Assessment
Bookings are available immediately with me for Psychology Assessments and Reports including neuroaffirming Autism, ADHD assessments.
While diagnosis in Australia, to access supports such as the NDIS, DSP in particular, require meeting criteria according to the DSM-5-TR or ICD-11, a diagnostic label only provides a conceptual concensus as to a group of traits; a label or common language to describe these characteristics. The diagnosis or label, is not the person.
To reach a conclusion that an individual meets a set of diagnostic criteria, I use a combination of clinical interview, observations, standardised instruments, screeners, and other collateral information (such as school reports, information collected from teachers, parents, partner or siblings, and reports from other professionals such as your GP or other allied health). No single screening tool or online questionaire can diagnose. I work hard to ensure that I understand nuance, from typicality to subtlety, to complexity.
The other important thing is that if you are considering using a Psychology Assessment report to access government supports, like NDIS, you will generally need a Functional Capacity Assessment (which I am qualified to do as part of a comprehensive psychology assessment) and a second clinician to confirm your diagnosis. So, that might be a paediatrician, psychiatrist, or other allied health professional.
So what’s the process?
Pre-Assessment Session
We have an initial session, 60-90 minutes. We get to know a bit about each other, I get to understand what your concerns are, and see if my skills align with your needs. I’ll also let you know if I think you need a formal assessment (and report). This session is separate to the ‘assessment fee’ as not all clients will require a formal assessment.
Assessment – Step 1 Gathering Data
I’ll get you to complete some relevant screeners and/or questionaires based on your concerns and needs.
I might also ask you to bring along documents such as school reports, other allied health reports (OT, Speechie, previous Psychology), and ask someone you know (parent, parter, relative, teacher, employer) to also complete some questionaires.
Assessment – Step 2 Conducting the assessment with you
After I review the results of your questionaires, we will schedule 1 or more sessions to complete the “formal” assessment process.
This might be a semi-structured interview, it could be a standardised assessment or both.
Depending on your concerns (the referral question) and using the data I have gathered, will indicate what assessments are required.
Sometimes we might need additional time together, and I’ll let you know if that’s indicated and if there are any additional fees.
At the conclusion of this session, the balance of your assessment fee is due in full.
Assessment – Step 3 Behind the Scenes
I then spend a few hours going through all the data I’ve collected and write up a detailed report to support my conclusions. This can take anywhere from 3-12+ hours depending on the number of assessments and who the report is for (yourself, a government agency, school/work etc or more than one!!).
Sometimes, I might need to get in contact with you before I provide my “feedback session”.
Assessment – Step 4 Feedback Session
I never provide my report to you without a feedback session. This gives us both an opportunity to ensure I have answered your concerns and gives you the chance to ask any questions.
Next Steps.
If you like, I also recommend returning a week or two later to give you some time to reflect and bring in other questions, and to support your journey post-assessment. This session is charged at a standard session fee. Alternately, I recommend taking your report to your existing supports and discussing where to from here with other professionals in your team.
Fees
Fees listed below apply to new assessment clients booking in from 1 July, 2024.
Am I Autistic? I would also like to apply to the NDIS. The fee for this package is $1800 – $2300*
* An autism assessment includes approx. 4-5 hours of assessment appointments, completion of online questionnaires, feedback and your written report. Occasionally, there may be instances where additional sessions are needed to complete your assessment (for example, clients with complex physical or mental health histories that require more in-depth querying in order to rule-in and rule-out differential diagnoses). This is usually able to be advised in your first session if this is required for you. This fee may be reduced if you require an update eg functional capacity assessment to update a pre-existing diagnosis (where you can provide a copy of a medical practitioner / psychology report).
What about ADHD? You might feel that Autism does not fit and you are an ADHDer. For adults, (anyone age 18+, but really 16+) I would recommend you book in to see a Psychiatrist for an ADHD assessment before seeing a Psychologist if you would like to explore medication.
I need a Cognitive Assessment and/or Learning and Academic Assessment. I conduct WISC-V and WIAT-III (ANZ) assessments in person to individuals ages 8+. Fees for a Cognitive Assessment are sest at $2100 (paid in three instalments of $700 if a payment plan is required). Fees for an Academic Assessment are $2800 (paid in four instalments of $700 if a payment plan is required).