Psychological Evaluations are offered in-person or virtual, Call today for more information!
What is a psychological evaluation?
Psychological Evaluations can help highlight academic challenges and/or strengths, clarify diagnoses to inform treatment, aide in an employment application, and provide information about one's social, behavioral, and personality functioning. All psychological assessments are geared towards your individual needs.
Why would I need a psychological evaluation?
Testing is used for many different reasons. Some people use them to help get special accommodations in school, others use them to learn more about themselves and their unique approach to the world. Assessments may be used for the following reasons, but are not limited to:
- School Accommodations
- Workplace applications
- Mental Health diagnoses
- Treatment planning
- Behavior prediction
- Assessment of cognitive functioning
- Assessment of intellectual functioning
- Occupational aptitude
- ADHD evaluation
- Personality Assessment
- Egg donor evaluations
- Learning disabilities
Do you think that you could benefit from a psychological evaluation? Call (619) 940-7774 or complete a contact form to find out.
How many appointments are required for testing? What is the time commitment that I should anticipate to complete the process?
At Filizetti Psychological Services, we start the psychological assessment process with a virtual intake meeting between the patient (or the client’s parents if the patient is a minor) and the provider. The intake appointment focuses on gathering psychosocial history, discussing the assessment process, and establishing goals for testing. After the intake is completed, your provider will ask you to come into our San Diego office for test administration. Some assessments may be offered through telehealth for children, teens, and adults residing in California. The second appointment is much longer than the first, and you will be administered a series of tests to help answer the established questions and goals from the first meeting. At this time, if you were referred by a provider in the community, we will potentially have you sign a Release of Information so we can coordinate care with your treating provider. After test administration is complete, your therapist will score, interpret, and write up a detailed report for you providing an accurate diagnosis and treatment goals for your next steps. The final step is meeting with your evaluator for a feedback session to review the testing results and report. When testing a child, the report is only provided to the parents, but verbal feedback can be provided to the child if requested.
My psychiatrist referred me for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) testing, what is involved in the testing process for ADHD?
It is common for therapists and psychiatrists to refer for ADHD testing to help with diagnostic clarification, medication management, and treatment planning. As part of the process, we will test your cognitive ability (including working memory), attention span, personality functioning, and executive functioning. At the end of the process, you will receive a report detailing everything learned from the data. These reports are helpful for your treatment team in navigating decisions about what steps to take with treatment moving forward.
Does your office provide academic accommodations for Specific Learning Disabilities?
Yes, our skilled evaluators are trained in administering tests that will help provide academic accommodations if the patient qualifies. Based on the test data, your final report may include academic accommodations and recommendations that are empirically based and tied directly to the patient’s performance on specific tests administered. Accommodations are sometimes applicable for ADHD and other mental health conditions in addition to specific learning disabilities. Other conditions that may qualify for an IEP or a 504 plan include, but are not limited to, ADHD, anxiety, bipolar, depression, dyslexia, dysgraphia, oppositional defiant disorder, trauma, panic disorder, etc. Your provider will be able to answer more questions pertaining to test accommodations at the time of the intake.
Does insurance cover Psychological Evaluations?
The answer is it depends. Specific Learning Disability evaluations are not covered by medical insurance; however, other assessments are covered. At Filizetti Psychological Services, we recognize that you may want to use your health insurance to cover testing services. Therefore, we accept the following insurances for evaluations: Aetna, Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, and TRICARE. Call to inquire for more information about what types of evaluations are covered or what the out-of-pocket cost is for testing when not covered by insurance. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the financial commitment involved with testing.
