Your child isn’t getting good grades, even though they are smart. Maybe you spend hours convincing and helping them to complete to their homework. Or they rush through their work, making many mistakes. Perhaps they forget to turn in their homework. Or teachers are concerned about their ability to focus in class.
If these scholastic struggles sound familiar, then a psychological assessment for ADHD can provide the answers you need.
What Are The Benefits Of An ADHD Assessment?
An ADHD assessment assesses multiple factors that can help you understand your child and learn how they can succeed academically. A comprehensive assessment can provide additional answers. The benefits of a comprehensive ADHD assessment include understanding how your child brain functions, how they learn, and what other emotional challenges, such as anxiety or depression, are contributing.
The process of an ADHD assessment provides three major answers:
What an ADHD Assessment Provides
Diagnosis and Recommendations
Following the ADHD assessment, you will receive a written report that includes a diagnosis (if applicable) and recommendations. Recommendations include strategies for school, parenting, and medical and/or mental health treatment. You may provide this report to your child’s school if the psychologist recommends you advocate for more academic support.
ADHD Medication
Additionally, you may give the report to your child’s pediatrician or psychiatrist if you are interested in medication for your child. If you are not interested in medication, your pediatrician may recommend other supplements, such as melatonin for sleep or an Omega supplement to help with focus. Your pediatrician may address other nutritional imbalances that can impact ADHD symptoms.
Parenting Strategies
The report will also provide parenting strategies. Parenting is never easy. A child with ADHD, however, may require some additional support. This can make parenting more challenging. Additionally, parenting a child with ADHD likely looks different to the parenting your other children or your friend’s children require. Thus, recommended strategies will be tailored to fit your child’s specific situation. This can include transitioning between multiple households, difficulty with sleep, or a busy family schedule.
Empower Yourself And Your Child With An ADHD Assessment
It may feel overwhelming to meet your child’s needs especially with, no doubt, numerous other demands on your time. One of the major benefits of an ADHD assessment is that it provides a road map. It can help reveal what your child needs and how to start providing this. Then, both you and your child can feel confident to take the next steps towards effective change.
Schedule Your Consultation Today
Schedule a free consultation call to see if an ADHD assessment would benefit your child. For more information on the assessment process and strategies, you can download my ADHD Field Guide.
Melissa Winfield, PsyD
I help children, teenagers and parents find hope and resilience through the tough times.
The diagnosis of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is getting thrown around everywhere these days. It’s so common that some parents have become suspicious of the label while others become concerned that every problem their child has may be related to ADHD. But what actually is ADHD and would it be helpful to get a diagnosis for your child?
What is ADHD?
ADHD is more than just attention problems or hyperactivity. It is a mental health diagnosis that includes a long list of symptoms that occur when children (and adults) have difficulty with executive functioning. Executive functioning is our brain’s ability to plan ahead, sustain attention, organize, and stop certain behaviors.
When your child is arguing for the one hundredth time about taking a shower and you want to yell at them to just do it, but instead you take a deep breath and speak calmly…that is your brain using executive functioning to monitor your behavior. Getting yourself to focus on work, planning out what you need to do today and finishing the dishes when you don’t want to…that is also your brain using executive functioning.
Attention problems are a sign of ADHD but there is more to it.
What are the Symptoms of ADHD?
Here are some other signs of ADHD:
Loosing things frequently
Difficulty starting tasks (Ex. Needs frequent reminders to do homework or chores)
Difficulty completing tasks or following through with instructions (Ex. Completes homework but forgets to turn it in)
Makes frequent mistakes on things that they should know
Forgets things that they have to do daily
Gets easily distracted
Fidgets constantly
Has difficulty sitting still in sitting is required
Seems to be aways on the go
Runs or climbs when it is not appropriate to do so
Not able to play quietly
Blurts out answers to questions
Has difficulty waiting turns
Does not play quietly but is always making noise
Likely your child has struggled with one or more of these items, even if they do not have ADHD. And very few children will have all of these symptoms. But if your child has many of these symptoms AND it is impacting school, their ability to make friends or making home life very difficult, then they may need additional support.
When Should I Get Help?
If you are looking at this list and your child meets more than 5 of these regularly or a specific symptom is causing significant concern, then getting an evaluation from your pediatrician or a qualified mental health professional may be helpful. Without a professional evaluation, it is difficult to know for sure if your child meets criteria. This is because there are a few other factors involved. For example, other things can look like ADHD…like past trauma, anxiety, difficulty transitioning between homes or learning difficulties.
Is Getting a Diagnosis Important?
