Evaluations

A psychological evaluation involves a formal process to examine some aspect of a person’s psychological functioning. The most common goal of a psychological evaluation is to help establish a diagnosis for the emotional/psychological condition the individual is having and then make recommendations. Other possible goals of a psychological evaluation include making recommendations regarding emotional and behavioral approaches that can help with complex medical conditions, psychological factors that may be impacting a patient’s medical care and helping determine an individual’s degree of psychological disability. Psychological evaluations can also be useful in determining cognitive functioning and learning problems.   A psychological evaluation will typically involve a clinical interview with the psychologist (usually lasting approximately an hour) along with the completion of formal psychological testing. The testing may involve the administration of one or more standardized tests or batteries of tests, questionnaires, or surveys. How much time the testing takes can vary considerably depending upon the specific referral questions and purpose of the evaluation.  The psychologist will score and interpret the testing results and produce a written summary report that will either be given to the patient, or sent to relevant parties, such as a physician’s office, or clinic with the patient’s authorization.