Life can be more joyful and peaceful…
Emotional and personality testing in Irvine, CA
What if you could help your child heal from anxiety and mood disorder, and personality issues in an efficient manner?
Mood, anxiety, thought, and personality disorders
It is hard to be a child. It’s hard to be a parent. There is stress all around and limited time and resources to deal with it all. Whether it bullying, isolation from COVID restrictions, or screen time addiction, more kids and teens are reporting anxiety and depression than ever.
How do you know if your symptoms warrant medication? What type of medication or therapy would be best? Is your teen a danger to themselves or others? Do your teen’s symptoms warrant special accommodations for school? Is there underlying bipolar, thought disorder, personality disorder or trauma?
These are all questions that can be efficiently addressed through psychological testing.
A comprehensive battery for emotional issues may include (please note brief assessments are also available):
Parent and child clinical interviews
Objective rating scale for parents, teachers and client
Projective storytelling tests
Rorschach Inkblot Test
Projective sentence completions
A comprehensive evaluation for personality issues may include all of the above as well as an additional objective measure for underlying personality issues.
Psychological testing for emotional and personality issues facilitates treatment.
Life doesn’t have to feel this way.
Approximately 4 % of kids are considered depressed and 9 % of kids have anxiety as well as behavior problems. For kids who have anxiety, 1 out of 3 also have a behavior problem. For kids who have behavior problems, 1 out of 3 have anxiety and 1 out of 5 have depression. Behavior problems can stigmatize your child and alienate peers, perpetuating a cycle of anxiety and depression. Personality disorders can cause lifelong dysfunction, broken relationships, and lost opportunities.
Psychological testing is the most efficient way to clarify the underlying issues and the extent of the symptoms. A thorough psychological assessment includes both objective and projective measures. Objective measures include rating scales such as the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC-3), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI-II), Millon Clinical Multiphasic Inventory-Fourth Edition (MCMI-IV) and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Second Edition Revised Format (MMPI-2RF). Clients, parents, and sometimes teachers fill out these scales so I can better understand their perception of the client’s symptoms and how the symptoms compare to others who are the same age.
Projective testing is also an important part of assessing emotions and personality. Often objective measures only get at surface-level problems. While these are quick, easy, and require little training, it is often helpful to understand a person at a deeper level. Measures such as the Rorschach allow me to understand if there is a significant underlying thought disorder, mood disorder, or disturbance in interpersonal relations. Storytelling tasks such as the Roberts Apperception Test for Children (RATC) and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), get at the underlying narrative of how a person thinks, feels, and acts out on a daily basis. Sentence completions can also be an important part of understanding how your child thinks and feels on a deeper level. For younger children, projective drawings are also used. Regardless of the issue, I specialize in digging deep to find out what is really going on and making a clear plan to ameliorate symptoms and help people function at optimal levels.
Emotional and personality testing can…
identify underlying thought patterns that are contributing to painful feelings
document specific diagnoses for school accommodations and 504 plans
break cycles of dysfunctional interactions and plan for growth and healing
provide helpful resources for parents, teachers, and therapists
facilitate effective treatment and consultation with the physician, therapist, and/or psychiatrist
Frequently asked questions about psychological assessment for emotional and personality issues:
FAQs
-
I am out of network for all insurance including Medicare. Superbills are provided upon request for submission to your insurance. Please check ahead of time if you have out of network benefits as not all insurance programs will reimburse.
-
The quickest and easiest way to get started to set up the initial parent interview. by clicking the “Schedule Now” button. You will be directed to a client portal and have access to my schedule. During the parent interview, we will determine the number of tests to be conducted and schedule the testing sessions. Learn more.
-
The initial clinical interview is $450. After the interview, psychological testing is billed at $270 per hour.
A thorough assessment often takes 10-15 hours including the time I need to score interpret and write up a report.
During the initial interview, we will determine the number and type of tests to best meet your needs.