The purpose of a psychological evaluation (also known as psychological assessment or psychological testing) is to assess for or clarify any mental health conditions. It is often recommended for those experiencing significant difficulties that impact their ability to function at work, school, home, relationships, or other areas of their lives. A clinical diagnosis can provide insight and clarity about an individual’s experienced challenges that have been hindering them from achieving their full potential. A clinical diagnosis can open doors to receiving appropriate treatment, interventions, support, and accommodations and make changes in their lives.
Specialize in assessments regarding:
- Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Specific Learning Disorders (not covered by insurance)
- Intellectual Disability
- Academic Potential / I.Q. (not covered by insurance)
- Giftedness (not covered by insurance)
- Anxiety and Mood Disorders (Depression, Bipolar Depression, etc.)
- Trauma-related Disorders
- School Accommodations (not covered by insurance)
Evaluation Process
Depending on the nature of your assessment, the duration, test selection, and process of the assessment can vary. To understand the individual’s strengths and vulnerabilities, the psychological assessment involves gathering information and data from administered standardized assessments and rating scales (completed by self/parent/teacher/informant), clinical interviews, collateral interviews, observations, and a review of records (medical, psychological, educational, etc.). The following is the general process of a psychological evaluation:
Intake Interview
Sometimes people have diagnostic questions (e.g., “Do I have autism?” Or “How severe is my anxiety?”) or very personalized questions about the challenges they experienced in their life (e.g., “Why is it so hard for me to make friends?” or “Why can’t I remember things?”). Based on your questions, psychological tests are selected to assist with possibly providing you with the answers.
Testing can occur over a few sessions and can range with you participating in 3 to 6 hours (across 2 to 3 days) of in-person or remote testing sessions. You will do some tests on a computer, iPad, or paper and pencil, and may complete some tests with the clinician.
Testing Session
During the testing session(s) following areas are typically assessed:
- Cognitive Ability
- Adaptive Functioning
- Emotional Functioning
- Social Functioning
- Behavior Functioning
- Executive Functioning
- Personality
Collaterals and Report Writing
Interview collateral informants to obtain additional information about the person being evaluated.
Once all of the data is received, it is combined with the acquired historical information and observations to answer the assessed individual’s referral question(s). About 4 to 8 weeks after our final session and all data has been received, a virtual session is scheduled at the end of the evaluation process to discuss the results and findings of the evaluation, recommendations, and next steps.