Psychological Testing

Sometimes, the causes of challenges that clients present with may be difficult to untangle – for example, a child may be presenting with a mixture of anxious and distracted behaviors, and it is unclear whether the child’s anxiety is distracting him, whether his distraction is causing anxiety, or whether both the anxiety and the distraction exist as free-standing concerns. In such situations, psychological testing can help to pinpoint an accurate diagnosis and provide a road map for intervention, providing you with the peace of mind that your child is receiving all of the tools and resources that (s)he needs (and none that (s)he doesn’t need). In psychological testing, a clinical psychologist will meet with the client (and his or her family, if appropriate) for a diagnostic interview to help clarify the referral question and determine what would constitute an appropriate group of tests. The client will then return for anywhere between 4 and 8 hours of testing, during which they will respond to a variety of tests that may include an intelligence test, tests of executive functioning, attention and impulse control, personality tests, strengths tests, and academic achievement tests. The clinician will then score the results and write a 10 – 25 page report detailing the findings and providing a road map for any further interventions that may be needed.