Online Introduction to R-PAS: Rationale, Administration, Coding, and Interpretation 

Donald J. Viglione, Ph.D., ABAP, Philip Keddy, Ph.D., 

and James H. Kleiger, PsyD, ABPP, ABAP

This 5-day online workshop by Donald J. Viglione, Ph.D., ABAP, Philip Keddy, Ph.D., and James H. Kleiger, PsyD, ABPP, ABAP, provides a thorough introduction to the administration, coding, and interpretation of the (R-PAS). It was developed to fulfill the needs for both (a) those with no previous Rorschach training or experience and also (b) those who are experienced clinicians and instructors who have training in previous Rorschach systems and want a thorough “hands-on” understanding of how to use R-PAS in applied practice or teach it to others. The workshop includes lecture, small group, and interactive experiences, case examples, introduction to case processing and support on r-pas.org, helpful support documents, and mention of some expected future revisions of R-PAS.

All participants should have an R-PAS Manual available during the workshop (The Rorschach Performance Assessment System, Administration, Coding, Interpretation and Technical Manual, by Meyer, Viglione, Mihura, Erard, & Erdberg, 2011). After registering for the workshop, participants will receive a 10% discount code so that they can order the Manual or other products at www.r-pas.org. In addition, all participants will receive two free protocol allocations, which allow you to code and process a protocol on r-pas.org, and one free Case-Based Interpretive Guide that you can attach to the protocol to facilitate clinical interpretation. One of these protocol allocations will be used for practice during the workshop, the other can serve for a live R-PAS case after the workshop.

Participants should register for a free account before the workshop. This account allows you to receive protocol allocations and an Interpretive Guide for the workshop. In addition, we will show you the site during the training to familiarize you with its features. Participants should also read Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of the R-PAS manual before attending. “Homework” assignments to enhance your learning experience are included. Finally, there will be a follow-up group consultation to address questions when using R-PAS after the workshop.

Comments from Previous Workshop Attendees 

• "I would absolutely recommend this program to others! This was worth every cent and the time commitment!"
• "Very clear, organized information, thoughtfully and knowledgeably presented."
• "Very helpful from basic introductory knowledge to complex aspects of administration, interpretation, and coding."
• "Clarity of presentation was great. Great guidelines for differentiation of various R-PAS variables."
• "This was a great training, and I will recommend it to my coworkers. Thank you very much!"

 

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Thursday (28^th)

1. List two reasons how the Rorschach task can helpfully complement self-report inventories.
2. Describe the rationale for developing R-PAS.
3. Describe the primary consideration when selecting variables to include in R-PAS.
4. List two of the main problems with using the Rorschach that R-PAS aimed to fix.
5. List two of the “Six Steps to Using R-PAS in Practice.”
6. Describe how to code one variable from each of the following: Location, Content, Object Qualities.

Friday (29^th)

1. Describe what “fit” and “frequency” mean regarding the empirical foundation for the R-PAS Form Quality tables.
2. Describe how to code one variable from each of these more complex coding categories: Determinant, Cognitive, and Thematic codes.
3. Explain how coding Oral Dependent Language differs from coding all other variables.
4. Demonstrate basic coding skills with practice examples from the manual and discuss challenges.
5. Describe the components of R-Optimized administration.

Saturday (30^th)

1. Describe the primary task when completing the Response Phase.
2. Identify the main goal of Clarification Phase questions.
3. Describe the main choice point for deciding if you need to ask a Clarification Phase question.
4. Describe the transformations from a raw score to a standard score for R-PAS norming.  
5. Demonstrate administration skills via small group practice.  

Tuesday (2^nd)

1. Describe two of the composite variables computed at the protocol level.
2. Describe two of the general principles for R-PAS interpretation.
3. Identify the key features that differentiate the Page 1 and Page 2 variables in the results output.
4. Describe the four procedural steps used for interpretation (“The 4 Ss”).
5. Describe the normative sample(s) used for the child & adolescent norms.

Wednesday (3^rd)

1. Demonstrate interpretation skills via a case interpretation.
2. List a benefit of showing the raw score values (i.e., underlying units) on the Profile Pages.
3. Identify when it may be beneficial to consider Complexity Adjusted scores for interpretation.
4. Describe the role of non-normed idiographic response information for informing interpretation.
5. Identify the two types of information provided for each variable in the Case-Based Interpretive Guide.

Course Outline, including time devoted to each topic:

SCHEDULE 

There will be two 30-minute breaks in each of the 5 sessions

Agenda:

Day 1 – Thursday (28^th) Intro, How R-PAS works, Coding (Times are Approximate)10:45 – 11:00 am:         The online meeting room opens; it would be wise to check in to make sure your system is set. 

11:00 am – 12:00 pm:      Background & Introduction to R-PAS
12:00– 12:45 pm              Begin 6 Step Overview of how R-PAS works
12:45 – 1:15 pm:              Break
1:15 – 3pm:                      Complete 6 Step Overview, Coding–Lecture
3:00 – 3:30pm:                 Break
3:30 – 5pm:                      Coding, continued.

