The pre-employment psychological evaluation is part of the process of determining whether a public safety or safety-sensitive position applicant (firefighter, police officer, dispatch, agent, social worker) is suited for the job. The purpose of this evaluation is solely to provide the hiring agency with an opinion of suitability for the position. We provide initial pre-employment psychological evaluations for our contracted public safety agencies (please call our office for a current list). We also provide appeal-based (second opinion) evaluations for those applicants applying with agencies we are not in direct contract with.
The evaluation consists of two parts. For the first part, applicants complete a set of written psychological tests. This includes written questionnaires and standardized psychological testing. This takes between 2-4 hours. The second part consists of an in-depth clinical interview. The applicant will have the opportunity to discuss their answers and explain any atypical responses. The interview will also cover areas of the applicant’s background, stress management, career goals, employment, family, and academic history, to name a few.
After the interview, the psychologists will review all the data and integrate it into a report that will be sent directly to the hiring agency for initial and appeal evaluations. Reports are typically completed within 48 hours of the interview. Common reasons for delays include wait times for prior evaluations or records. It is best for the applicant to request these as soon as possible to not delay the process. Providers require you to sign a release of information to have your records sent to another professional.
Drs. Hendrix and Vienna have met and are in compliance with POST CPE requirements for 2024.
Find frequently asked questions regarding pre-employment psychological evaluations by clicking here.
Contact Vienna Psychological Group
Our services are available for initial and appeal applicants. Evaluations are typically conducted every Monday and Tuesday. Call our office for updated availability and to check our list of contracted public safety agencies.
Our Approach
Our police and public safety psychological evaluations for appeal purposes assess a candidate’s suitability for the public safety position to which they applied (i.e., police officer, deputy, firefighter, etc.). Our evaluations follow the POST regulations and guidelines. It typically involves:
- A clinical interview with the applicant.
- A review of the job description and the hiring agency’s psychological evaluation.
- If applicable, a review of medical and mental health treatment records that help us have a better understanding of the candidate’s overall psychological functioning.
- If applicable and necessary, a review of military records.
- We will administer personal history questionnaires to help us have a better understanding of the candidate’s general background.
- We will administer psychological tests to objectively assess for mental health symptoms and disorders.
Last, we will write a report that integrates our findings and make a suitability determination. The report is sent directly to the hiring agency for both initial and appeal applicants.
Contact our office for more information about our approach to police and public safety pre-employment evaluations. Call us at (626) 709-3494 or email support@vpg-corp.com.
