychologists is consistent with their overwhelming preference for clinical interviewing as opposed to formal testing in the psychological evaluation of their clients. The more widespread use of drawing tests by American clinicians is consistent with their greater willingness than their British counterparts to include projective testing in their assessments.