Psychological and Psychoeducational Evaluations
Watermark Psychological & Consulting Services, LLC, and Lee Anne Dickerson, PsyD, provide psychological testing services, as well as therapy, for Arbor Cove Therapy, LLC. Psychological evaluations and psychoeducational evaluations are available for children, adolescents, and adults.
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Reasons individuals request psychological testing:
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What is the difference between a psychological evaluation and a psychoeducational evaluation?
- Psychological evaluations and psychoeducational evaluations are both tailored to answer unique questions about the individual being evaluated.
- A psychological evaluation is a thorough assessment that looks at how a person thinks, learns, feels, behaves, and copes with stressors. This type of assessment provides a diagnosis (e.g. ADHD, anxiety, depression, etc.) and treatment recommendations and is considered a medical intervention. If you have insurance benefits that cover psychological testing, Dr. Dickerson can provide you with a receipt as an out of network provider that you may submit to your insurance company as part of a request for reimbursement.
- A psychoeducational evaluation focuses primarily on intellectual abilities and academic achievement to help determine strengths and learning differences. This type of evaluation is considered to be for educational purposes; therefore most insurance companies do not provide benefits for a psychoeducational evaluation.
What is the process and how long does it take?
- The evaluation process takes between 2-3 weeks from start to finish.
- Step 1: Diagnostic Interview – A diagnostic interview involves both the child and parent (or the individual, if evaluating an adult). Dr. Dickerson will meet with the parent and child together and then separately to acquire the necessary information to determine the appropriate tests to be used for the evaluation.
- Step 2: Testing Appointment(s) - The number of testing appointments depends on the number of tests given and the individual’s response during the assessment. Most testing batteries can be completed in 1 to 2 sessions that last between 2-3 hours each.
- Step 4: Gathering Collateral Data – Dr. Dickerson will ask you to sign a release of information allowing her to contact other professionals providing care to the individual being evaluated, such as primary care physicians and teachers, so she can obtain records, consult with them, and ask them to complete checklists related to your concerns.
- Step 5: Scoring data and report writing – Dr. Dickerson will score all of the tests administered and write a comprehensive report for you to have for your records. This report is only shared with other professionals (primary care, school) when requested and with written permission.