Psychological Evaluations Why Schedule Psychological Evaluations?

A psychological evaluation is a comprehensive assessment of a person's mental health, behavior, and overall functioning. It typically involves a combination of methods, including interviews with the individual and their loved ones, standardized questionnaires and tests, and observations of the individual's behavior. The goal of the evaluation is to gather diagnostic information, inform treatment decisions, and track progress over time. The results of psychological evaluation are confidential and are used to develop a personalized treatment plan that addresses the individual's specific needs and goals.

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Why Schedule Psychological Evaluations?  What Can I Expect from Psychological Evaluations? 

We specialize in psychological and psychoeducational evaluations of children and adolescents. A parent may consider getting their child a psychological evaluation for a variety of reasons, including:

• Concerns about their child's behavioral or emotional wellbeing – if a parent is worried about their child's behavior, mood, or overall functioning, a psychological evaluation can determine if there are any underlying concerns that need to be addressed.

• Learning difficulties – psychological evaluation identifies learning difficulties or disorders, such as dyslexia or ADHD, that may be impacting a child's academic performance.

• Developmental delays – if a parent is concerned about their child's developmental progress, a psychological evaluation can provide insight into their abilities and help identify any delays.

• Troubled behavior – if a child exhibits problematic behaviors, such as aggression, defiance, or impulsivity, a psychological evaluation can help determine underlying causes and guide appropriate care.

• To inform treatment decisions – psychological evaluations provide important information for developing a treatment plan for a child struggling with mental health or behavioral issues.

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What Can I Expect from Psychological Evaluations? 

The testing process starts with an intake session where the assessment psychologist meets with you or your child to collect detailed background information relevant to your concerns. Following the intake session, testing session(s) will be scheduled to administer psychological, educational, social, emotional, and behavioral assessments as relevant. The length and number of tests and sessions will be determined by schedules, age and attention span of your child, and the type and number of assessments needed to answer your referral questions. Finally, an interpretive feedback session will be scheduled to review the results of the evaluation and go over the personalized recommendations based on the evaluation data. Testing identifies the underlying causes of learning, social, emotional, or behavioral challenges. As a result of an evaluation, you will receive a comprehensive written report outlining and interpreting the findings. The final report includes any diagnoses that may be relevant. In addition, personalized recommendations and a plan for moving forward based on the testing results is provided. 

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Is Psychological Evaluation Always the Right Option? How Do I Get Started with Testing at Think Happy Live Healthy?

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It's important to keep in mind that psychological evaluations are only one part of a larger process of assessment and treatment and should be interpreted in the context of other information about the child. If you have concerns about learning, attention and executive functioning, behavior, development, or social skills, an evaluation could be helpful to determine if there is an underlying condition causing your concerns versus lack of study skills or developmental issues. Our evaluators have extensive experience assessing learning disorders (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia), attention (ADHD) and executive functioning disorders, giftedness, emotional and behavioral disorders (anxiety, depression, OCD, other mood disorders, and disruptive behavioral disorders), and autism spectrum disorders. Psychological evaluations may lead to assessment of these specific areas.

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How Do I Get Started with Testing at Think Happy Live Healthy?

If you’re interested in scheduling a psychological evaluation for your child, teen, or young adult, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Think Happy Live Healthy. Give our dedicated team a call at (703) 942-9745, email info@thinkhappylivehealth.com, or take a few moments to fill out our online scheduling request form.

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