Psychological Assessment

Assessment for Children, Teens and Adults

Ages 5+

Identifying the problem is 50% of the solution

Collaborative Psychological Assessment is a brief, intensive process that incorporates testing data and clinical insight to identify emotional, learning, and/or attentional conditions. Findings are presented in a collaborative and therapeutic manner that fosters positive change and growth for our clients.

Comprised of psychologists trained in Therapeutic Assessment, our experienced assessment team offers assessment for for children, teens, and adults. We often assess for Autism, ADHD, PTSD, and learning disabilities. We also specialize in complex presentations, eating disorders, and neurodiversity.

The Catalyst Center is proud to be neurodiversity-inclusive and LGBTQIA+ affirming.

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Specialties

  • Diagnostic Clarification
  • ADHD
  • Autism Spectrum
  • Eating Disorder Assessment
  • Giftedness and Learning Disabilities
  • Dyslexia and Reading Disorders
  • Pre-adoption evaluation for prospective adoptive parents

 

Program Highlights

  • Collaborative, client-centered approach
  • Our team of six doctoral-level assessment psychologists reviews each case.
  • Nuanced understanding of each client as a complex person
  • Therapeutically oriented recommendations
  • Easy-to-read assessment reports, free of jargon
  • Collaboration with ongoing care providers and school personnel, if applicable.

Cognitive and Learning Assessments 

Autism Assessment

Our assessment team is trained to evaluate Autism other neurodivergent traits. We specialize in assessment for elementary- age children, teens, and adults who have not previously been identified as neurodivergent or feel their previous diagnosis may not be complete or accurate.

Specific to adults, The Catalyst Center has developed a Brief Adult Autism Assessment protocol that strives to meet your desire for an expert psychologist to weigh in on your potential autism diagnosis at a more affordable cost. A brief autism assessment at the Catalyst Center will provide you with an official autism diagnosis if you meet the DSM-5 criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). If you do not meet the official criteria for ASD, our assessment psychologists will point you in the direction of what conditions may explain your traits and experiences. You will leave with clarity about your diagnosis and a letter explaining the assessment findings. You can share this letter with loved ones or your medical providers to help them understand you more fully.

ADHD Assessment

Our assessment team is trained to evaluate ADHD and other neurodivergent traits. We specialize in assessment for elementary- age children, teens, and adults who have not previously been identified as neurodivergent or feel their previous diagnosis may not be complete or accurate.

We often work with teens and adults who have spent significant time exploring their potential ADHD diagnosis, want to work with an expert in assessment to gain clarity, individualized recommendations, and a deeper understanding of their strengths and challeng areas.

Giftedness and Learning Disabilities

Psychological assessment for giftedness and learning disorders is an invaluable tool for understanding a child’s unique cognitive profile, strengths, and areas of need. By tailoring support to the child’s specific needs, psychological assessments help maximize the child’s potential and promote a balanced, fulfilling educational experience.

When evaluating for giftedness, we identify exceptional abilities that may indicate specialized educational opportunities. This ensures gifted children receive the appropriate challenges to foster their talents.

A comprehensive, collaborative psychological assessment can pinpoint learning difficulties, such as Dyslexia or Math Learning Disorder, that hinder a student’s learning and academic progress. Our thorough report and individualized recommendations offer crucial insights that inform individualized educational plans that address any learning disorders with targeted interventions.

assessment

Psychological Assessment 

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Diagnostic Clarity

When a client has tried therapy, psychiatric medication, or other interventions and nothing has seemed to work, a psychological assessment can help clarify the root causes of the difficulty they are experiencing.

Our team is particularly skilled at complex cases where a client has been given multiple, often conflicting diagnoses in the past, is stuck in treatment, or feels something hasn’t been accurately understood about them.

Eating Disorder Assessment

Eating Disorders are complex and often coexist with other mental health conditions. A comprehensive understanding of personality dynamics, contributing factors to the eating disorder, co-occurring diagnoses, and individualized treatment recommendations is crucial for effective treatment.

Our Eating Disorder Assessment program incorporates testing data and clinical insight into a detailed report, including individualized treatment recommendations. Clients and their referring team find that a specialized eating disorder assessment provides a comprehensive understanding of a person’s struggles, contributing factors to the eating disorder, diagnostic clarity, and potential barriers to full recovery.

Pre-Adoption Assessment

Some adoptions require prospective adoptive parents to undergo
psychological evaluation. We are experienced at providing these
assessments and strive to make the process an opportunity for each person to learn more about themselves rather than just another hoop to jump through.

Common Questions about Assessment

How is The Catalyst Center’s collaborative approach different from a regular psychological assessment?


Psychological assessment is a powerful tool that can provide practical solutions to various clinical and educational situations. It offers insights and details that other methods may not uncover. Moreover, it helps us gather information about our emotions, behavior, thinking styles, coping tendencies, cognitive functioning, or academic abilities. This detailed information can identify strengths and areas for growth, enabling the development of a targeted treatment plan. Assessment findings and related recommendations address areas for growth more effectively and leverage identified strengths to enhance improvement.

The Catalyst Center Assessment team has adopted a model of assessment known as “therapeutic assessment.” Collaborative in nature, therapeutic psychological assessment has several advantages and applications over other types of assessment. This approach is often more thorough and thus can offer a more complete picture of the situation you or your loved ones are encountering. Another unique advantage of this model is it can be applied when assessing individuals, couples, or even entire families.

  • From the beginning, there is a focus on maximizing an assessment’s positive, therapeutic impact by getting to know you, your concerns, and biopsychosocial influences.

