What Are Psychological Assessments? Who Needs One?
Thank you for visiting my blog, where I provide some brief information about psychological testing for people interested in booking an evaluation.
Evaluations are requested for many reasons, which makes the process difficult to generalize. In my practice, I see children (age 7 and older), adolescents, adults, and aging adults. Some of the most common things I hear from clients include: “Is this ADHD/ Dyslexia/ Depression/ Trauma/ (Other)?” and, “My primary care physician/ nurse/ psychologist/ life coach says I have X, but I think it is Y. Can you help?” People seeking documentation for academic accommodations or standardized testing are often required to attend an evaluation.
Psychological testing is a unique process used to achieve a specific goal. I specialize in neuropsychological cross-battery assessment, which means I choose subtests from a variety of different measures to comprehensively meet your needs. Before an evaluation, we will discuss your clinical history and goals. Our conversation will help me set up a test battery tailored to examine the issues that matter to you. The evaluation typically lasts 4-6 hours, with breaks, as needed.
Some common suggestions for the morning of the evaluation include: 1) Attempt to achieve a good night sleep the night before, 2) Abstain from any cannabis or alcohol beginning approximately 24 hours before the evaluation, 3) Eat a good breakfast, 4) Bring water and snacks with you. Parents, it is important that your child not take any prescription ADHD medication on the day of the scheduled evaluation.
Psychological evaluations use a combination of paper-and-pencil and iPad tasks to document a wide range of skills, including cognitive and adaptive functioning. More specifically, we will examine attention, language, memory, visuospatial abilities, executive functions, and much more. Testing does not include diagnostic imaging, like MRIs. Evaluations occasionally require a second day, and this will be discussed, if necessary. Approximately two weeks after your evaluation, we will discuss the implications of the test results for your everyday functioning and further treatment planning. You will receive a pdf of your results with any diagnoses, treatment recommendations, and a summary of everything we discussed over the phone.
This is the broad process to book an evaluation at Minding My Own Psychological Assessments, PLLC. If you are interested in more information or booking an appointment, please use the orange button at the bottom of the website to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation. I look forward to hearing from you! - Brian Burgoyne, PsyD
