Have you ever wondered if you meet criteria for a mental health diagnosis? Maybe you find yourself becoming stressed and anxious frequently and wonder if you may benefit from therapy or anti-anxiety medication? Or maybe you find it difficult to focus on school and wonder if testing accommodations may help you succeed? Mental health symptoms can be confusing and uncertain, and an evaluation can provide clarity and reduce the stress and anxiety that come with not knowing what is causing the symptoms. An accurate diagnosis can help you better understand your symptoms and is the necessary first step to finding appropriate treatment. Without a clear understanding of what is causing your symptoms, it can be difficult to find effective treatment. Beyond this, many mental health conditions may qualify you for specific resources or accommodations, such as disability benefits or accommodations in school or the workplace. An accurate diagnosis can help access these resources. Overall, an evaluation for diagnostic clarification can help provide important information that can help you better understand your mental health and access the resources and treatments you may need to improve your well-being and quality of life.
Or are you a therapist feeling stuck in your treatment with a particular client? Psychological testing can provide additional information that can help you clarify a diagnosis. Further, it can assist with evaluating your client’s cognitive and emotional functioning, which helps you to better understand your client’s biggest challenges and strengths. Psychological testing can help uncover areas of needed exploration, allowing for more focused treatment goals.
Or are you a psychiatrist with a client who you think could benefit from diagnostic clarification before prescribing medication? Psychological testing can help provide clarity and certainty in your diagnosis, while helping to support your medication decisions. Psychological testing can also provide an objective measure of the severity of your client’s symptoms, allowing for more accurate risk assessment and treatment planning.
What does psychological testing consist of?
Psychological testing at Capitol Psychological Assessment involves a comprehensive evaluation completed by one of our trained psychologists. The evaluation consists of 3-4 sessions and includes the following components:
1. Initial Consultation: The evaluating psychologist will review the testing process with you and gather information about what you hope to gain from the evaluation, as well as questions you may have. Expectations, fees, and potential outcomes will all be addressed in this initial free 15-minute consultation.
2. Clinical Interview: The evaluating psychologist will then conduct a detailed clinical interview with you to gather information about current symptoms, developmental history, and family medical history.
3. Psychological testing: Next, you will be administered standardized tests, such as rating scales, measures of mood and personality, intelligence tests, tests of learning and achievement, etc. Testing will be tailored to your individual symptoms and needed areas of exploration. Testing will take place over the course of 1-2 sessions.
4. Review of prior treatment records and/or academic records: The psychologist may review prior treatment records, or school and academic records, to gather more information about your treatment progress or functioning with a school environment.
5. Collateral information: If authorized, the psychologist may gather information from family members, friends, teachers, or other relevant sources to gain a more complete understanding of your symptoms and functioning.
6. Feedback session: You will participate in a meeting with the evaluating psychologist to discuss the results and findings of the evaluation. During the feedback session, the psychologist will review the psychological test findings and share their observations and interpretations. The psychologist will provide a diagnosis, along with recommendations for future treatment for you. The feedback session is an important component of the evaluation process because it allows opportunity to gain insight and better understand the reasons behind your difficulties. You will be provided with a copy of a comprehensive report that details everything discussed in the feedback session.
Collaborative Assessment
Traditional psychological assessment focuses on providing you with a diagnosis and identifying evidence-based treatment interventions. Collaborative assessment is a modern, alternative approach that fulfills these goals, while also aiming to help you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and to empower you to make positive changes in your life. Collaborative assessment is inclusive, meaning we ask you to be an active participant in the process. After all, while psychologists may be experts in the field of human behavior, you will always be the biggest expert on you. From the first meeting, we encourage you to identify and form questions that you want answered in this process. These questions then help to guide our conversations and determine what tests to administer. Together, we then explore and interpret test findings and work through possible explanations for the problems you are facing. We work to determine how these findings “fit” within the context of your life and explore the inner stories you hold about yourself. At the end, we review everything we have learned, answer the questions you posed, and identify helpful ways to move forward. You walk away from the experience with improved understanding, answers, and an individualized letter that tells your story.
How do I book my initial consultation?
If you believe you or your client may benefit from diagnostic clarification, Capitol Psychological Assessment can offer comprehensive testing to help improve your personal insight and inform your best course of treatment. To book your initial consultation and learn more about this process, please click the button below or call us at 916-407-4943. We understand that your needs are important and pride ourselves on timely scheduling, so we will work hard to get you in for your evaluation ASAP!
