Free resources

The clinician's reference shelf

Open to everyone, no account needed: scoring manuals for 24 validated instruments, practical clinical quick-guides, and Canadian crisis resources.

Assessment scoring manuals

Administration time, scoring method, severity bands, clinical thresholds, and source citations for every instrument in the PsychApp library. All are free or public-domain measures.

Depression

PHQ-9Patient Health Questionnaire-99 items · 2-4 minutes›

Scoring

Sum of 9 items rated 0-3 over the last 2 weeks (range 0-27).

Clinical thresholds

10 or more is the common treatment threshold. Any endorsement of item 9 (self-harm) warrants direct risk assessment.

Interpretation bands

0-4	Minimal
5-9	Mild
10-14	Moderate
15-19	Moderately severe
20-27	Severe

Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2001). The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med, 16(9), 606-613.

PHQ-2Patient Health Questionnaire-22 items · under 1 minute›

Scoring

Sum of the first 2 PHQ-9 items rated 0-3 (range 0-6).

Clinical thresholds

3 or more: administer the full PHQ-9 and interview.

Interpretation bands

0-2	Negative screen
3-6	Positive screen

Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2003). The Patient Health Questionnaire-2. Med Care, 41(11), 1284-1292.

EPDSEdinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale10 items · 3-5 minutes›

Scoring

Sum of 10 items rated 0-3 over the past 7 days (range 0-30); several items reverse-anchored.

Clinical thresholds

13 or more indicates probable perinatal depression; 10-12 warrants re-screening in 2-4 weeks. Item 10 (self-harm) always requires direct review.

Interpretation bands

0-9	Low likelihood
10-12	Possible depression
13-30	Probable depression

Cox, J. L., Holden, J. M., & Sagovsky, R. (1987). Detection of postnatal depression: Development of the 10-item Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Br J Psychiatry, 150, 782-786.

Anxiety

GAD-7Generalized Anxiety Disorder-77 items · 1-3 minutes›

Scoring

Sum of 7 items rated 0-3 over the last 2 weeks (range 0-21).

Clinical thresholds

10 or more is the common clinical threshold; also screens reasonably for panic disorder, social anxiety, and PTSD at this level.

Interpretation bands

0-4	Minimal
5-9	Mild
10-14	Moderate
15-21	Severe

Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: The GAD-7. Arch Intern Med, 166(10), 1092-1097.

GAD-2Generalized Anxiety Disorder-22 items · under 1 minute›

Scoring

Sum of the first 2 GAD-7 items rated 0-3 (range 0-6).

Clinical thresholds

3 or more: administer the full GAD-7 and interview.

Interpretation bands

0-2	Negative screen
3-6	Positive screen

Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., Monahan, P. O., & Löwe, B. (2007). Anxiety disorders in primary care. Ann Intern Med, 146(5), 317-325.

Child & Youth

PSC-17Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 (parent report)17 items · 3-5 minutes (parent-completed)›

Scoring

17 items rated Never (0) / Sometimes (1) / Often (2); total 0-34 with internalizing (5 items), attention (5), and externalizing (7) subscales.

Clinical thresholds

Total 15+, internalizing 5+, attention 7+, or externalizing 7+ each flag a domain for full assessment. Ages ~4-17.

Interpretation bands

0-14	Negative screen
15-34	Positive screen

Gardner, W., Murphy, J. M., et al. (1999). The PSC-17: A brief pediatric symptom checklist with psychosocial problem subscales. Ambulatory Child Health, 5, 225-236.

CES-DCCenter for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale for Children20 items · 5 minutes (youth self-report)›

Scoring

20 items rated 0-3 over the past week; items 4, 8, 12, 16 reverse-scored; total 0-60.

Clinical thresholds

15 or more suggests significant depressive symptoms in ages 6-17; always follow with an interview.

Interpretation bands

0-14	Negative screen
15-60	Positive screen

Weissman, M. M., Orvaschel, H., & Padian, N. (1980). Children's symptom and social functioning self-report scales. J Nerv Ment Dis, 168(12), 736-740.

SCARED-5Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (5-item brief)5 items · 1-2 minutes (child or parent report)›

Scoring

5 items rated 0-2; total 0-10.

