It’s a process for better understanding our behaviors, our thoughts and feelings, or our strengths and weaknesses. Getting a psych evaluation is different than starting therapy. It involves us having a discussion so we can clarify what you want to know (or what someone else might want to know, for example a school or work setting) and selecting the right tests and asking the right questions to get to the answers that will be most helpful.

Evaluations can be comprehensive, including a lot of different tests, or they can be briefer with just one or two questionnaires. Most evaluations include questionnaires, interactive psychological tests, and an interview. People may seek out psychological assessments when they are looking for an accurate way to diagnose (or describe) a mental health concern they aren’t quite sure about.

You may want to know your strengths and weaknesses or know the extent of your intellectual giftedness or find out if your memory problems are different from what is typical for someone your age. There may be some issues with concentration, attention, focusing, distraction, or retaining information. An evaluation can help clarify whether these difficulties are stress-related or emotional, or might be simpler information-processing problems that could be helped by accommodations at school or at work.

Testing can help open up new ideas for psychological treatment that might have been missed by therapists.

Some people seek out a psychological evaluation to help determine their eligibility for certain kinds of elective surgery, adoption, or in order to apply for certain career fields (like pilot, police officer, or clergy).

We currently provide evaluations for adults and for adolescents (ages 12-17).

Maybe you have asked one of these questions:

People often have various concerns or experiences that prompt them to seek a psychological evaluation. It’s common to ask yourself about:

Mood and Emotions:

Why do I feel sad or hopeless for extended periods?

Why do I experience sudden mood swings?

Why do I feel anxious or worried most of the time?

Why does my child have negative thoughts about themselves?

Why does my child express feelings of worthlessness or guilt?

Why does my child get easily irritated or angry?

Why does my child have frequent temper tantrums?

Attention and Focus:

Why do I have difficulty concentrating on tasks?

Why do I find it hard to stay organized or complete tasks on time?

Why do I often forget important things or lose items frequently?

Behavior and Actions:

Why do I engage in behaviors that are harmful to myself or others?

Why do I struggle with impulsive actions or decisions?

Why do I have difficulty controlling my anger or frustration?

Why is my child withdrawing from friends and family?

Why does my child prefer to be alone rather than with others?

Relationships and Social Interactions:

Why do I have trouble maintaining relationships?

Why do I feel disconnected or isolated from others?

Why do I often misunderstand social cues or feel uncomfortable in social situations?

Physical Symptoms:

Why do I (or my child) have unexplained physical symptoms like headaches or stomachaches?

Why do I (or my child) experience changes in my sleep patterns or appetite?

Why do I feel constantly tired or lacking in energy?

Daily Functioning:

Why do I struggle with everyday tasks and responsibilities?

Why do I have difficulty managing my time effectively? 

Why do I feel overwhelmed by daily life?

Why does my child show a lack of interest in activities they used to enjoy?

Why does my child seem unmotivated or uninterested in school or hobbies?

Self-Perception and Identity:

Why do I have low self-esteem or negative thoughts about myself?

Why do I question my sense of purpose or direction in life?

Why do I feel uncertain about my identity or personal values?

Am I normal? 

Maybe you have thought: I’m wondering if the way I’m struggling could be considered a learning disability? Do I (or my child) have…ADHD? an intellectual disability? a learning disorder? Is my level of anxiety, depression, OCD, still in a “normal” range or has it gotten to the point of a diagnosable disorder? Am I on the autism spectrum/neurodivergent? Is my teen underperforming in school because they are bored and understimulated? Are they covering for a deeper emotional or processing problem they are struggling with? Are they brighter than their teachers realize and frustrated by how easy or pointless their schoolwork is?

If you’ve said to yourself:

I feel like something’s different about me

I don’t get things in life as easily as others

I have always struggled to pay attention

I got in trouble often at school and don’t really know why

I felt like it was too hard or too easy at school than it was for other kids, and I want to know why

When you are feeling stuck in your current treatment or not feeling it has been effective, struggling to find a way forward, then a psychological assessment might be able to offer another view about what is going on in a way that gives you and your therapist new ideas or directions to pursue in treatment.

1. First, we discuss your questions or needs (or your adolescent’s needs), we set goals for testing, and agree on fees and billing.

2. Next, we do a clinical interview: we talk about relevant background information and we ask you questions.

3. We then do 6-8 hours of interactive testing activities. Some may be fun, others may be boring or frustrating but they will be selected to answer the questions you have in the best way possible. This is tiring so we typically spread this out across two or three days to get more accurate information.

4. We also are likely to give you 2-3 hours of completing questionnaires. Again, some of this may seem boring but it may be important to ask you a series of questions that are designed to clarify what is going on.