Getting a professional diagnosis may be helpful for you to know how to better support your child and to give you a road map of what to do next. A diagnosis can help you advocate for accommodations at school, discuss treatment with your pediatrician or know how to better structure your child’s time at home.
Living in a new country as a refugee or trying to change your immigration status can be very stressful. Maybe you are worried that a family member will face deportation. No matter the situation, you want to do everything in your power to ensure that you or your loved one will be able to legally stay in the United States. How could a psychological evaluation help you?
Immigration Psychological Evaluation
For many immigration applications, a psychological evaluation can support your case. This evaluation provides a clear portrayal of your story and describes the hardship you have already faced or expect to face in the future due to deportation. If you have suffered any psychological or physical abuse, it is valuable to have the mental impact of this abuse well documented.
This article provides a brief description of the kinds of cases in which a psychological evaluation may be helpful. However, this is not legal advice. Consult your attorney about whether a psychological evaluation would support your case.
Extreme Hardship Waiver
In extreme hardship cases, a waiver can be provided to an applicant if their removal from the US would cause “extreme hardship” for a family member who is a citizen or lawful permanent resident. Your case must show that there will be extreme hardship if family members are separated due to deportation or if family members must relocate with the one being deported. Extreme hardship is defined by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services as a hardship that is more than what is commonly expected for family separation or relocation. Factors in determining hardship may include access to health care, finances, education, caring for family members, safety, and social or cultural impact.
A psychological report can help to clearly document your situation and the hardship that would result in either family separation or relocation. If separation or relocation may include mental health concerns, a psychological report is invaluable to describe how mental health is likely to be impacted.
Cheerful aunt laughing and giving cheese to niece while enjoying with family in kitchen at home during weekend
Spousal Abuse (VAWA)
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was created to provide a pathway to legal status for family members who have experienced abuse from a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR). An immigrant family member is usually reliant on a U.S. citizen or LPR to petition for legal status on their behalf. But for cases in which there has been abuse, VAWA provides protection for individuals to apply without the knowledge, consent, or participation of their abuser. This protection is not just for women, but includes all spouses, children, and parents who have suffered abuse and who would otherwise be dependent on their abuser to apply for immigrant status.
Abuse in these cases is described as “battery and extreme cruelty.” This includes physical and sexual abuse as well as non-violent acts or threats of violence that are used to control the victim (ex. isolation, blaming, threats of deportation, etc.)
A psychological evaluation can be provided as evidence to demonstrate battery and extreme cruelty. Meeting with a psychologist for an evaluation allows clear documentation of the psychological and emotional hardship you have experienced. It allows your story to be portrayed accurately and compassionately in a comprehensive written report.
U Visa
A U Visa is similar to a VAWA case in that it allows an individual to self-petition for legal status due to having been the victim of a crime. It provides protection for those who have “suffered substantial mental or physical abuse.” In order to meet requirements, the victim must be willing to participate with law enforcement.
In these cases, a psychological evaluation can be helpful to document and provide evidence for the mental and emotional impact of abuse.
Asylum
Lastly, a psychological evaluation may be helpful if you are seeking asylum. In order to receive asylum status in the United States, you must show that you have suffered persecution or have a well-founded fear of persecution in your home country. Persecution may be based on factors such as race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a social group experiencing discrimination.
A psychological evaluation documents the persecution or suffering you have already experienced before coming to the United States or the reason why you are fearful that you would not be safe if you returned to your home country. It can also help document the reasons why you did not apply within the year deadline of arrival in the US, if applicable.
In all of these cases, you want a professional who will treat your case with compassion and expertise. I will work closely with your immigration attorney to create a helpful report that clearly documents what you have been through, your current situation, and any hardship you expect in the future. A psychological evaluation gives you confidence that your unique immigration story will be heard and that evidence for mental health impact will be presented.
You have decided to adopt internationally and are likely feeling very excited about what this means for you, your family, and the child you will bring home. Even though you’re excited, all of the steps in the adoption process may feel daunting. For many international adoptions, one of those steps is completing a pre-adoption psychological evaluation. In a previous blog, I outlined the process of getting a pre-adoption psychological evaluation to have a general idea of what to expect. In this article, I want to answer some specific questions that I have gotten from families going through this process. Additionally, I want to provide information specific to my practice to help alleviate some anxiety.
The evaluation process includes two components: an interview and personality testing. Both can be done virtually. However, check with your adoption agency first to see if they would have any concerns with a virtual evaluation.
All evaluations and adoption paperwork will need to be approved by a committee in the country from which you hope to adopt. Each country has different standards and some may not approve virtual evaluations at this time.
