Therapist’s Toolkit: 7 Prebuilt Mental Health Assessments You Can Trust

Running mental health assessments can be time-consuming and prone to error when using outdated or unvalidated tools. Therapists often struggle with unclear scoring systems, inconsistent formats, or a lack of clinical reliability. This can lead to misdiagnosis, reduced client trust, and inefficiencies in the treatment process.

BlockSurvey offers validated mental health assessments that are research-backed, easy to use, and clinically sound. These Prebuilt templates save you a lot of time. Each assessment comes with clear interpretation guidelines, automatic scoring, and secure data collection. This ensures therapists get accurate insights quickly while maintaining client privacy and confidence.

Read on to learn about each of the seven mental health assessments in detail.

Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory – Revised (OCI-R)

Purpose: The Obsessive Compulsive Inventory assesses the severity and type of symptoms related to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder across domains like washing, checking, and more.

Why use it in therapy:

• Helps identify the presence and pattern of obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
• Tracks changes in OCD symptom severity across therapy sessions.
• Assists in planning exposure-based or CBT interventions.

When to use it: Use when a client shows signs of compulsive rituals, persistent intrusive thoughts, or significant distress related to control and cleanliness.

Target Population: Adolescents and adults experiencing symptoms suggestive of OCD.

Possible Outcomes:

Outcomes
Unlikely to have clinically significant OCD symptoms
Likely presence of OCD; consider professional consultation

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Brief Irritability Test (BITe)

Purpose: The Brief Irritability Test measures levels of irritability, providing a quick snapshot of emotional volatility in daily life.

Why use it in therapy:

• Useful for diagnosing mood disorders with an irritability component (e.g., depression, anxiety).
• Supports behavioral regulation plans in anger or stress management therapy.
• Helps track emotional reactivity over time.

When to use it: Use when clients report frequent frustration, anger outbursts, or interpersonal conflict.

Target Population: Adults and older adolescents experiencing mood instability or emotional regulation issues.

Possible Outcomes:

Outcomes
Low irritability
Moderate irritability
High irritability

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Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)

Purpose: The Patient Health Questionnaire is a widely used screening tool to measure the presence and severity of depressive symptoms over the past two weeks.

Why use it in therapy:

• Helps in diagnosing depression and determining its severity.
• Standardized tool used in both clinical and research settings.
• Allows therapists to monitor client progress over time.

When to use it: Use at intake or during ongoing sessions when depression is suspected or to track therapeutic response.

Target Population: Adults and adolescents aged 12+ experiencing depressive symptoms.

Possible Outcomes:

Outcomes
Minimal Depression
Mild Depression
Moderate Depression
Moderately Severe Depression
Severe Depression

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Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)

Purpose: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale screens for postnatal depression and emotional distress in mothers during the postpartum period.

Why use it in therapy:

• Supports early identification of postpartum depression.
• Encourages open conversation around maternal mental health.
• Provides direction for therapy or referral for medical intervention.

When to use it: Use during postnatal checkups or when new mothers show signs of emotional overwhelm, detachment, or hopelessness.

Target Population: Postpartum women, typically within the first year after childbirth.

Possible Outcomes:

Outcomes
Mild Depression
Moderate Depression
Severe Depression

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Rumination Response Scale (RRS)

Purpose: The Rumination Response Scale evaluates the tendency to engage in repetitive negative thinking in response to stress or sadness.

Why use it in therapy:

• Helps uncover cognitive patterns linked to depression and anxiety.
• Guides mindfulness or cognitive-behavioral interventions.
• Useful for clients stuck in loops of overthinking or self-blame.

When to use it: Use when clients exhibit persistent overanalysis, worry, or difficulty shifting focus from distressing thoughts.

Target Population: Adolescents and adults prone to internalizing behaviors or depressive symptoms.

Possible Outcomes:

Outcome
No cutoffs. Higher scores indicate greater levels of rumination.

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Procrastinatory Cognitions Inventory (PCI)

Purpose: The Procrastinatory Cognitions Inventory identifies the cognitive distortions and self-critical thoughts that contribute to procrastination.

Why use it in therapy:

• Reveals maladaptive thought patterns that fuel avoidance behaviors.
• Supports intervention with cognitive restructuring or behavioral activation.
• Tracks mindset shifts as therapy progresses.

When to use it: Use when clients struggle with task initiation, perfectionism, or avoidance due to fear of failure.

Target Population: Teens, college students, and adults facing chronic procrastination in academic, work, or personal settings.

Possible Outcomes:

Outcomes
Rarely experiences procrastinatory thoughts
Occasionally experiences procrastinatory thoughts
Frequently experiences procrastinatory thoughts
Very frequent procrastinatory thoughts

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Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)

Purpose: The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire measures how individuals typically regulate their emotions using strategies like suppression and cognitive reappraisal.

Why use it in therapy:

• Identifies dominant emotional regulation styles that may hinder or help functioning.
• Aids in teaching healthier coping mechanisms.
• Helps evaluate readiness for techniques like DBT or mindfulness.

When to use it: Use during sessions focused on emotional control, relationship issues, or stress response.

Target Population: Adults and older adolescents working on emotional awareness and regulation.

Possible Outcomes:

Outcomes
Low use of the Emotion Reappraisal strategy.
Moderate use of the Emotion Reappraisal strategy.
High use of the Emotion Reappraisal strategy.

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How to Communicate Mental Health Assessment Findings to Clients?

Reduce Mental Stigma: Reinforce that mental health challenges are common and treatable. Communicate that the assessment is one of many tools that help you better support them.

Lead With Compassion, Not Clinical Labels: Begin the conversation by affirming the client’s courage in participating in the assessment. Let them know the results are meant to guide support, not label them. Establish a non-judgmental tone before diving into mental health scores or categories.

Speak Human, Not Diagnostic: Avoid clinical mental assessment jargon. Instead of saying, “Your PHQ-9 score is 16, indicating moderately severe depression,” say, “Your answers suggest you're experiencing a significant amount of distress, which is common and treatable.”

Turn Insights to Healing: Frame the mental health assessment as a starting point: “Based on this, we can explore some tools or strategies to manage what you’re going through.” This shifts the focus from diagnosis to healing.

Foster Two-Way Dialogue: Invite the client to share their reaction and ask questions. Co-create the next steps, so they feel empowered and involved in their mental health journey.

Conclusion

These 7 prebuilt and validated mental health assessments offer therapists reliable, research-backed tools to better understand and support their clients. By streamlining the diagnostic process and ensuring accuracy, they allow more time for meaningful intervention.

Whether you're addressing depression, OCD, or emotional regulation, these assessments from BlockSurvey empower informed, compassionate care. Try BlockSurvey today.