A psychological assessment is the recommended starting point for anyone ready to engage in care through MHCAs Phoenix office. This isn’t a pass or fail test, but a comprehensive method for establishing a baseline for your mental health and an essential step in developing an individualized treatment plan.
Types of Assessments
Mental Health Assessment
ADHD / ADD Evaluation
Autism Evaluation
Psychoeducational Evaluation
At MHCA we specialize in providing expert-driven, comprehensive psychological diagnostic assessments to get a thorough understanding of your mental function, the challenges you are facing, as well as your personal strengths, preferences, and goals.
Common Questions
- What Will a Psychological Assessment Accomplish?
- What is the Process for Getting an Assessment?
- What Happens During the Diagnostic Assessment Session?
- Reviewing the Test Results and Making a Treatment Plan
- Ongoing Treatment and Services
- What Makes MCHA Different
- Psychological Assessment vs Psychometric Test
- FAQs about a Comprehensive Psychological Evaluation
- Meet our Team of Psychologists and Mental Health Associates
- Tour One of Our Mental Health Centers
- Our Centers
What Will a Psychological Assessment Accomplish?
You can think of a psychological assessment like any other medical exam. The goal of the assessment is to pair you with doctor of mental health in order to accurately assess presenting symptoms, gather data to either support a working diagnosis, update an old diagnosis, or confirm that a diagnosis is not present. The results from the assessment will be used to develop the most effective treatment approach for your personal treatment goals. We want to help get you out of any potentially unhealthy emotional, cognitive, and behavioral patterns through evidence based treatment.
What is the Process for Getting an Assessment?
You can start the process by either calling our office at 602.704.2345 or utilizing the schedule your appointment feature on our website. After you submit the initial intake form, our wellness staff will reach out to you to schedule your psychological assessment.
The psychological assessment will take place in our Phoenix office, virtual (telehealth) appointments are available for anyone that is unable to participate in-person. Our staff will make sure you’re comfortable and feel cared for during your visit.
What Happens During the Diagnostic Assessment Session?
The majority of assessment will be conducted through a clinical interview with a Doctor of Psychology (licensed psychologist) which is followed by a thorough document review. Your doctor will combine the information collected from the clinical interview and document review in order to determine the diagnostic findings and clinical summary.
Our Psychologist will ask you various questions about your life and experiences. You may also be asked to complete supplemental questionnaires which will provide some additional detail to your existing assessment.
Your doctor will ask relevant questions and assess how you currently functioning in key areas of your life. They’ll cover topics like learning and memory, behavior, social skills, relationships, mood, anxiety, family history, cognitive processing, and more…
Our goal is that you will feel safe, heard, and understood from the very start of services.
Psychological assessments can vary but usually requires approximately 2 to 3 hours of face-to-face contact with the client. A psychologist will meet with an individual to gather background information and administer the testing instruments. Depending upon complexity or severity of presenting symptoms, time required and types of testing instruments may vary between patients. Below is a brief list of what a patient can expect:
- Clinical Interview with the patient.
- Review of all available records including medical, mental health, school, etc.
- Multidisciplinary team consultation
- As needed – Testing with standardized assessment batteries.
- Comprehensive report writing with recommendations.
- Review results and treatment recommendations with the patient.
Types of Assessments and Evaluations That May Be Included:
- Cognition/Processing abilities
- Memory and Learning
- Personality
- Dyslexia
- ADHD
- Autism
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Social/Emotional and Behavioral Functioning
- Executive Functioning
- Social Skills
Reviewing the Test Results and Making a Treatment Plan
From the start, you’ll get all the time and attention you need, and will always be informed of what’s happening next and why.
Following your assessment, the next step is when you meet with your psychologist for a treatment review session which will take place a few days after the psychological assessment.
During this visit, you and your doctor will go over your recommended plan of services and introduce you to the team of experts that will be working with you.
We work hard to connect you with a multidisciplinary team of experts who will work collaboratively to provide you with a customized care plan to enhance your healing and wellness.
For whatever reason(s), when MHCA may not be the most appropriate place for you to engage in care services, we will make appropriate community referrals while providing personal and professional support in an effort to help facilitate a smooth transition to care.
Ongoing Treatment and Services
Driven by a working diagnosis, we meet you where you are today, and develop an effective treatment plan to fit your life, your schedule, and your mental health goals. What that looks like is shaped entirely by your individual needs combined with evidence based treatment.
