Assessments can be informal or formal, standardized or non-standardized, self-reported or therapist-administered. It can be conducted at any stage of the counseling process (prior to beginning, beginning, middle, end, and throughout the entire process).
Mental health screenings are informal symptom checks. They’re typically checklists or questionnaires that ask people to consider their symptoms.
A core part of a comprehensive mental health assessment is the clinical formulation. This is a clinical summary of the assessment using a bio-psycho-social approach.
Screening tests don’t diagnose mental disorders. Instead, they’re powerful tools for beginning to fully understand your mental health, to decide if you should see a mental health professional, and to figure out what you’d like to improve. Additionally, mental health screening tests allow people of all ages to identify and discuss problems before they spiral down and out of control.
Other assessments, sometimes called measurements, appraisals, or tests, take place throughout the process. In general, mental health assessments are used for:
- identifying symptoms and problems
- creating a mental health treatment plan
- diagnosis
- treatment planning
- decision-making
- identifying the client’s strengths
- measuring the achievement of goals
- examining progress
- promoting positive change
ADHD ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION:
The ADHD assessment process is informed by the latest guidelines and recommendations from top researchers in the area of ADHD.
Initial Screening Evaluation: Begins with an initial clinical interview to determine if ADHD may be contributing to an individual’s social, emotional, behavioral, academic, or work challenges. All clients who are being evaluated for ADHD can expect to have a thorough clinical interview (prior to scheduling testing) in order to determine whether further testing is appropriate. This interview/session is usually a 1-1.5-hour visit. Following the initial clinical interview, during which a thorough history is taken and a determination is made to go forward with the testing process, an appointment for testing is usually made for 2-3 weeks later.
Assessment/evaluation: This 2-hour appointment, includes but is not limited to, ADHD symptom checklists, standardized behavior rating scales, questionnaires, co-occurring symptoms, syndromes, and disorders rating scales, and executive functioning assessments. Once all data is collected and interpreted, a follow up appointment is made within 3-4 weeks. Third party questionnaires are required in the assessment process. Third party persons can include anyone who is familiar with the individual being evaluated such as a parent, sibling, spouse, partner, teacher, etc.
Follow up appointment: This appointment is where we review rating scales completed by those involved in the individual’s daily life, review records, review assessment information, finalize the assessment process and share findings, including diagnosis. A comprehensive report will be available.
ADHD cannot be diagnosed accurately just from brief office observations or simply by talking to the person. The person may not always exhibit the symptoms of ADHD during the office visit, and the diagnostician needs to take a thorough history of the individual’s life. This is the reason for the multi session evaluation.