Clinical thresholds

3 or more indicates a probable childhood anxiety disorder; follow with the full 41-item SCARED (both informants).

Interpretation bands

0-2	Negative screen
3-10	Positive screen

Birmaher, B., et al. (1999). Psychometric properties of the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED): A replication study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry, 38(10), 1230-1236.

Trauma & Stress

PCL-5PTSD Checklist for DSM-520 items · 5-10 minutes›

Scoring

Sum of 20 DSM-5 PTSD symptom items rated 0-4 over the past month (range 0-80).

Clinical thresholds

31-33 is the provisional PTSD cut-point. A 5-10 point drop indicates reliable change; 10-20 points indicates clinically meaningful change.

Interpretation bands

0-30	Below provisional threshold
31-80	At or above provisional threshold

Weathers, F. W., et al. (2013). The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). U.S. National Center for PTSD.

PC-PTSD-5Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-55 items · under 2 minutes›

Scoring

5 yes/no items following a trauma-exposure gate (range 0-5).

Clinical thresholds

3 or more is the recommended general cut-point; follow positives with the PCL-5 and interview.

Interpretation bands

0-2	Negative screen
3-5	Positive screen

Prins, A., et al. (2016). The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5): Development and evaluation. J Gen Intern Med, 31(10), 1206-1211.

Substance Use

AUDITAlcohol Use Disorders Identification Test10 items · 2-4 minutes›

Scoring

10 items over the past year; items 1-8 scored 0-4, items 9-10 scored 0/2/4 (range 0-40).

Clinical thresholds

8 or more indicates hazardous drinking (some guidelines use 7 for women and adults over 65); 20 or more warrants evaluation for dependence.

Interpretation bands

0-7	Low risk
8-15	Hazardous use
16-19	Harmful use
20-40	Possible dependence

Saunders, J. B., Aasland, O. G., Babor, T. F., de la Fuente, J. R., & Grant, M. (1993). Development of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Addiction, 88(6), 791-804.

CAGECAGE Questionnaire4 items · under 1 minute›

Scoring

4 yes/no items on lifetime alcohol concerns (range 0-4).

Clinical thresholds

2 or more is the conventional threshold. Insensitive to hazardous but non-dependent drinking; pair with AUDIT when current consumption matters.

Interpretation bands

0-1	Below threshold
2-4	Clinically significant

Ewing, J. A. (1984). Detecting alcoholism: The CAGE questionnaire. JAMA, 252(14), 1905-1907.

ADHD & Bipolar

ASRS-6Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale v1.1, Part A6 items · 1-2 minutes›

Scoring

6 items rated Never to Very Often over 6 months; items 1-3 count at Sometimes or above, items 4-6 at Often or above (shaded-box method).

Clinical thresholds

4 or more items in the significant range: symptoms highly consistent with adult ADHD; proceed to full diagnostic evaluation with developmental history and collateral report.

Interpretation bands

0-3 significant items	Negative screen
4-6 significant items	Positive screen

Kessler, R. C., et al. (2005). The World Health Organization Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS). Psychol Med, 35(2), 245-256.

MDQMood Disorder Questionnaire15 items · 5 minutes›

Scoring

13 lifetime symptom items (yes/no), plus co-occurrence and impairment questions. Positive screen requires 7+ symptoms, co-occurrence, and at least moderate impairment.

Clinical thresholds

A positive screen calls for structured diagnostic assessment before treatment decisions, particularly before antidepressant monotherapy. Sensitivity is modest for bipolar II.

Interpretation bands

Criteria not met	Negative screen
7+ symptoms + co-occurrence + impairment	Positive screen

Hirschfeld, R. M. A., et al. (2000). Development and validation of a screening instrument for bipolar spectrum disorder: The Mood Disorder Questionnaire. Am J Psychiatry, 157(11), 1873-1875.

Distress & Functioning

DASS-21Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-2121 items · 5-10 minutes›

Scoring

Three 7-item subscales (Depression, Anxiety, Stress) rated 0-3 over the past week; subscale sums are doubled to match DASS-42 norms.

Clinical thresholds

Interpret each subscale separately; profiles matter more than the total.

