Psychological Assessment
Psychological assessment is a structured process for answering specific questions about how you think, feel, and relate to the world. It goes beyond a diagnosis. It is designed to help you understand yourself more clearly and give you information you can use.
I use a collaborative model called Therapeutic Assessment, developed by Stephen Finn, PhD. In this model, psychological assessment is something we do together. You bring the questions that matter most to you, and I build the assessment around those questions. At the end, we sit down and go through the findings together in a conversation. You are an active part of making sense of what we find.
What Kinds of Questions Can Assessment Answer?
Assessment can help with questions like:
Why do I keep ending up in the same kinds of relationships?
Why do I feel stuck?
Is something going on with my attention or focus?
How is my trauma history still affecting me?
What are my personality patterns, and how do they show up in my relationships and work?
I want to start psychedelic preparation work, but I want to understand my psychological baseline first.
These are the kinds of questions that therapy can explore over time, but that assessment can shed light on more directly.
What the Process Looks Like
Assessment typically follows four steps.
Initial Consultation. We meet for a session to talk about your questions, your history, and what you are hoping to learn. This conversation shapes the entire assessment. The instruments I use are selected based on what your questions actually call for. You will receive a written Good Faith Estimate with itemized costs before any testing begins.
Testing Sessions. Depending on the scope, testing takes one to three sessions. Some measures are completed in person at my office, others are questionnaires that you complete on your own time through a secure online platform before we meet. Testing sessions are conducted in person at my South Austin office.
Report Writing. I integrate the findings into a written report organized by theme. The report is written in language that is meant to be useful to you, not just to other clinicians. It includes individualized recommendations based on what we find.
Feedback Session. We meet to go through the results together. In the Therapeutic Assessment model, this is not a one-directional presentation. It is a collaborative conversation where I share what I found, you tell me what fits and what doesn't, and we make meaning of it together.
What Assessment Covers
My assessment battery includes validated self-report questionnaires, performance-based measures, narrative techniques, and a brief cognitive screener. Together, these capture how you see yourself, how your mind works, how you relate to others, and how you manage emotions and stress.
What Assessment Does Not Cover
I do not conduct neuropsychological evaluations, forensic evaluations, custody evaluations, disability determinations, fitness for duty evaluations, or immigration evaluations. If your situation calls for one of those, I can help connect you with the right provider.
Fees
Assessment is billed at $200 per hour based on clinician time, which includes administration, scoring, interpretation, and report writing.
A focused assessment addressing one or two specific questions typically falls in the range of $1,000 to $1,500. A comprehensive assessment covering personality, emotional functioning, relationships, coping, and cognitive screening typically falls in the range of $2,000 to $3,000.
The exact scope and cost are determined during the initial consultation. You will receive a written Good Faith Estimate with itemized charges before any testing begins.
Assessment services are self-pay.
For Referring Clinicians
If you are a therapist, psychiatrist, or other provider looking to refer a client for psychological testing, I welcome the conversation. I can discuss the referral questions, what the assessment can and cannot address, and how to coordinate care around the process. Reach out through the contact page or by phone.