The pre-employment psychological evaluation is part of the process of determining whether a public safety applicant (firefighter, police officer, dispatch, agent) is suited for the position. We provide these evaluations for appeal purposes or first opinions for agencies that do not provide this service on behalf of their agency. The purpose of this evaluation is solely to provide the hiring agency an opinion of suitability for the position.

The evaluation consists of two visits. On the first visit, you will complete a set of written psychological tests. This includes written questionnaires and standardized psychological testing. The first visit is typically completed between 2-4 hours. The second visit can be scheduled a few days later and consists of an hour-long in-depth oral 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 your oral interview, Dr. Vienna will review all the data and integrate it into a report that will be sent directly to the hiring agency. You will be provided your results via telephone or in the office at the completion of the report. Reports are typically completed within 3 days of the oral 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.

Dr. Vienna has met and is in compliance with POST CPE requirements for 2022.

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 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.
  • An hour-long psychological interview with the candidate.

Last, we will write a psychological report that integrates our findings and make a suitability determination. The report is sent directly to the hiring agency.

Contact our office in Glendora for more information about our approach to Police and Public Safety Pre-Employment Evaluations. Call us at (626) 709-3494.