Psychological Evaluations
A psychological evaluation is a process in which a licensed mental health provider and the patient attempt to answer questions related to diagnoses, usually for the purpose of treatment. A psychological evaluation typically includes an in-depth clinical interview that reviews current symptoms, background, medical history and other factors that can influence how we feel and how we act. Ideally, that evaluation will also include some input from other individuals who are well known to you. That may include your spouse, partner, parents or adult children.
The psychological evaluation can address a variety of concerns including depression, anxiety, personality and other conditions that influence daily life. At Roth Neuropsychology we specialize in examining the relationship between our emotional health, behavior and cognitive factors. Your medical provider may request an evaluation to better clarify whether you have diagnoses such as ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, existing learning disabilities, or the extent to which your depression or anxiety may be influencing how will you carry out daily activities or perform at work.
The psychological evaluation begins with a clinical diagnostic interview and is followed by a battery of tests that help answer questions and concerns raised by you and your medical professional. While most psychological evaluations include questionnaires as a means of collecting more information about your experiences and perspectives, we emphasize the importance of performance-based test to measure characteristics more objectively such as attention, memory, listening and problem-solving. In some situations, the testing may take as little as a couple of hours but in situations that are more complex, testing may range from 4-8 hours.
Neuropsychological Evaluations
A neuropsychological assessment, much like a psychological assessment, uses a combination of the clinical interview with an extensive review of history along with specialized standardized testing to answer questions about brain-behavior relationships. It is conducted by a licensed psychologist with specialized doctoral and postdoctoral training in neuropsychology. This type of evaluation examines factors such as attention, language, intellect, memory, visual spatial skills, higher-level problem-solving as well as examining emotional factors that can contribute to problems with mental clarity. Typically, this type of specialized testing is requested when an individual, their family or their treating physicians raise concerns about changes in thinking abilities and/or behavior. These referrals may come from your primary care provider but often come from specialists including but not limited to neurology, neurosurgery, cardiology, endocrinology and psychiatry. At times, the testing is investigatory in nature. The testing procedures help to clarify if someone is experiencing changes in cognition, will attempt to clarify what might be causing that problem, and offer opportunities for intervention. Testing is also used to track recovery following a known medical event such as a stroke, head trauma, a neurosurgical procedure or other medical problems that can adversely affect thinking skills. As with psychological testing, the length of the procedure is determined by the type of question we are attempting to answer, the educational level of the patient, patient age, and other medical factors related to the patient. In certain situations, evaluations may last as little as 2 hours. Most commonly, these evaluations last 4 to 6 hours and in some situations may require upwards of 8 hours of assessment.
Presurgical Evaluations
Effectively, a presurgical evaluation is simply a psychological evaluation that looks at factors that can influence how you prepare for and respond to a specific surgery. There are a variety of presurgical evaluations. These can include evaluation prior to weight loss surgery or prior to an implantable stimulator to better control chronic back pain. Presurgical evaluations may also be required prior to transplants or other complex medical-surgical procedures that can be extraordinarily stressful or life-changing. These presurgical evaluations are critical in clarifying psychological or behavioral factors that can contribute to the success of both short-term and long-term surgical outcomes. These evaluations may be required by your specific surgeon and are frequently required as one of many presurgical procedures by your insurance company.
Forensic Psychological and Neuropsychological Assessments
A forensic assessment simply examines psychological and/or neuropsychological factors in the context of a legal question. In this type of assessment, an individual is referred by their attorney rather than a medical professional. The attorney, much like a physician, is attempting to better understand your emotional status or cognitive abilities in relationship to a specific legal question. For example, if you are involved in an accident and believe that there are ongoing psychological or cognitive consequences of that accident, your attorney might refer you for testing as a relates to a lawsuit. Similarly, some attorneys specialize in disability compensation lawsuits and may request testing to support that application for disability. An attorney may also refer a client for psychological or neuropsychological testing if they need more information regarding their clients decision-making abilities in circumstances such as designating a power of attorney, making complex financial decisions or even one’s ability to continue other independent activities. At Roth neuropsychology, we also conduct criminal forensic psychological and neuropsychological assessments to address questions about individuals who have been charged with a criminal activity.
Individual, Couples and Family Therapy
There are times in our lives in which we find ourselves struggling with depression, self-doubt, anxiety, specific fears, the lingering effects of trauma, personality factors and even situational stressors that are difficult to manage on our own. The decision to work with a psychotherapist is a decision to better understand your condition, why that condition is occurring, and how to move forward in an emotionally healthy way. No two individuals are the same with respect to goals or how psychotherapy unfolds. We encourage individuals to seek out counseling services as a means of achieving an improved emotional state and to be better equipped with adaptive coping skills to manage the challenges that one might face every day. While individual counseling is a private process between the patient and their psychotherapist, there are times in which couples and family therapy are a useful if not preferred method of treatment. Traditionally, couples therapy is a method of helping to identify and resolve communication and psychological barriers to healthy relationship. Sessions typically work to improve communication and conflict resolution skills while supporting the individual growth of both partners. Similarly, sometimes our concerns happen in the context of our family chemistry. Working together as a family in conjoint sessions is a useful if not powerful method for observing family chemistry while addressing those dynamics and problem-solving in the moment rather than simply talking about them after the fact.
Psychotherapy services always begin with a clinical diagnostic interview. Depending on your concerns and situations, that interview may occur privately with your psychotherapist or may involve other family members. Your psychotherapist will help to determine where to best begin.