Comprehensive Behavioral Assessment

NEEDS Plus

A multi-dimensional evaluation tool that goes beyond standard assessments — delivering the complete behavioral picture clinicians and case managers need to make confident decisions.

Explore the Assessment Download the Reference Guide
15
Assessment Chapters
96%
Agreement with Clinicians
0.93
Reliability Coefficient
What It Evaluates

Built around one fundamental question

The NEEDS assessment examines behaviors, attitudes, and life circumstances across four core dimensions — providing structured, objective findings that guide treatment planning, diagnostic interviews, and referral decisions.

01
Attitude Evaluation
How attitudes drive inappropriate decisions and resistance to change
02
Behavioral Patterns
Past behavior as a predictor — established and learned patterns
03
Acute Stress Factors
Substance abuse, emotional deficiencies, unstable relationships
04
Capacity for Change
Knowledge and willingness to delay gratification for future rewards
How likely is it that this individual can — and will — change their behavior?
This single question drives every chapter, every score, and every recommendation the NEEDS Plus produces. The result is a report that doesn't just describe a person — it predicts their trajectory and points toward the right intervention.
Assessment Chapters

Fifteen areas of life.
One complete picture.

★ Plus Exclusive — three chapters unavailable in NEEDS 6
🏠
Circumstances
Logistics & daily resources
📖
Comprehension
Reading & cognitive processing
🎓
Education
Academic history & barriers
🧠
Attitude & Behavior
Locus of control & risk patterns
🌐
Environment
Living stability & safety
🍺
Alcohol Use
History, patterns & impact
💊
Substance Use
Drug history & interference
💼
Employment / Financial
Vocational & economic stability
❤️
Physical Health
Medical status & risk factors
👨‍👩‍👦
Family & Relationships
Interpersonal support & dynamics
⚖️
Legal
Criminal history & recidivism risk
🧩
Mental Health
Emotional & psychological status
💉
Prescription Drug Use
Misuse, tolerance & high-risk behaviors
🎰
Gambling
Problem severity & financial impact
🔥
Anger Management
Triggers, patterns & domestic risk
★
NEEDS Plus goes further. The three exclusive chapters — Prescription Drug Use, Gambling, and Anger Management — provide a substantially deeper behavioral profile, making NEEDS Plus the right choice when comprehensive treatment planning and domestic violence risk identification are priorities.
The NEEDS Report

Actionable findings, not just scores

Criminogenic Risk
Five-level risk classification from No Risk to Very High, with a corresponding 1–5 supervision score for case management decisions.
DSM-5 Classification
Suggested Substance Use Disorder classifications with ICD-10 codes and a five-point Substance Use Severity Scale.
ASAM Level of Care
Recommendations across six ASAM dimensions, from early intervention (Level 0.5) through medically managed services (Level 4).
Items of Immediate Concern
Suicide risk, active withdrawal, and harm to others are flagged prominently in bold for immediate staff attention.
Detailed Areas of Concern
Chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the specific responses that contributed to scoring — essential for guiding clinical interviews.
Results Summary
Sample Output
Chapter Scores (1–10)
Alcohol Use
7
Legal
8
Mental Health
6
Anger Mgmt
7
Relationships
5
Employment
4
Recommended ASAM Level of Care
0.5
Education
1
Outpatient
2
Intensive OP
3
Residential
4
Medical
ASAM Dimensions rated Mild → Severe, displayed graphically
Illustration only. Actual reports are generated from respondent data within the Solutions software application.
Administration

Delivered the way your program works

NEEDS Plus supports three flexible administration methods, giving programs the freedom to meet respondents where they are.

📱
Mobile
Staff send an email or SMS invitation. The respondent completes the survey on their own device via a secure link. Results are available immediately.
🖥️
Kiosk
The respondent uses a program-owned PC, laptop, or tablet and enters a 4-digit code to launch the assessment. No personal device required.
👤
Guided
A staff member asks questions verbally, records responses, and adds clinical notes. Staff notes are incorporated directly into the NEEDS Report.
Validation & Reliability

Decades of evidence behind every score

96%
General agreement with
professional assessor recommendations
0.93
Reliability coefficient
(Spearman-Brown Formula)
9/9
BSI scale correlations
at p ≤ .05 significance

Validation studies demonstrate no mean difference across time for Summary Scores, Test Taking Attitude, and Life Circumstance Evaluation. MMPI-2 validity scale relationships align with predicted directions, including a strong MacAndrew Scale correlation. Concurrent validity using the Brief Symptom Inventory confirms the instrument measures what it is designed to measure.

Ready to Learn More?

The complete picture is one download away

The NEEDS Plus & NEEDS 6 Reference Guide covers every chapter in detail, administration procedures, report interpretation, and the full validation research — everything you need to evaluate the instrument for your program.

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