A diagnostic evaluation is always important to understand what is happening, what is wrong, what kind of symptoms and signs are there, when they first appeared, etc.
In other words, it is a clinical evaluation of the psychological symptomatology in order to propose the appropriate treatment plan. The assessment includes first of all the complete analysis of the individual history.
Assessment is not a cure, but a therapeutic aid that helps both the therapist and the client because it enables them to come to an important understanding in order to understand the part of the patient’s self that is hurt.
Sometimes it may take a few sessions to take a history while other times the history taking proceeds along with an initial analysis of the dysfunctional states.
Generally, however, at this stage we try to understand the problem first and the therapeutic period starts shortly after.