Interpretation bands

D 0-9 / A 0-7 / S 0-14	Normal
D 10-13 / A 8-9 / S 15-18	Mild
D 14-20 / A 10-14 / S 19-25	Moderate
D 21-27 / A 15-19 / S 26-33	Severe
D 28+ / A 20+ / S 34+	Extremely severe

Lovibond, S. H., & Lovibond, P. F. (1995). Manual for the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (2nd ed.). Psychology Foundation of Australia.

K10Kessler Psychological Distress Scale10 items · 2-3 minutes›

Scoring

Sum of 10 items rated 1-5 over the past 4 weeks (range 10-50).

Clinical thresholds

25 or more is commonly associated with a diagnosable mood or anxiety disorder.

Interpretation bands

10-19	Low distress
20-24	Mild distress
25-29	Moderate distress
30-50	Severe distress

Kessler, R. C., et al. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychol Med, 32(6), 959-976.

WHODAS 2.0 (12-item)WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0, 12-item12 items · 5 minutes›

Scoring

12 items rated 0-4 over the past 30 days; simple sum 0-48 across six functioning domains.

Clinical thresholds

Use as a functional baseline and change measure alongside symptom scales; DSM-5 recommends WHODAS as its standing disability measure.

Interpretation bands

0-4	Minimal difficulty
5-9	Mild difficulty
10-19	Moderate difficulty
20-48	Severe difficulty

Üstün, T. B., et al. (2010). Measuring Health and Disability: Manual for WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0). World Health Organization.

PHQ-4Patient Health Questionnaire-44 items · under 1 minute›

Scoring

Sum of 4 items rated 0-3 (range 0-12); anxiety subscale = items 1-2, depression subscale = items 3-4.

Clinical thresholds

Either subscale at 3 or more is a positive screen for that domain — follow with the full PHQ-9 or GAD-7.

Interpretation bands

0-2	None to minimal
3-5	Mild
6-8	Moderate
9-12	Severe

Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2009). An ultra-brief screening scale for anxiety and depression: The PHQ-4. Psychosomatics, 50(6), 613-621.

Somatic Symptoms

PHQ-15Patient Health Questionnaire-1515 items · 3-5 minutes›

Scoring

Sum of 15 somatic symptom items rated 0-2 over 4 weeks (range 0-30).

Clinical thresholds

10 or more indicates clinically relevant somatic symptom burden; strongly comorbid with depression and anxiety.

Interpretation bands

0-4	Minimal
5-9	Low
10-14	Medium
15-30	High

Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. W. (2002). The PHQ-15: Validity of a new measure for evaluating somatic symptom severity. Psychosom Med, 64(2), 258-266.

Wellbeing & Self-Concept

WHO-5World Health Organization Five Well-Being Index5 items · under 2 minutes›

Scoring

5 items rated 0-5 over 2 weeks; raw score 0-25 multiplied by 4 gives a 0-100 percentage.

Clinical thresholds

50% or below triggers depression screening with a diagnostic instrument; a 10-point change is considered clinically relevant. Higher scores are better.

Interpretation bands

0-28%	Very low wellbeing
29-50%	Low wellbeing
51-100%	Good wellbeing

Topp, C. W., Østergaard, S. D., Søndergaard, S., & Bech, P. (2015). The WHO-5 Well-Being Index: A systematic review of the literature. Psychother Psychosom, 84(3), 167-176.

RSESRosenberg Self-Esteem Scale10 items · 2-3 minutes›

Scoring

10 items on a 4-point agreement scale; 5 items reverse-scored; sum 0-30. Higher scores are better.

Clinical thresholds

Below 15 suggests low global self-esteem, a useful transdiagnostic treatment target.

Interpretation bands

0-14	Low self-esteem
15-25	Normal range
26-30	High self-esteem

Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the Adolescent Self-Image. Princeton University Press.

SWLSSatisfaction With Life Scale5 items · 1-2 minutes›

Scoring

5 items on a 7-point agreement scale; sum 5-35. Higher scores are better.

Clinical thresholds

No clinical cut-off; interpret against the client's own baseline and goals.

Interpretation bands

5-9	Extremely dissatisfied
10-14	Dissatisfied
15-19	Slightly dissatisfied
20	Neutral
21-25	Slightly satisfied
26-30	Satisfied
31-35	Extremely satisfied

Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction With Life Scale. J Pers Assess, 49(1), 71-75.

