Psychological Assessment
Many people struggle in school or at work; with emotions and relationships. Psychological Assessment can address a wide range of questions related to the way you think and learn; the way you understand, express and manage your emotions; as well as how you relate to yourself and others, and help get you moving toward effective solutions.
For instance, you might want to find out why you or your child are failing to achieve academically so you can put in place necessary interventions and accommodations for success; or to clarify your diagnosis in order to pursue appropriate treatment; or to understand why you continue to struggle in relationships so you can begin to connect more meaningfully to others. Assessment can be the most thorough and efficient way to understand your difficulties and develop an effective course of action so you can start making useful changes in your life.
I take a collaborative approach to Psychological Assessment. Working with me will involve not only the use of relevant and validated tests to answer your specific questions, but also ongoing feedback to you throughout and at the conclusion of the testing process. I will also ask you to reflect and comment on your own sense of how the testing is going. In this way, the assessment can become a form of brief psychotherapy where you examine your test performance in light of your evolving self-understanding and integrate new insights into a more complete and compassionate view of yourself.
At the end of the assessment process, we will meet to discuss the test results, the meaning of the findings, as well as appropriate recommendations. We will also discuss how to make use of the test findings and I will prepare a comprehensive and user-friendly written report that will best meet your needs. In some cases, a report can be used to justify and facilitate academic accommodations or outline and summarize the findings for you or your treatment providers. I will continue to be available to answer questions or consult with schools or other providers after the assessment is complete.
My approach to assessment is based on the Collaborative Therapeutic Assessment Model developed by Dr. Stephen Finn and Dr. Constance Fischer. To learn more, please visit www.therapeuticassessment.com.
Step-by-Step Assessment Guide
1. Initial Session:
The first meeting will involve a discussion of your goals for assessment, a collaborative development of questions for the assessment to answer and a semi-structured interview to collect relevant background information (90-120 minutes).
2. Testing Sessions:
Subsequent sessions will involve one-on-one testing with tests designed to answer your specific assessment questions. To answer questions related to cognitive or academic performance, we might use tests to assess your thinking, planning, attention and memory as well as your reading, writing, mathematics skills. To answer questions related to your emotions or relationships, we might use self-report questionnaires, semi-structured diagnostic interviews, and/or projective tests (typically 1-3 sessions or 2-10 hours).
3. Feedback Session:
At the completion of testing, we will set up a meeting to discuss assessment findings, answer questions and provide recommendations. This session is interactive and designed to help you integrate the information discovered through testing. During feedback you will likely hear things you already know about yourself, things that are new but still familiar, and perhaps things that you have never thought of before. You may choose to attend the feedback session alone or you can bring in a close friend, partner or family member(s) (60-90 minutes).
4. Written Report:
I will provide you with a written report detailing the test findings and my recommendations. Additional letters of support are prepared for schools/other providers whenever necessary (delivered within 4 weeks of feedback session).
5. Follow-Up Session:
This optional session is designed to check in on progress since the feedback session and receiving the completed report, evaluate the effectiveness of recommendations and address any remaining questions or insights from the assessment experience (scheduled as necessary).