All of the evaluation packages include a clinical interview, tailored assessments, and a review meeting. The clinical interview takes approximately 60-75 minutes where I ask structured questions regarding current concerns, your (or your child’s) history of mental health, family history of mental health, pregnancy and birth history, developmental milestones, school history (grades, behavior, friendships…), trauma history, living situation growing up and currently, and an extensive medical history including current concerns. The day of the evaluation you begin with a structured intelligence assessment. I have administered thousands of intelligence tests and know how to make this process as painless as possible. There are 10 activities that you will complete that evaluate 4-5 areas of intelligence (depending on if it’s a child or adult measure). Most people state that it was far less intimidating than they thought and they are surprised how much they learn about themselves through the process. It frequently illuminates the struggles that they are having or had in school, and with certain other tasks. For adults, I am able to show them a preview of their scores by the end of the session with a short explanation of what they mean. However, there is more magic that I work behind the scenes to interpret the scores and results fully. The average time to complete for my clients is 1.5 hours, though every person is different. Then depending on the initial concerns identified (autism, ADHD, learning difficulties…) I select the rest of the evaluation components. There tend to be paper based and electronic behavior rating scales, sentence completion tasks, story-telling activities (children), drawing tasks, and/or academic assessments. This tends to take another hour. The final piece is the review meeting which can take between 30 and 60 minutes. This will describe each test administered and the results as well as a write-up of the clinical interview, a synopsis at the end tying all the information together, and personalized recommendations. Holistic Evaluation The same applies for the holistic evaluation, except there will be a second interview that includes a food log that is more specific to lifestyle and nutritional factors. After this interview I will brainstorm a plan to move you towards wellness and present this to you within the week. There is also a customized tincture provided based on this interview.

The typical commitment is 5 hours, although for the complex differential it is often closer to 7-8.

Unfortunately I do not feel that intelligence tests should be given virtually. There are parts that can be done through telehealth, but not the official intelligence test. There are parts of the intelligence test that require manipulation of materials and the score would potentially be inaccurate as they are not standardized for online administration.

The day of the testing I can briefly review the preliminary results from the intelligence testing (time permitting.) I will also give you an idea where I am leaning in regards to any diagnoses, if I have a fairly good idea. This is subject to change, but I find many clients struggle with waiting and if I am fairly confident I will let them know. The turnaround time is not longer than 4 weeks (not including holidays) and is frequently less depending on my schedule.

I think some amount of nervousness is to be expected before “tests” as that is how the majority of tests make people feel. However, I like to consider intelligence testing to be more like trying out different activities. Many people actually enjoy the process and say at the end “That was so much better than I thought it would be.”. I explain that each activity will start off fairly easy and will increase in difficulty. When the items get too hard, as they tend to do, then we switch to another task. The scores don’t mean nearly as much as the interaction of the strengths and weaknesses. I also remind people that what we test through an intelligence test is not nearly the sum total of what makes a person gifted and talented. There are all kinds of intelligences that are not measured through this type of standardized testing such as musical intelligence, emotional intelligence…)

If your main concern is whether you have an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, it is best to not drink caffeine prior to the session. This way I can get a true reading for how your brain is processing information without the help of a stimulant. I feel that many people rely on caffeine to increase their attention and focus, and this can skew the results of the testing by masking your true difficulties.

You can prepare by getting a good night of sleep the night before and eating a decent breakfast (no super sugary cereals for children or anything with artificial dyes.)

I no longer accept insurance as I have transitioned to a new business model with exciting new offerings, a more holistic approach, and a lot more options to choose from for your overall well-being. As an Out Of Network Provider (OON), I can give you with a superbill (if desired) to submit to your insurance provider. A superbill is a fancy term for a document that has everything an insurance company considers for partial reimbursement. I can provide you with the steps to make this as painless as possible, however; things with insurance are rarely black and white and there is always the possibility that you will not be reimbursed at all. It will be your responsibility to check your OON coverage. Many people choose not to submit to their insurance, as they require a clinical diagnosis to be made and/or they prefer their wellness journey to stay private. I will provide you with a formal good faith estimate for the package that you select as well, although my prices are clear on my website. There are parts of my packages that are billable with a superbill, and there are parts that are not. I can walk you through what you can expect to bill for and what tends to not be covered. In general (as insurance companies vary), you can expect to be able to submit for the clinical interview, psychological testing (the insurance company may limit the hours), the review meeting, and some of the soul-ution based sessions may be covered. When calling to check on your OON benefits, these are the most frequently used codes that will be on the superbill. You may be asked to provide these numbers: 90791 Clinical Interview 90837 Psychotherapy-60 minutes 96130 First hour of interpretation of testing 96131 Additional hours of interpretation of testing and report writing 96136 First half our of test administration 96137 Additional half hours of test administration

The evaluation process is a time intensive process both in person and behind the scenes. I have a range of evaluation processes but the basic level includes my unique clinical interview process which requires approximately 2.5 hours of work total, access to psychological instruments (up to $50), fees associated with rating scales and testing protocols ($50), consultation time (when indicated) with teachers, school nurses, counselors, doctors…, records review (30 minutes-1 hour), time required to select tests and prepare them, in person administration time (3-5 hours), at home scoring and interpreting time (1-3 hours), report writing (my reports tend to be lengthy and extremely detailed). I type almost everything new for each client, while many practitioners copy and paste. I find that despite the description of my test instruments, that my reports tend to be much more individualized. There are recommendations that I tend to make over and over, but there are also many that I brainstorm what the client would benefit from the most. This tends to take 1 hour for the brainstorming session. That is where the magic of the report comes on. Integrating the results into useful real life next practical steps. In addition, other things to consider are the more boring business expenses: liability insurance, licensure fees, state business fees, rent, software for testing equipment, sole business owner taxes, other software (telehealth, credit card, scheduling, website.)