BRSBrief Resilience Scale6 items · 1-2 minutes›

Scoring

6 items on a 5-point agreement scale; items 2, 4, 6 reverse-scored; interpret the MEAN (total ÷ 6).

Clinical thresholds

No pathology cut-off; use as a strengths measure and treatment target. Higher is better.

Interpretation bands

mean < 3.00	Low resilience
3.00-4.30	Normal resilience
> 4.30	High resilience

Smith, B. W., et al. (2008). The Brief Resilience Scale: Assessing the ability to bounce back. Int J Behav Med, 15(3), 194-200.

UCLA-3UCLA Loneliness Scale (3-item)3 items · under 1 minute›

Scoring

3 items rated 1-3; total 3-9.

Clinical thresholds

6 or more is the conventional threshold for classifying a respondent as lonely.

Interpretation bands

3-5	Lower loneliness
6-9	Lonely range

Hughes, M. E., Waite, L. J., Hawkley, L. C., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2004). A short scale for measuring loneliness in large surveys. Res Aging, 26(6), 655-672.

Clinical quick-guides

Mental Status Examination quick guideA structured walkthrough of the ten MSE domains with descriptor vocabulary.›

Appearance & behaviour

Note apparent vs. stated age, grooming, dress, hygiene, distinguishing features, eye contact, psychomotor activity (agitation or retardation), and rapport.

Useful descriptors: well-groomed, dishevelled, appears stated age, cooperative, guarded, restless, withdrawn.

Speech

Describe rate, rhythm, volume, and quantity: normal rate and tone, pressured, slowed, monotone, loud, soft, poverty of speech, mute.

Mood & affect

Mood is the client's subjective report, ideally quoted: "low", "anxious", "fine". Affect is what you observe: euthymic, dysphoric, anxious, irritable, elevated.

Qualify affect by range (full, restricted, blunted, flat), stability (stable, labile), and congruence with stated mood and content.

Thought process

How thoughts flow: linear and goal-directed, circumstantial, tangential, flight of ideas, loose associations, thought blocking, perseveration.

Thought content

What thoughts contain: preoccupations, worries, obsessions, overvalued ideas, delusions (persecutory, referential, grandiose), and always suicidal or homicidal ideation.

Perception

Hallucinations (auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory), illusions, depersonalization, derealization. Note whether the client is responding to internal stimuli.

Cognition

Orientation (person, place, time), attention and concentration, registration and recall, language, and abstraction. Screen formally (e.g. MoCA) when indicated.

Insight & judgment

Insight: the client's awareness of their condition and need for treatment (good, partial, limited, poor). Judgment: capacity for sound decisions, often evidenced by recent choices.

Writing defensible SOAP notesWhat belongs in each SOAP section, and the habits that keep notes audit-ready.›

Subjective

The client's report in their words: presenting concerns, symptom changes since last session, stressors, medication adherence, and direct quotes where clinically meaningful.

Objective

What you observed: appearance, affect, engagement, MSE findings, and any measure scores (e.g. PHQ-9 = 14, moderate). Keep it observable and verifiable.

Assessment

Your clinical interpretation: progress toward goals, response to interventions, risk status and its basis, and any change to formulation or diagnosis.

Plan

Interventions delivered and planned, homework, referrals, safety planning, and the next appointment. Make the link between assessment and plan explicit.

Habits that hold up to review

Write within 24 hours; late entries should be marked as such. Distinguish observation from interpretation. Document risk assessment every time risk is raised, even briefly. Never alter a signed note; append an addendum instead.

Avoid: vague entries ("client doing well"), unexplained jargon or abbreviations, and opinions about third parties.

Suicide risk assessment frameworkA compact framework for assessing and documenting suicide risk at intake and when risk emerges.›

Ask directly

Direct questions about suicide do not increase risk. Move from ideation ("Have you had thoughts of ending your life?") to plan, intent, means, and timeline.

Assess the domains

Ideation: frequency, intensity, duration, controllability. Plan: specificity and lethality. Intent: subjective intent to act. Means: access to the planned method. History: prior attempts (the strongest single predictor), self-harm, family history.

Amplifiers: acute intoxication or substance use, recent loss or discharge, agitation, insomnia, hopelessness, social isolation, impulsivity.

