PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING
Therapy is the trail guide, psychological testing is the map.
A good therapist is worth their weight in gold, but even the best therapists can't be as effective if they don't have all the information. A comprehensive evaluation can be a map to help clarify all that a person is struggling with and thus provide the foundation to create the most effective treatment plan moving forward. At Clear Path, a psychological evaluation report includes a full history, explanation of tests administered and their results, as well as a summary, diagnostic information, and recommendations. An average evaluation is 25-30 pages in length.
Psychological testing can clarify what individuals struggle to recognize in themselves or express
People in distress often struggle to adequately express what they are experiencing. It is common for individuals, especially teenagers and young adults in wilderness or residential treatment settings, to minimize or deny problems. Despite this, psychological testing is set up to look past the first layer to what is really going on. Through direct and indirect questioning, one-on-one interaction, comprehensive observations from current mental health providers, family feedback, and data from specific psychological and neuropsychological tests,
psychological testing gives a well-rounded picture of the assessee and can help determine the most reliable steps to take moving forward.
The Process of Psychological Testing
Often, people who come to the point of desiring psychological testing are pointed in that direction by a therapist, educational consultant, or treatment program coordinator. That professional will recommend an evaluator -- a PhD-level psychologist. At Clear Path Psychological, the following is the testing process from start to finish:
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Once the evaluation date is set, our offices send out necessary consent forms to the parents / interested adults to complete and return.
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Parent forms that are part of the testing process are also sent out.
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We then send preliminary testing forms to the student, to complete before in-person testing begins.
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The evaluating psychologist generally goes directly to the assessee and administers in-person testing procedures.
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The evaluator gathers additional information from current providers, reviews the testing data, and creates preliminary testing results
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The evaluator provides in-depth verbal review and discussion of results with parents and interested adults, current mental health providers, and educational consultants if applicable.
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A comprehensive written report based on all the information gathered is created.
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The final report is sent electronically via a secured email.
What types of tests does Clear Path offer?
At Clear Path we are most often asked to assist families after they have already tried multiple avenues of therapeutic intervention and support. Because of this, we recognize that most of the individuals we assess have complex issues that could include various combinations of emotional, behavioral, social, attentional, executive functioning, and learning issues that may also be affected by substance abuse or other problematic behaviors.
Consequently, at Clear Path, we always approach testing from a comprehensive standpoint to assure that we can understand and clarify all of the interacting behavioral, emotional, and cognitive aspects of the individual to assure that we have an accurate understanding of who the person is.
A standard comprehensive battery includes tests that assess an individual's behavioral, emotional, personality, executive functioning, attention and focus, thinking and reasoning abilities, academic skill, learning disabilities, substance use/abuse. This comprehensive battery can assess the complete spectrum of emotional and mental health difficulties, trauma, cognitive aptitude, and possible learning challenges. Additional testing can also look at social and behavioral issues associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder and similar issues.
If you have any questions or would like to set up a free consultation with Dr. Adams, please contact us here.