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Counseling at Webster University Library

Introduction to counseling tests and measures

In the field of counseling, tests and measures play an important role in assessing various aspects of an individual’s psychological and emotional well-being. These tools help professionals gather objective data to understand their clients better, identify areas of concern, and track progress over time.

This page is intended to help you identify the tests and other instruments you might use in clinical practice or for other research with the field.

About tests and measures

Tests and measures are often broken up into two categories:

  • Non-commercial ("unpublished")- instruments usually found in books, journal articles, dissertations, etc. While most do not require purchase, they may still be protected by copyright law. Researchers should seek permission for use unless permission has been explicitly granted.
  • Commercial ("published")- instruments usually licensed for use by a specific publisher and require purchase. Beware of unauthorized versions on the Internet.

View Webster University's Institutional Review Board to make sure all required procedures and policies are followed when using tests in your research.

Commercial or published tests

Databases for finding research

Databases are a good source for finding information about tests in a particular subject areas like business, nursing, counseling, and education. Listed below are some helpful databases for finding tests as well as a link to the Library's comprehensive list of databases.

Some databases have special fields set aside for recording tests used in a study. You may search the field by entering either the name of a test or the topic the test is about. View examples of how to search for specific tests on this page. 

APA PsycInfo search for tests

PsycInfo search for Tests and Measurements