About Testing/Evaluation

Psychological evaluations are specialized and individualized evaluations that use psychometric assessment tools to answer specific questions. For example, a psychologist might evaluate a persons IQ by administering an intellectual assessment or cognitive assessment measure. Typically, this type of assessment would take a couple of hours, and a person would interact with the psychologist in a variety of tasks such as putting puzzles together, answering fact-based questions, matching symbols, and saying phrases. These tasks are research-based measures that are administered in the same way to everyone who is evaluated with them. This happens so that the psychologist can compare each person’s performance to that of the other people who have completed the task before. This also helps the psychologist know the strengths and weaknesses for the client, and the psychologist can then make recommendations, suggestions, and provide ideas to the client.

Psychological measures can assess intellectual skills, academic (school-related) skills, cognitive and neuropsychological abilities, personality traits, behavioral and emotional status, and daily living or developmental skills. These evaluations are typically done in a battery (more than one measure at a time), and are generally scheduled in blocks of hours. Such an evaluation can take from 2 hours to 12 hours (or more) in client time.

Once the measures have been administered, they must be scored, interpreted, and a report is generated. This takes a significant amount of time on the part of the clinician. Results are generally available to the client in about 3 to 4 weeks (as supervisors also need time to review the reports that the clinicians generate).

Evaluation is a very time intensive service that can answer questions related to intellectual, cognitive, personality, neurocognitive, emotional, adaptive, and behavioral functioning.

Testing/Evaluation at PSC

Generally, Evaluation services follow the same procedures as therapy services at PSC.  First an INTAKE appointment is scheduled to help inform you about PSC and our services, and to determine if we can best meet your evaluation needs.  Next, a clinician will be assigned.  This clinician will schedule a diagnostic appointment to review the concerns, history, and questions that the evaluation is to answer.  Following this appointment, blocks of testing times will be scheduled.