I am able to provide evaluations both virtually and in person, based on your preference and agency’s recommendation. Since evaluations are usually completed in two sessions, one can be virtual and the other in person, if needed.
How long does the evaluation take?
Evaluations require 5-6 hours of your time and can be completed across multiple sessions.
How much does an international adoption evaluation cost?
Costs vary based on the testing required by the country from which you plan to adopt, and additional testing may be recommended at times. Currently, international adoption assessments through my practice generally cost $2500 per family.
What questions are asked during the interview?
Most clinical interviews include detailed information about your mental health, medical, employment, educational, and social history. However, some questions are specific to adoption. These questions may vary depending on the country from which you are adopting.
It is common to be asked about your journey to parenting through adoption. Questions may include why you decided to adopt and what factors led to this decision. You may also be asked about what you are hoping will result from the adoption. What are your dreams for your family? How do you envision life with an adopted child?
Other questions will explore your parenting style, including how you learned to parent (from your parents, prior experience, parenting classes, etc.). You may also be asked about your willingness to help a child connect with their biological family in the future and your understanding of stressors that your adopted child may have experienced before adoption.
Preparing for Adoption
There are a lot of questions involved but no need to be anxious! There are no “right” answer. Just be open to reflecting on your experience (the good and the bad) that led you to today. This evaluation is not to find your weaknesses but to give an accurate and complete sense of who you are and who you will be as a parent to an adopted child.
Though the evaluation may feel like just another step, it can also be a valuable time to reflect on your experience, identify strengths individually and as a couple, and talk about areas where you may need support. Bringing home a child is both exciting and stressful, so this evaluation helps you prepare for what is ahead.
Adoption provides an incredible opportunity to give a loving home to a child in need and to grow your family. But you are ready to take on this adventure, there can be a lot of hoops to jump through first. And on top of all the red tape, international adoptions often require a psychological evaluation for the adoptive parents.
Here’s what you can expect in a pre-adoption evaluation.
Why Do I Need This before I can Adopt?
The ultimate goal of the evaluation is to make sure that every child is matched with a home that will be warm and nurturing. Unfortunately, some adoptions have resulted in placements where children have been neglected or abused because parents did not have the capacity for appropriate care.
The psychological evaluation is one way to screen parents to make sure that they are ready to take on the challenges of parenting for the first time or to add another member to their family. If mental health concerns are present in the family, the evaluation can help ensure that these concerns are caught early and that parents have the support they need to be successful.
The Process of the Pre-Adoption Psychological Evaluation
Pre-adoption evaluations usually consist of a clinical interview and one or more psychological tests that help determine mental health concerns. The clinical interview will be conducted both with the parents together and separately. The interview is a necessary part of the evaluation so that your psychologist understands your context and story when they interpret test results. This enables them to provide accurate feedback and give recommendations tailored to your needs.
Psychological tests may include the MMPI, which is a standard personality test, though other tests may be used instead of or in addition to the MMPI. The MMPI is a true/false questionnaire that will ask all kinds of questions, many of which seem irrelevant. It is designed to identify mental health concerns and will be interpreted by your psychologist to determine any issues that need to be addressed.
This is not a test for which you can study or prepare. All questions ask about your preferences and experience. Trying to decipher what the test questions could mean will only cause unnecessary anxiety and possibly unhelpful results. Do your best to give accurate and honest answers without worrying about what each question is getting after.
Determines fit for your needs, establishes expectations and scheduling.
2. Clinical Interview
Conducted jointly and individually with parents to gather context, personal story, and needs for accurate test interpretation and tailored recommendations.
3. Psychological Assessment
Involves tests like the MMPI (true/false questionnaire) or others to detect mental health issues; answer honestly without preparation or overthinking.
4. Follow-Up Feedback
Schedule a session to review results, discuss concerns, provide recommendations, and answer questions for proactive issue resolution.
Results Help Your Adoption Succeed
After the interview and tests are completed, your psychologist will create a report that meets the requirements of the country from which you are planning to adopt. We may request written permission from you to speak with your adoption agency to make sure that we are meeting all requirements.
After the report is completed, your psychologist will schedule a follow up appointment to give you feedback on your results. This will include discussion of any concerns that may have come up and recommendations for what will help you be successful in your adoption. We want to make sure that you understand the information being provided and have time to ask any questions you may have about the results.