Our biopsychosocial approach treats both your mind and body. Accordingly, we offer a range of services at our Phoenix location to support your treatment plan for an optimal outcome.
Your file is reviewed by our highly skilled and multidisciplinary team of licensed metal health professionals. This collaborative approach ensures you get the most comprehensive treatment, leading to the best possible care.
Since we are a primary care provider for mental health services, we offer many other mental health services and wellness interventions, including:
Counseling
Psychiatry
Prescribing
Medication Management
Diagnosing
Psychological Testing & Assessment
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)
Neurofeedback
Naturopathic Wellness
Wellness Therapies
Cold Therapy (ice plunge)
Heat Therapy (infrared sauna)
What Makes MCHA Different
A Plan Built Just For You.
Psychological Assessment vs Psychometric Test
Many people ask if there is a difference between a psychological assessment and a psychometric test. The truth is… it depends. A psychometric test specifically designed to measure a specific item such as: intelligence, achievement, working memory, personality, attention, and more. A psychological assessment may or may not include one or more psychometric tests, all determined by what the clinician is attempting to measure, assess, or rule-out.
FAQs about a Comprehensive Psychological Evaluation
How much does an ADD/ADHD, Psychoeducational, or Autism Assessment Cost?
The costs for psychological assessments can vary based on complexity and can range from $750 to upwards of $3,500.
How Much Does A Mental Health Assessment Cost?
The cost for a mental health assessment can vary based on complexity and can range from $250 to $700.
What does a psychological evaluation test for?
There is no “one size fits all” psychological evaluation, there are considerations to demographic of the patient such as age, gender, culture, etc, presenting symptoms, and history. A psychological evaluation can be used to determine diagnostic criteria for mental health disorders, giftedness, trauma, attention, and more.
When should you get a psychological evaluation.
Contrary to what some may think, psychological evaluations are appropriate for anyone and everyone. Something doesn’t necessary have to be “wrong” in order for someone to benefit from a comprehensive look into their mental health. Establishing a baseline and understanding of your mental health can help guide treatment and / or provide a healthy awareness of your current mental health so that you can effectively manage your wellness either via self-care or treatment.
How long does a psych assessment take
The psychological assessment is made up of two separate appointments. The initial appointment is the longer of the two appointments and takes about two hours. The second appointment is the assessment review and take about 30 minutes.
Who performs a Psych Evaluation
Our psychological evaluations are always performed by a doctor (clinical psychologist). Our doctors are the highest trained, mental health professional for clinical assessments, diagnosing, and treatment planning.
Can Evaluations be done Virtually?
Yes, evaluations CAN be done virtually; however, we highly encourage that all initial evaluations are performed in-person. This allows the doctor to provide the highest and most comprehensive level of care.
Do you do Psychological Evaluations for Children?
We currently work with families, adolescents, young adults, adults, and older adults. Depending upon the symptoms and age, children benefit most from a pediatric specialist. If we are not the best fit for your child then we will help you connect with a pediatric specialist.
How Should I Prepare for the psychological evaluation?
We encourage patients to take the appropriate time to complete the intake documents, honestly and thoroughly, this information will support your care. No other preparation is required; however, we always recommend some self-care such as sleep, physical activity, mindfulness, which can help support a clear mind during your time spent with the doctor.
Does MCHA Take Insurance?
MHCA participates in a wide variety of health plans to service out patients including: United Health Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, Cigna, and Medicare. We work hard to make mental health care as accessible and affordable as possible; however, some services may not be covered by insurance.
Meet our Team of Psychologists and Mental Health Associates
MHCA’s multidisciplinary team comprised of Psychiatrist(s), Clinical Psychologist(s), Physician Assistant(s), Licensed Professional Counselor(s), and Wellness Associates leverage their unique training and experience to create an integrated system that is proficient at assessing, diagnosing, treatment planning.
Tour One of Our Mental Health Centers
Our Centers
We are located in the heart of Central Phoenix near 16th St. and Northern Ave and in the East Valley in Mesa near the Superstition Highway (60). Please contact us if you have any difficulty accessing our Clinics.
Please reach out to our team if you have questions.
Phone: (602) 704-2345
Fax: (602) 704-2399
If you are in an emergency, please call 911.