Psychological Testing (Assessment)

Navigating the journey to an accurate mental health diagnosis can be a frustrating and confusing journey. Psychological testing can help illuminate the path.

People seek assessment for a variety of reasons: general questions about neurodiversity; distinguishing between different mental disorders (e.g., is my diagnosis PTSD, borderline personality disorder, or bipolar); obtaining academic accommodations (extended time for exams, for example); distinguishing between, anxiety, depression and ADHD; and concerns about autism spectrum disorder, among others.

Assessments are effective in gathering the information needed to accurately diagnose disorders and provide detailed recommendations on how to best treat and manage them.  

At River Therapy Collective, Dr. Julia Core performs brief and comprehensive psychological testing for adults and teens to provide you with the answers you are seeking. Dr. Julia focuses on neurodiversity and hopes to provide clients with clear answers about ADHD and Autism Spectrum disorder. Dr. Julia also offers testing for diagnostic clarification. Psychological testing is tailored to each client.

What can you expect

Dr. Julia’s office has the following neuro-affirming accommodations: numerous fidgets, low-lighting, sound machines, and an external door for better ADA access (please let Dr. Julia know ahead of time if you need to utilize this accommodation). Please let Dr. Julia know if you are in need of additional accommodations.  

The assessment process generally involves the following steps:

Intake

The intake consists of a two-hour session with Dr. Julia where an informational interview is completed. This consists of lots of questions focused on developmental history, family history, mental health history, trauma history, and specific structured interview questions focused on the reason you came for an assessment. For example, if you came for an Autism assessment, Dr. Julia may ask you in-depth questions about your passionate interests or sensory experiences.

Testing

Next, Dr. Julia will administer several psychological tests. Sometimes these psychological tests can be started during the intake but usually they are scheduled for a follow-up session. Although it is sometimes possible to complete the testing procedure in one sitting, it is common for people to be asked to return for another session to finish the assessment battery. Some of these tests will create real-world scenarios where you are actively solving problems or completing tasks (on a computer or conducted by Dr. Julia). Other tests, called self-report measures, allow you to report what you are experiencing. Some of these measures are “forced choice” meaning you have to choose one of the multiple choice answers and others allow for you to explain in your own words. Dr. Julia will always be available if you need to further explain your thoughts about responses. During this part of the process, Dr. Julia may be actually conducting a test or she may be in the room observing. At other times, you may be in a room by yourself in order to concentrate on filling out longer self-report measures. Some measures can be taken at home on your own computer but must be taken in one sitting without any help.

Scoring and Discussion

Once testing is completed, the data will be scored and analyzed by Dr. Julia between sessions. Dr. Julia takes a person-centered approach to testing. This means your thoughts about the test data are taken into account throughout assessment. You will be scheduled for a one hour Discussion session after testing where Dr. Julia will present your results, ask further questions to make sure she understands your results accurately, and give you space to give your own thoughts. Sometimes, this discussion brings in enough new information that further testing is warranted. You will always have a final say on whether you want to participate in further testing and Dr. Julia will always explain why she feels this might be necessary.

Feedback and Recommendations

During this final session, Dr. Julia will present her final findings and give feedback on what these results mean for diagnosis and overall functioning. Dr. Julia will also review recommendations and ask for your thoughts on what recommendations you would like to see on your final report. This could be anything from specific accommodations for your work environment to new coping skills to books that might be helpful to read. After this appointment, the general turnaround time for completed reports following the final feedback session is about 2-4 weeks, but shorter timeframes may be accommodated for an additional fee.

All assessments are conducted with a neuro-affirmative approach, which means River Therapy Collective recognizes and respects the diverse cognitive styles, strengths, and challenges associated with neurodivergence. This approach values the unique perspectives and contributions of individuals with neurodivergent traits, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and other cognitive differences. Our goal is to create a supportive and inclusive environment where your experiences and needs are understood and validated throughout the assessment process.