Pre-Adoption Psychological Evaluation Support
At Here, our psychologists understand that it can be stressful completing these evaluations. It may seem like just another “to-do” before you can be a blessing to a child. Our goal is to make this as stress-free as possible by letting you know up front what to expect. Our recommendations are created to help you be proactive in addressing needs that you may have now and anticipate any challenges. This support will help make your transition to welcoming a new child into your home a smoother experience.
Why do I need a pre-adoption psychological evaluation?
The evaluation ensures that adoptive parents are prepared to provide a warm, nurturing home for the child. It screens for any mental health concerns to prevent potential neglect or abuse and helps catch issues early, providing necessary support for successful parenting.
What does the pre-adoption evaluation process involve?
The process typically includes a clinical interview (conducted both together and separately with the parents) and one or more psychological tests, such as the MMPI. The interview provides context for interpreting test results, leading to tailored recommendations.
What psychological tests are used in the evaluation?
Common tests include the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), a true/false questionnaire designed to identify mental health concerns. Other tests may be used in addition or instead, depending on the psychologist’s approach.
How should I prepare for the psychological tests?
You can’t study or prepare for these tests, as they focus on your preferences and experiences. The best approach is to answer honestly and accurately without overanalyzing the questions, as trying to “figure them out” can lead to unnecessary anxiety and inaccurate results.
What happens after the evaluation is completed?
The psychologist will create a report that meets the requirements of the country you’re adopting from. You’ll have a follow-up appointment to review the results, discuss any concerns, and receive recommendations. They may also coordinate with your adoption agency with your permission.
How can the evaluation support my adoption journey?
The evaluation aims to make the process stress-free by providing proactive recommendations to address current needs and anticipate challenges. This helps ensure a smoother transition when welcoming a new child into your home.
Where can I get a pre-adoption psychological evaluation?
Services are available in California through our practice. You can book a free consultation call to determine if we’re the right fit. Learn more about our assessment services or schedule a free consultation.
Everyone goes through difficult seasons of life, but there is a difference between a bad season and an episode of depression. Do you know the signs of depression?
Depression is one of the most common mental
health diagnoses in the United States, with an estimated 17.3 million adults
and 3.3 million adolescents having had least one depressive episode in 2017
(NIMH). Despite being so prevalent, a
depressive episode can be one of the most isolating times in a person’s life,
and its impacts can be far-reaching and devastating.
What is depression?
Though there are different kinds of
depression, most depression begins with a similar set of symptoms.
Common symptoms may include:
Feeling sad, empty,
and/ or irritable
Not feeling interested
in things you once enjoyed, like hobbies, spending time with loved ones, and/
or sex
Difficulty getting
things done, following through on tasks, and/ or focusing
Trouble with sleep,
appetite, weight, and/or fatigue
Thoughts of hurting
yourself
(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 2013)
Who can give me a depression test?
Though you may be able to recognize these
signs for yourself, it may be helpful to get a diagnosis from a therapist or
doctor. According to the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration, 35% of adults and 60% of adolescents
never get treatment for depression.
Talking to a professional about your diagnosis can help you get a
diagnosis and then get linked to treatment.
Because there are different types of
depression, an online depression test may not be able to help you understand
what you are experiencing or what to do next.
A depression test with a professional may help provide those answers and
next steps.
If depression is common, do I really need treatment?
Despite being so common, depression can have a
massive impact on your daily life, leading to:
Missing work/ school
Not making deadlines
for work/ school
Feeling disconnected
from loved ones
Not making progress or
keeping up with other valued life areas, like finances
Turning to substance
use to try and stop the pain
In turn, these problems lead to a negative
response from the people around you.
This criticism, and the feeling of falling more and more behind, can
start to feel like you’re never going to get out.
What do I do if I think I have depression or want a depression test?
There are a lot of successful treatments for
depression, including different types of talk therapy and medication. But sometimes it’s hard to know where to
start.
Reach out to a
therapist today to schedule a session and learn more about if depression
treatment may be helpful for you
Talk to your doctor
about whether you are a candidate for medication, as well as the pros and cons
of medications
For some of you, it may be helpful to request
testing for depression. A depression
test may be helpful for those of you who:
You are not sure if
you are experiencing depression
You see some of your
symptoms here, but don’t think depression is the full picture
You’ve been in
treatment for depression, but aren’t seeing the progress you like
Reach out today to start your journey toward healing by scheduling an initial therapy appointment or a depression test.
Ashley Holcomb, PsyD
I help individuals and couples overcome the patterns that keep them from experiencing closeness in relationships.
