Psychological Testing & Evaluation

What is an evaluation?

Sometimes further clarification of symptoms and diagnosis is needed to aid in developing a patient’s treatment plan. Thus, an evaluation is recommended. The results from an evaluation can:

  • Identify further patient needs.
  • Assist in developing patient insight and understanding of symptoms.
  • Aid a medical doctor in determining if a medication may benefit a patient given their symptoms and diagnosis.
  • Assist in obtaining other services such as school accommodations, life planning, and cognitive rehabilitation services.

Our providers recognize that time is an important factor when conducting evaluations. Therefore, they attempt to complete evaluations in one day (not including the initial session); however, some situations require testing to be split over a few days. Further, given that evaluations are time consuming, patients are provided breaks as needed. Approximately one to two weeks after testing is complete, a patient’s provider meets with them to provide feedback and a written report to discuss their results, diagnosis, and recommendations. Patients can generally expect the entire process (including initial session, evaluation, and feedback) to take approximately 3-4 weeks.

What is a psychological evaluation?

A psychological evaluation is an assessment of a patient’s intellectual, emotional, and social functioning. It may also include an assessment of academic achievement given the patient’s age and reason the testing is being conducted. It is typically recommended for patients who have multiple symptoms, emotional instability, and behavioral concerns (i.e., depression, anxiety, anger, low frustration tolerance, memory issues).

Patients need to plan for the evaluation to last 2-4 hours.

Examples of conditions where psychological testing may be recommended may include, but not be limited to:

  • Attention problems
  • Mood problems impacting daily living
  • Lack of motivation
  • Chronic anxiety and/or panic attacks
  • Academic challenges
  • Work challenges
  • Problems performing daily tasks
  • Mood swings
  • Difficulty controlling anger
  • Attention
  • Erratic or unstable behavior
  • Relationship problems

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