Key considerations when scheduling a psychological evaluation
Once you have decided that you would like to pursue psychological or psychoeducational testing/assessment for a diagnostic evaluation, there are several indicators of quality to keep in mind as you consider your options. These are important because a thorough evaluation requires an investment of your resources – both time and money – and you will want the end result to be as useful to you as possible. A high-quality evaluation will provide you with a roadmap of not only current strengths and weaknesses but also, more importantly, how to build on those strengths and support growth going forward.
Clinician Training and Approach
Licensed psychologists have extensive training in administering and interpreting testing. In our doctoral programs, we complete coursework and fieldwork to understand both the technical design of these tools, as well as the most reliable and valid methods of using them with individuals of all ages and ability levels. In addition to being a psychologist, I have also worked as a teacher in a public school and school counselor in a private school. With my classroom and school experience, I bring to testing a special skillset - I approach each client with the warmth, patience, and encouragement needed to obtain their best efforts and results. I also understand how their strengths and weaknesses play out in the classroom, and what school staff can realistically do to support them. Recommendations are only useful if they are feasible and tailor-made to the individual. When you schedule testing with me, I will complete all of the testing myself because I want to understand the results inside and out; I do not depend on an assistant to administer tests and take notes for me to interpret later.
Appropriate Tools Based on Research
Assessments used to assess strengths and weaknesses must be rooted in research and selected carefully based on the question we’d like to answer. Unlike most school tests, these tools do not simply provide a percent correct (e.g., 90% on a geometry test). Research teams have administered these tests to thousands of individuals in order to establish a “norm” group. When a client completes the same test in my office, I compare their results to how other individuals their age generally perform, and this provides much better context than a percent correct or a symptom count. Now we can see in what areas the client is average, and in what ways they’re performing above or below what’s typically expected for their age. For example, if we’re concerned about the focus and attention of an eight-year-old boy, we need to know if his focus and attention difficulties are age-appropriate or actually worse than most boys his age. Using norm-referenced assessment tools, developed through extensive research efforts, is an important part of answering that question in my practice.
Professionalism and Ethical Practice
Holding two professional licenses under the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (Texas BHEC), I am accountable to the highest level of professional standards and ethical practices in the field. Your choice to work with a licensed psychologist means that you are opting to engage with a professional who is required to meet rigorous education and training standards, follow a strict code of ethics, and maintain their credentials through ongoing professional development. This oversight protects families and is designed to ensure evaluations are conducted responsibly. Choosing someone with little or no board oversight can leave you with incomplete, inaccurate, and invalid results, and no way to formally file a complaint. Licensure matters.