5. We may review some of your (or your teen’s) records (grades, medical or mental health information, as long as it is relevant to your testing).

6. We may talk with others who know you or your adolescent, if you permit us (might include teachers, family members, or your medical team).

7. We take a great deal of time putting together the broad range of information we have collected from you, the testing, and any other sources of information, to develop a comprehensive report that focuses on the questions we started with and the answers we now have. We often recommend some specific “next steps” if there is a problem that we have identified.

7. A 1-hour feedback session where we review your results and you can take home a written report for your records.

If you are looking only for a very specific test or question to be answered, it may take as little as 4 hours of working together and 1-2 weeks to provide the report. For a typical comprehensive assessment, we are likely to meet for a total of 6-12 hours (split up over multiple days) and it might take 4-8 weeks to finish the report and schedule your feedback session.

This is a comprehensive look at you! We will take time to measure relevant areas of your life and have you complete various tests to help us do that. Part of what we are doing is also ruling out possible areas of concern, so we can home in on what is most important to you and your goals.

There is no special preparation required for the testing. All materials will be provided. It is strongly recommended that the testing occurs during the time of day when you are feeling most alert and engaged, that you do your best to get plenty of rest the night before, and that you come prepared to answer questions and complete the tasks asked of you. You will be provided ahead of time with a list of dos and don’ts for the testing space.

You will receive a written report that includes the data we collected, conclusions about how to understand the data, and recommendations for going forward that will reflect the initial goals we set up in the beginning. We will have a feedback session to meet and discuss the results together as well, to give you a chance to ask questions, and share any feedback you have about the process.

It’s important to remember that with testing, we are not looking to confirm what you already think, but rather to see what’s there using the best methods we have for assessing the answers to your questions. Your results will always include honest and clear feedback that is based on our most current understanding of mental health conditions. Accommodations for work or school may be included if appropriate with a stated diagnosis. Not all testing results in a diagnosis, but we will still provide you with recommendations towards your stated goals. Diagnoses (when given) are based on how we conceptualize mental health concerns in the DSM-5-TR.

The testing process is multi-step and involves collecting and then integrating a lot of data about you. You can expect to receive your written report and have your feedback session anywhere from 6-8 weeks from the day we meet for our first consultation, assuming we can schedule the different parts of the evaluation without much delay.

Testing typically costs between $4200-$6500, depending on your needs. Each assessment is tailored to your questions and goals. The price range here is for typical evaluations. It is based on the cost of the tests themselves, the time spent with you, our scoring, analyzing, and integrating the data, and the time it takes to write the report. There are rare circumstances where substantially fewer (or more) tests may be needed so the fee could be lower or higher than this range. However, most evaluations will fall near the middle of that range. The actual fee will be discussed during your initial meeting when we are able to clarify what your concerns are and what we will need to do. Prior to the start of the testing, we require half of the expected total as a deposit. The other half is due when your report is completed, just prior to your feedback session.

If your evaluation requires any “add-on” testing or paperwork beyond the provided final report or additional feedback or consultation sessions (including participating in any school meetings), this will be billed at an hourly rate of $250/hour. The same rate applies (and is billed separately) if you would like to follow up at either a 3-month or 6-month interval with the evaluator to discuss how you are using the results.

We do not bill any health insurance companies. Our fees are paid directly by our clients. Some mental health evaluations may qualify for HSA/FSA spending, but others (e.g., evaluations for giftedness) may not. If you are planning to submit your own claim to your insurance company, keep in mind that they may only cover certain diagnoses and may not cover the cost of testing even if it results in a diagnosis.

Due to the extensive time and resources that we reserve for testing, any testing sessions you do not cancel at least 2 business days in advance will be billed at $225 per hour of reserved time if we cannot accommodate you during that same calendar week (e.g., if you are scheduled to have a 3-hour appointment on a Tuesday morning and you cancel on the previous Friday afternoon, we will bill you for an additional $675.00 in addition to your assessment ‘package’ fee if we cannot accommodate you by the coming Friday afternoon (i.e., end of the ‘calendar week’).

If you are in need of an IQ-test renewal/update, personality assessment due to professional requirements, or have questions about a request that differs from what is outlined above, please call us

with your questions. If we are unable to provide the requested service, we will be happy to provide you with local referrals.

Yes. If you are seeking an evaluation related to a forensic or court-related concern (child custody, mental competency for court-ordered evaluations, etc.), to evaluate traumatic brain injury, or for a bariatric surgical evaluation, we do not conduct these, but we are happy to refer you to a local colleague who may be able to work with you.