Frequently Asked Questions

  • People may need psychological evaluations for a variety of reasons, but the main goal is usually to gain a clearer understanding of an individual's mental, emotional, and cognitive functioning. Here are some common reasons why someone might seek a psychological evaluation:

    1. Learning Differences: Parents or educators may suspect a child has learning challenges (e.g., dyslexia, ADHD, or other cognitive delays). A psychological evaluation can help identify specific learning disabilities and guide appropriate interventions.

    2. Behavioral Concerns: If a child is exhibiting challenging behaviors—such as extreme mood swings, aggression, or withdrawal—a psychological evaluation can help identify underlying causes, such as a mood disorder, anxiety, or other psychological conditions.

    3. Emotional or Social Difficulties: Evaluations can assist in understanding emotional issues like depression, anxiety, or social challenges. It can help pinpoint conditions like social-emotional disorders or autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

    4. Giftedness and Twice-Exceptional Identification: For some children, they might be intellectually gifted but also have learning difficulties (often referred to as “twice-exceptional”). A psychological evaluation can help identify strengths and areas for support, ensuring these children are appropriately challenged and supported.

    5. Diagnosis and Treatment Planning: In cases of mental health conditions, psychological evaluations help clinicians make an accurate diagnosis, which is essential for effective treatment planning, whether through therapy, medication, or other interventions.

    6. Educational or Occupational Decisions: Sometimes, a psychological evaluation is necessary to inform decisions about school placements, academic accommodations, or even career choices—especially for individuals with disabilities or unique learning profiles.

    7. Assessing Cognitive Functioning: Evaluations can assess intelligence, memory, problem-solving abilities, and cognitive processing. This is often done when there are concerns about developmental delays, brain injury, or dementia-related issues.

    8. Clarifying Developmental Delays: For younger children, parents may be concerned about developmental milestones. Evaluations can clarify if a child is simply developing at their own pace or if there is a need for early intervention.

    Ultimately, psychological evaluations help people understand themselves or their children better, providing a clearer path for support, treatment, and growth. They help ensure that individuals receive the appropriate care, services, and accommodations tailored to their needs.

  • Depending on the extent of the evaluation, testing sessions may involve between 1 and 8 hours of direct testing time. All testing sessions are scheduled to never exceed 3-4 hours per session. More extensive evaluations may require multiple days of testing.

    During testing sessions, children will engage in a variety of activities, some will feel familiar to activities they might see in the school setting, and others are more specific to a clinical evaluation setting. Some of the tests feel more like games and puzzles, and can be quite fun! Testing sessions often also include a clinical interview and a variety of questionnaires.

    The Comprehensive Psychoeducational Evaluation will also include an in-depth intake session with parents to gain background information and a clear understanding of the referral question. Once the testing is completed, there will also be a feedback session to review results, discuss recommendations and answer any questions.

  • I do not currently take health insurance or do direct billing, but will provide you with an invoice for services. You can submit this invoice to your insurance company, or use it to be reimbursed through your medical flex spending account.

    Please be sure to first check with your insurance company about your out-of-network benefits before scheduling your evaluation if you plan to submit for reimbursement.

  • Depending on the extent of the evaluation, the whole process from intake to feedback session usually takes about 3-4 weeks. During the initial consultation, please be sure to let me know if you have any specific time constraints that would necessitate an expedited process, and I will always do my best to accommodate any deadlines, especially for school admissions testing.

  • At this time, I am not conducting diagnostic Autism evaluations, but I’m happy to refer you to a number of providers who specialize in Autism.

  • Yes! With your permission, I can communicate with your school team. You are also welcome to share the report with whoever you feel would benefit from the information. I am also able to provide a condensed version of the evaluation report that includes only educationally relevant information if that is preferred.