  • We move beyond trying to put a label on you or your child and instead work WITH you collaboratively and respectfully to understand what is working and what is not working in your life, why you’ve gotten stuck in some spots, and most importantly, what we can do to get you unstuck and moving in a healthier direction.
  • Your assessor talks and writes in a clear and easy-to-understand manner, translating all the confusing psychology jargon into regular language that everyone can understand.
  • Test findings are approachable and easy to understand while providing specific, concrete, and accessible recommendations to help you pursue your goals.

How much does an assessment cost? What is included?

A comprehensive psychological assessment costs $4200. This includes a full battery of testing, initial intake and feedback sessions, and collaboration with family members, teachers, and your care team. This cost also reflects the time our psychologists take to thoroughly score and interpret test data, as well as the report writing.

We also offer brief, targeted assessments for specific client populations, such as Autism or eating disorders.  The brief autism assessment protocol is designed for adults who are not seeking academic or workplace accommodations. Our brief autism assessments cost $2500 and are usually completed within 2-3 weeks. 

What exactly does a psychological assessment involve?

Psychological Assessment is a brief, intensive process that incorporates testing data and clinical insight to identify emotional, learning, and/or attentional conditions.

Specifically, an assessment at The Catalyst Center involves a thorough intake, testing sessions, and a feedback session that goes over clinical findings and individualized recommendations. Coordination with family members, providers, and/or school personnel is also included in the assessment process. 

Our assessment reports are written in a way that is free of jargon and can be easily understood.  Additionally, a key component of a psychological assessment report is treatment recommendations. We pride ourselves on giving each client individualized, thoughtful, actionable recommendations tailored to their personal goals and challenges.

How long does the assessment process take?

What happens after the assessment is completed?

After testing is complete, you and your psychologist will have a feedback session where findings and recommendations are discussed. Given the collaborative and therapeutic nature of an assessment at the Catalyst Center, we strive to make test findings approachable and easy to understand while providing specific, concrete, and accessible recommendations to help you pursue your individual goals. 

A letter that summarizes findings and recommendations will be provided to you, your providers, school personnel if applicable, and anyone else you wish to include. 

Do you do forensics evaluations?

No, we do not offer forensics evaluations. Psychology Today offers an article that discusses Forensic therapy and assessment. 

Hear from our assessment team

Assessment Blog

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More Than a Diagnosis: Benefits of Psychological Assessment

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New Service: Brief Autism Assessment for Adults Exploring Autism Spectrum Disorder

Have you ever felt different from others and wondered if these feelings could be related to autism? Are you curious if an autism diagnosis might provide insight into challenges you face in relationships…...

About Collaborative Assessment

Why testing? Psychological testing can be a tremendous tool to help bring clarity to a wide variety of clinical, educational, and medical situations. Testing can offer insights, details, and solutions that are not possible to discern other ways. Consider that many medical tests are designed to provide information about aspects of our health that are…...
Meet Our Assessment Team

What is Psychological Assessment Anyway?

At the Catalyst Center we practice Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment, a well-researched, individualized approach to assessment that has been shown to be beneficial to those who participate in it. We use assessment as an opportunity for brief treatment geared towards answering your questions and planning your next steps towards living the life you desire. Check out this weekly series highlighting The Catalyst Center's approach to assessment and what types of testing we can...

What Could I Gain From a Psychological Assessment?

By Joey Tadie, PhD Have you ever been in a situation at work, school, or in your relationships when you felt stumped? I imagine you would have liked to have as much information as you could get to help you understand and effectively address the challenge. You also might have wanted to know potential resources…...
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Looking At Yourself Through a New Lens

A well-done assessment can be an incredibly powerful way to make learn about your strengths, areas for growth, and possible ways to enact change in your life. Read more to find out about your opportunities for self-improvement...
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Meet our Assessment Team

Accepting New Assessment Cases

AJ Grovert, PsyD, LCP

Dr. AJ Grovert is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with expertise in EMDR, perinatal mental health, psychological assessment and psychedelic-assisted therapy. She has significant experience and passion for working with Jewish clients, LGBTQ+ communities, female veterans, and those recovering from religious traumas. She has been in practice for over 10 years and specializes in a number of areas such as trauma, perinatal mental health, anxiety, and emerging adulthood...

CJ Clinkscales, PsyD

Dr. CJ Clinkscales is an intuitive clinician who has a gift for connecting deeply with clients. He brings a depth psychology perspective to his work in therapy, with adults and couples. He uses his skills in EMDR and psychedelic-assisted therapy to support deep, lasting healing. CJ is an LGBTQIA+ affirming therapist who works with individuals (16-70 years old) and couples, specializing in his work with teens and young adults. He creates a space for you to be your most authentic self as you delve into the challenges you might be facing and works collaboratively with you to individualize treatment for your needs...

Joey Tadie, PhD, LCP

Dr. Joey Tadie is a talented psychologist with a gift for connecting with people. He is trained in EMDR and psychedelic-assisted therapy. He brings his high-energy, encouraging style to his work with clients dealing with depression, relationship problems, and trauma. He has special expertise in exploring spirituality and religion in therapy...

Sarah Long, PsyD, LCP, CEDS

Dr. Sarah Long is a gifted psychologist with 16+ years of experience helping people to heal from the impacts of traumatic events and recover from eating disorders. Dr. Long leads the Eating Disorder team at Catalyst, provides EMDR, Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. Dr. Long also uses her expertise in Collaborative Therapeutic Assessment to evaluate complex Eating Disorder cases and provide guidance for treatment...

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