Psychological Assessments
Making sense of symptoms, deepening self-understanding, and guiding personalized care.
A psychological assessment, also known as a psychodiagnostic assessment, is a comprehensive assessment that examines your social, emotional, physical, and behavioural symptoms in order to identify and, when warranted, diagnose a mental health disorder. A psychological assessment can be helpful in identifying unhelpful symptoms and/or patterns that perpetuate and maintain dysfunction. Psychological assessments can also be used in a variety of contexts to help you obtain necessary resources and/or accommodations at school or work, as well as help you gain access to a variety of community programs.
Among the many possible reasons one might value having a psychodiagnostic assessment, some common reasons include:
Exploring whether a mental health diagnosis may help bring clarity to your experience
Gaining clarity about emotional, behavioural, and/or relationship challenges
Better understanding concerns that may appear similar on the surface
Supporting applications for short- or long-term disability
Helping you access accommodations at work or school
Informing personalized treatment planning and collaboration among care providers
Providing documentation to support care planning or other formal needs
Supporting referrals to therapy, medication, or other services
Revisiting or clarifying a previous diagnosis or past treatment experience
Building insight into personal strengths, coping patterns, and areas for growth
Helping with decision-making about what kinds of support may be most helpful
Offering a second opinion when past diagnoses or treatment have not fully fit
Identifying factors that may be contributing to distress or feeling stuck
Clarifying the impact of past experiences, including stress or trauma
What to expect during your testing
Psychodiagnostic assessments take 8–10h total. The hourly rate is determined based on the clinician you choose to work with. The assessment is typically structured as follows:
Step 1: Clinical Consultation
20 minute discussion about your challenges, history & experiences via phone. You will be able to share your concerns so that your clinician may customize the assessment
Step 2: Intake Forms
Before the first meeting, you will need to complete a background history form for your clinician to review, as well as consent forms.
Week 1: 2 hour Clinical Interview
Between meetings, your clinician will ask you to complete a tailored battery of questionnaires and psychological measures, based on concerns identified in the first meeting.
Weeks 3 & 4 - Your clinician will gather other supplemental information, as applicable, including:
Collateral interviews with other health care providers, friends, and family
Conduct cognitive testing
Week 2: 1 - 2 hour Clinical Interview Follow-up
Follow up interview to give feedback on questionnaires & psychological measures.
Week 4 and/or 5: 1 hour Feedback session to discuss findings, recommendations, and diagnoses (if applicable)
You will receive your report shortly after the feedback session.
Please note: In the hours that are not spent directly with you, your clinician is interpreting your findings and writing your report.
At any time, during or after the assessment, you may supplement your findings with a brief or comprehensive cognitive testing battery to further explore how your experience may be affected by measurable aspects of your thinking abilities.