Protective factors: reasons for living, connection to family or community, engagement in care, future orientation, restricted means. Protective factors moderate but never cancel acute risk.

Formulate, don't just score

State acute risk (hours to days) and chronic risk (baseline) with the reasoning: "Acute risk moderate given active ideation with vague plan, no stated intent, protective factors X and Y; chronic risk elevated given prior attempt in 2022."

Safety plan (6 steps)

1) Personal warning signs. 2) Internal coping strategies. 3) People and places for distraction. 4) People to ask for help. 5) Professionals and crisis lines: 9-8-8 in Canada, call or text, 24/7. 6) Means restriction agreed with the client.

Document the plan, the client's engagement with it, and the follow-up interval. A no-suicide contract is not a safety plan and is not protective.

Telehealth best practicesPractical standards for delivering virtual care safely and within scope.›

Before the first virtual session

Obtain informed consent specific to virtual care: privacy limits, technology risks, and the plan if the connection fails. Confirm the client's physical location at the start of every session; it determines the responding emergency service and the jurisdiction you are practising in.

Confirm your registration permits serving the client's province or territory.

Every session

Verify identity and location, confirm privacy on both ends (headphones help), and have a backup channel (phone number) if video drops.

Keep an emergency protocol per client: local emergency number, an emergency contact, and the nearest crisis service to their location.

Suitability

Reconsider virtual-only care for high acute risk, psychosis, significant substance withdrawal, or when a safe private space is unavailable. Hybrid or in-person care may be indicated.

PHIPA documentation essentials (Ontario)Core custodian obligations for records, consent, access, and breaches.›

You are likely the custodian

A practitioner in private practice is usually the health information custodian, responsible for the personal health information (PHI) they collect. Software vendors act as service providers under your instructions.

Consent & collection

Collect only what is needed for care. Implied consent generally covers use and disclosure within the circle of care; express consent is required for uses outside it (e.g. marketing, most research).

Access & correction

Clients have a right of access to their record and a right to request correction. Respond to access requests within 30 days. You may withhold narrow categories (e.g. risk of serious harm), documenting the basis.

Retention & security

Retain clinical records per your college's minimum (commonly 10 years from last contact, or from age 18 for minors). Safeguard PHI with access controls, encryption, and audit trails; report significant breaches to the IPC and notify affected individuals.

Measurement-based care in practiceUsing instruments routinely to guide treatment, not just at intake.›

The core loop

Administer a validated measure at intake for a baseline, repeat at a fixed cadence (every 2 to 4 sessions is common), review the result with the client in session, and adjust the plan when scores are not moving.

Choosing measures

Pick one primary symptom measure matched to the presenting problem (e.g. PHQ-9, GAD-7, PCL-5), optionally one functioning or wellbeing measure (WHODAS 2.0, WHO-5), and keep total burden under 10 minutes.

Interpreting change

Look for reliable change (beyond measurement error; roughly 5 points on the PHQ-9, 4 on the GAD-7, 5 to 10 on the PCL-5) and movement across a severity band. No reliable improvement by session 4 to 6 is a prompt to revisit formulation, dose, or modality.

Canadian crisis resources

Service	Contact	Who it serves
9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline	Call or text 9-8-8 (24/7, bilingual)	Anyone in Canada thinking about suicide, or worried about someone
Kids Help Phone	1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868	Young people up to age 29 (24/7, bilingual)
Hope for Wellness Helpline	1-855-242-3310 or hopeforwellness.ca chat	First Nations, Inuit, and Métis; support in English, French, Cree, Ojibway, Inuktitut
Trans Lifeline	1-877-330-6366	Trans and questioning people, peer support
Assaulted Women's Helpline	1-866-863-0511 (Ontario, 24/7)	Women experiencing abuse or violence
ConnexOntario	1-866-531-2600	Ontario mental health, addiction, and problem gambling system navigation
2-1-1	Call 2-1-1 or 211.ca	Community and social services navigation across Canada
Wellness Together Canada	wellnesstogether.ca, or 1-866-585-0445	Free counselling and self-guided mental-health support nationally

If someone is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1 or go to the nearest emergency department. In Canada, call or text 9-8-8 any time.

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