Anxiety can be overwhelming. Though we all feel stress, anxiety disorders can cause a person to become agitated, restless, or excessively worried over something others may see as small. Anxiety can come in many forms, whether it’s
Feeling your heart pound and palms sweat
Negative self-talk
Avoiding social situations
Difficulty sleeping and calming down
Racing thoughts and difficulty concentrating
You may not know whether what you are feeling is typical stress, or signs of an anxiety disorder, and that feeling of not knowing brings its own discomfort and additional stress.
When we don’t know, we google.
And when we google, we can find that there are many types of anxiety, as well as other disorders in which anxiety plays a part. If you weren’t feeling anxious before, you may feel even more anxious as you flip through online pages of diagnosis after diagnosis. There are some online anxiety tests, and they can be helpful as a starting place to help learn more about anxiety, and to see whether it may be helpful for you to seek professional help. However, online tests have limits.
You’re probably feeling more anxious than normal when you read through a list of symptoms or diagnoses, and that may impact how you answer the questions. Secondly, sometimes the way things are written is not clear. For example, these quiz questions often ask about how often a symptom occurs without providing context – how often is “often” or “sometimes”? Lastly, even if an online quiz can tell you with 100% certainty that you have an anxiety disorder, it may not be able to link you to treatment with a quality mental health professional, nor provide treatment recommendations that are tailored to best fit you.
Pros of Taking an Online Anxiety Test
Learn basic information about anxiety.
Get a starting point to understand your own emotions
First easy step toward deeper self understanding
Free, or low cost.
Cons of Taking an Online Anxiety Test
Possible misdiagnosis
General, often not validated (accurate) questions
Not able to recommend appropriate treatment
Difficulty understanding results
Incomplete, limited results or insights
Knowing yourself is a key part of understanding how to take care of yourself, but figuring yourself out can be a complicated and uncomfortable process. I’ll explain a few ways to get started on your own, as well as ways we can help.
Take an anxiety quiz or read an article online
Though they have their limits, those online anxiety tests can help us start to learn the lingo around anxiety and start to get some ideas about ourselves. There’s a lot of them out there, so I would begin with any that come from any reputable clinics or universities. For example, here’s a page from Mayo Clinic on common signs of anxiety, or an article from Harvard on the difference between stress and anxiety. In terms of quizzes, this quiz from Mindspot gets around the “how often” problem by providing more concrete terms, which may help you be more exact about your symptoms. I also like this one from ADDitude, which provides more detail about what each of these symptoms means.
Start a Journal
Often our thoughts and feelings happen so fast that we have a hard time organizing them. Journaling is a great way to slow down our minds and put our complex thoughts, feelings, and patterns out on to paper. It doesn’t have to follow a standard format. For some people, just simple bullet points with their thoughts and feelings about a situation can be helpful to start to see patterns. Find a format that works for you and work to integrate it into your regular routine. This can also help you see if your anxiety tends to happen in any kind of pattern, as well as help you answer those pesky “often” and “sometimes” questions with more accuracy. When you write, reflect by asking yourself:
When did I start feeling this way?
What events today contributed to how I’m feeling now?
What feelings do these words communicate?
How much do these feelings affect my well-being, on a scale from 1-10?
Consider psychological testing
At Here Counseling, we provide quality psychological testing that can help you better understand what makes you tick. Psychological testing is a professional service that uses empirically validated measures to draw conclusions about your emotions and behaviors.
Our professionals will explore with you your concerns about anxiety, design a set of tests tailored to your needs, and provide personalized and concrete recommendations to help you with your anxiety. These tests can provide so much more than a quick online quiz, as we conduct a thorough interview to see patterns in your anxiety or in your history, look at other personality traits that may contribute to anxiety or be sources of strength to help you combat anxiety, and check for any other concerns that could be linked to anxiety. Let’s understand how psychological testing works.
Initial interview. A psychologist will ask you about the questions you want answered about yourself. These can range from questions about a specific diagnosis, such as ADHD or Bipolar II, to questions about your personality and relationship patterns.
Testing. You’ll come back in for a few hours of testing in which the psychologist will help you complete hand-picked, curated measures that together create a cohesive picture of your functioning.
Report writing. The psychologist writes a report with significant findings from the measures and draws conclusions in order to clearly shed light on the testing question.
Feedback session. The psychologist will sit down and explain the results of the test, and also recommend next steps for accommodation or treatment.
Having a professional working with you to give you accurate and helpful information has the potential to transform your life and move you closer toward your goals. It takes the pressure off of you to figure out the problem, so that you can take the right steps forward toward healing, health, and wholeness. Reach out today, we’re here to help.
Ashley Holcomb
Ashley provides psychotherapy and testing in our downtown Los Angeles office.
