Psychological Testing Services

What Is Psychological Testing?

UNDERSTANDING PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING AND ASSESSMENT

Testing is not required to diagnose or initiate mental health treatment. Most qualified mental health professionals are able to provide diagnostic impressions and make recommendations for treatment direction. Psychological testing is a specialized service that uses standardized assessment measures and procedures to gather data to inform diagnosis and treatment direction. Psychological assessments are unique in that they are performed by specially trained providers, typically those with doctoral-level training in psychology, focusing on providing psychological assessments only, not therapy.

What Type Of Testing Do We Do At CBI?

Our evaluations blend cognitive, neuropsychological, social-emotional, personality and behavioral assessment along with additional data gathering to provide an evaluation of one’s individual functioning. Typically, we do not just test for a single diagnosis. Rather, we approach this service as a comprehensive evaluation to provide an overall diagnostic impression and recommendations.

Those that are most appropriate for psychological testing may be experiencing any of the following:

• Academic weaknesses in a specific domain (e.g., math, reading)

• Executive functioning difficulties (e.g., attention, memory, motivation) and the cause of these difficulties have not been identified by other providers

• Concerns with social skills or developmental delays

• Lack of therapeutic progress in current treatment due to complexity (e.g, personality characteristics, trauma)

• Needs associated with psychiatric medication intervention (e.g., lack of response to medications, confirmation of ADHD presentation prior to stimulant use)

• Re-evaluation to update previous psychological testing for purposes such as school accommodations

• Re-evaluation due to outdated testing from past services to drive treatment direction

What Type Of Psychological Testing Is Not Provided At CBI?

1. Workman’s compensation or disability
2. Prescription evaluation for Medical Assistance (MA) services (e.g. IBHS, family-based therapy)
3. Custodial evaluations
4. Risk assessment
5. Aging concerns (e.g., dementia)
6. Traumatic brain injury/concussion evaluations

What Is The Psychological Testing Process At CBI?

Psychological testing services are provided by a team of providers. This team may include a licensed psychologist and/or doctoral psychology fellow. All providers have the appropriate training and supervision to provide services. All services are supervised by licensed psychologists.

Testing includes a multi-step process:

1. Intake:   Screening measures are completed and an interview is conducted to gather background information related to concerns and history to determine the appropriateness of psychological testing.
2. Test administration: Procedures, which may include neuropsychological evaluations to assess cognitive and emotional functioning, are completed to assess the full scope of the individual and the presenting concern(s). Multiple appointments may be scheduled based on the needs of the individual.
   NOTE: These appointments are REQUIRED to be on-site in our Cranberry Twp office.
3. Report preparation: Scoring, interpretation of data, and writing of the psychological evaluation report. A full copy of the report is provided to the client upon completion.
4. Feedback: Meeting to review the evaluation report, answer questions, and coordinate continued care. Referrals to services within or outside of CBI are done at this appointment.

What is the cost of psychological testing?

Insurance is accepted for psychological testing services. Individual benefits are based on your insurance plan and can vary greatly from insurance to insurance. Some insurance companies require pre-authorization for testing services. Self-pay rates are applicable for anything insurance does not approve for pre-authorization of services (when required).

Purpose Of Psychological Testing

Psychological testing is a specialized service that uses standardized assessment measures and procedures to gather data to inform diagnosis and treatment direction.

Psychological testing is often appropriate for the following purposes:

• Clarify diagnosis when there is uncertainty

• Data is needed to justify diagnosis

• Data is needed to guide treatment direction

• Diagnosis and recommendations are needed for additional services

Common Reasons To Pursue Psychological Testing

Psychological testing is often recommended by medical, educational, and behavioral health providers. It is important to speak with your current provider to determine whether psychological testing is right for you.

We have found those that are most appropriate for psychological testing may be experiencing any of the following:

• Academic difficulties with specific content area weaknesses (i.e., math, reading)

• Executive functioning difficulties (i.e., attention, memory) and the cause of these difficulties have not been identified or clear to other providers

• Concerns with social skills or developmental delays

• Lack of therapeutic progress in current treatment due to potential complex factors (i.e., personality characteristics, trauma)

• Challenges with psychiatric medications (i.e., lack of response to current/past medications, confirmation of ADHD presentation)

At this time, CBI is equipped to provide psychological testing services to a wide range of individuals. However, there are some purposes for which we are not able to provide services currently. These include:

• Individuals who are seeking workman’s compensation or disability

• Individuals who are seeking evaluation for a prescription for Medical Assistance (MA) services (IBHS, family-based therapy)

• Individuals seeking custodial evaluation

PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING PROCESS

Psychological testing services at CBI are a multi-tiered process that includes the following:

1. Intake: Screening measures are completed prior to the appointment. Interviews conducted related to concerns, and history to determine the appropriateness of psychological testing. Test administration is scheduled based on this appointment.
2. Test administration: Measures and activities are completed to assess the full scope of the individual and the presenting concern(s). The testing session can range 3 to 5 hours.
3. Report preparation: Scoring and interpretation of data and writing of the psychological evaluation report. A full copy of the report is provided to the individual and/or family upon completion.
4. Feedback: Meet with a provider to review the psychological evaluation report, answer questions, and coordinate continued care as appropriate.

Psychological Testing Process

Insurance is accepted for psychological testing services. Individual benefits are based on your plan. Prior to test administration, individuals receive a cost estimate for all psychological testing services based on their benefits. Some insurance companies require pre-authorization for testing services. Psychological testing billing is unique compared to therapy and psychiatry services. This will be discussed at the intake appointment with your provider.