“Homework” – Spend an hour coding Case 1 & Attend to Assessor’s Administration activity

Day 2 – Friday (29^th) Coding and Introduction to Administration

11:00 am – 12:45 pm:    Complete Coding Lecture
12:45 – 1:15 pm:            Break
1:15 – 3 pm:                   Administration (Video?) & Entering Codes on R-PAS.org               
3:00 – 3:30 pm:              Break
3:30 – 5 pm                    Breakout Groups Review Case 1 Coding, Explore Administration

“Homework” – Code Case 2 and Attend to Assessor’s Administration Activity

Day 3 – Saturday (30^th) Administration Part 2 – Clarification Phase, 

11:00 am – 12:45 pm:    Breakout Groups Review Case 2 Coding, Explore Administration
12:45 – 1:15 pm:            Break
1:15 – 3 pm:                   Counts & Calculations, Norms, R-PAS Summary Scores, and Profiles Interpretation – refer to Case 2  
3:00 – 3:30 pm:              Break
3:30 – 5 pm:                   R-PAS Summary Scores and Profiles Interpretation – refer to Case 2 

“Homework” Review Checklist for Initial R-PAS Administration document & Prepare questions  

Day 4 – Tuesday (2^nd)

11:00 am – 12:45 pm:    Full Group – Questions about Administration & Intro to Administration Exercise & Breakout Groups – Administration Exercise & Discussion
12:45 – 1:15 pm:            Break
1:30 – 3pm:                    Child Adolescent Administration, Norms, Interpretation 
3:00 – 3:30pm:               Break
3:30 – 5 pm:                   R-PAS Summary Scores and Profiles, Principles & Procedures of Interpretation – refer to Case 2

“Homework” – Review Quantitative (Summary Scores and Profiles, Page 1) and Qualitative

Interpretation (verbatim transcript) Information Summary from Day 5 Case 3 

Day 5 – Wednesday (3^rd)

11:00 am – 12:45 pm:    Research, Psychosis & Severity of Disturbance
12:45 – 1:15 pm:            Break
1:15 – 3 pm:                   Breakout Groups Day 5 Case 3 Interpretation & Interpretive Guidelines
3:00 – 3:30 pm:              Break
3:30 – 5 pm:                   Interpretation & Summarizing R-PAS Data for Reports.

Fees: The cost for the six days is $800. Students (40% off), university instructors (20% off), and clinical supervisors (10% off) may request a discount code prior to completing registration by contacting us at info@r-pas.org; students should submit proof of academic enrollment or an unofficial transcript, while instructors and supervisors should submit some documentation attesting to their role. Discounts are not available after registration is completed.

Cancellations: You may cancel and receive a full refund minus a $25 processing fee up to seven days before the event.

Continuing Education Credit:  Participants are eligible for 25.5 hours of continuing education credit. The program must be completed in its entirety with sign-in at the start of each session and sign-out at the end of each session in order to qualify for this credit (i.e., partial hours cannot be accommodated). CE Fee: There is an additional $30 charge to obtain a CE certificate. If you wish to receive CE, please select this option when registering.

This program is co-sponsored by Alliant International University and R-PAS. Alliant International University is approved by the American Psychological Association to Sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Alliant International University maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

 Skill Level of Participants: Beginning, no prior experience needed.

Online Attendance Tracking: Attendance will be tracked using the Zoom meeting activity report. When attendees sign into each day of the meeting, Zoom will track their sign in and out automatically. The attendee activity report will be generated at the conclusion of each day of training. Attendance during the day will be evident by tracking time logged in to the workshop through the webinar hosting software, as well as by participation in small group discussions, and full group question and answer sessions. At the conclusion of the training, we will submit this documentation to Alliant University.

Facilitators: 

Donald J. Viglione, Ph.D., ABAP, is a Distinguished Professor at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University where he has been a past director of both the Ph.D. and Psy.D. programs in clinical psychology. He is a co-author of the R-PAS and has more than 35 years of experience teaching the Rorschach, more than 100 publications, a test manual for a malingering test (Inventory of Problems-29, 2020), and a reference guide for scoring the Rorschach. His assessment research focuses on the Rorschach, but also includes work on malingering, trauma, violence, child, psychometric, and forensic issues.  He has offered Rorschach workshops internationally and is a Fellow of the Society for Personality Assessment.  He maintains a clinical and forensic assessment and consulting practice.

James H. Kleiger, Psy.D., ABPP, ABAP. A member of the R-PAS Research and Development Group, Dr. Kleiger served as Training Director of its Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, KS. While at Menninger, he completed his psychoanalytic training at the Topeka Institute for Psychoanalysis. After moving to Bethesda, MD, Dr. Kleiger served as President of the Washington Baltimore Society for Psychoanalysis and developed a private practice in psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, and psychological assessment. He has authored four professional books: Disordered Thinking and The Rorschach, 1999 (Analytic Press), followed by Assessing Psychosis, 2015 (Routledge, coauthored with Ali Khadivi), Rorschach Assessment of Psychotic Phenomena, 2017 (Routledge), and Psychological Assessment of Disordered Thinking & Perception, (APA Books, coedited with Irving Weiner). Also, underway is an APA volume entitled Psychological Assessment of Bipolar Spectrum Disorders, edited by Kleiger and Weiner. Dr. Kleiger published his debut novel, The 11th Inkblot (IP Books) in 2020 and continues to write psychologically-based fiction.

Philip J. Keddy, Ph.D., is an Adjunct Faculty member at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA, and has been teaching the R-PAS system there since 2011, the year it was released. In his independent practice he provides both therapy and assessment services, and he has over 30 years of experience with the Rorschach. Dr. Keddy has a chapter in the 2017 book, Using the Rorschach Performance Assessment book edited by Drs. Mihura and Meyer. He had another case study published in the Journal of Personality Assessment in 2010. Dr. Keddy has presented at annual conventions of the Society for Personality assessment, and at the 2014 meeting of the International Society for the Rorschach in Istanbul. He worked half-time in an adult outpatient alcohol and drug program for eleven years and maintained the APA Certificate of Proficiency in Substance Use Disorders from 1996 until 2018. Dr. Keddy has researched the concept of introversion/extraversion for Rorschach and Jung and is interested in the history of the Rorschach. Dr. Keddy recently completed a new translation of Rorschach’s book, Psychodiagnostics which is now available on the R-PAS website.