Picture Card Sort Interview (PiCSI)©: The New Client-Centered Assessment for Young Adults
When clients come in for an OT evaluation session, they generally expect to exhibit their limitations and hear about what they need to improve. Being assessed can be stressful and disheartening. The PiCSI© provides a whole new assessment experience, one that is absolutely client-centered and adds unique and critical information to the OT evaluation.
Pictures open up imagination in ways that words alone simply can’t, and allow clients to communicate nonverbally. This pack of 50 full-color photo cards will help older teen and adult clients to reflect on and begin to communicate their hearts’ desires for full and interesting occupational lives.
The focus of the interview is on “What do you want and not want in your life.” It provides a unique exchange for many clients, because their hopes, goals and preferences are the only focus. They leave the session feeling hopeful and listened to, and you have a rich understanding of each client’s likes, dislikes, and sources of motivation.
The PiCSI will rapidly initiate a therapeutic alliance and communicate a respectful regard of the client as the ultimate driver of the OT process. Administration is enjoyable, and usually takes less than 45 minutes.
The OT Service Menu
The OT Service Menu is a communication tool to use when initiating services with youth and adults who want to achieve their transition goals for fulfilling lifestyles. It’s an effective means of educating clients and their families about the scope of your services, and helps them to imagine and prioritize what they want to achieve in OT.The key differences between this checklist and many others lie (1) in it’s wording, which communicates the client’s position as the driver of the work, and (2) it’s content, which includes a wide array of abilities and opportunities related to life after high school.The instructions state: Below are some examples of services that we can provide. Please consider each item, and check the items that apply to you. Then, indicate priority by checking high, medium, or low.Each item begins with: “I would like to…”
The focus is on the client’s preferences and wants, not on their problems or deficits. It is meant to frame and focus your work together, which will include evaluation and intervention.
There are 58 items divided into categories:
- Work (ex: I would like to… Learn about skills for jobs; Apply for jobs; Volunteer)
- Education (ex: I would like to… Choose a course of study or institution; Use a planner or calendar to stay organized)
- Living Skills (ex: I would like to… Live on my own; Cook my own hot meals)
- Social/Leisure (ex: I would like to… Find friends to hang out with; Have fun activities that I do in my free time)
- Citizenship (ex: I would like to… Become more involved in my community; Learn about my basic legal rights)
- Personal (ex: I would like to… Set goals for myself; Find a doctor who takes care of my health needs)
- Write-in options