Rewire the Misfire Services
01.
What is Psychological Evaluation?
Your personalized psychological evaluation from Rewire the Misfire may include a range of tests and assessment tools used to help mental health professionals better understand your behaviors. Perhaps more importantly, these assessments can also help you better understand your own strengths and weaknesses. Psychological evaluations can work as problem solving tools for patients who need to better understand their behaviors; refine their therapy goals; and meet challenges in personal, professional, and educational settings.
Psychological Testing
Neuropsychological Evaluations
ADHD/ADD Assessments (adults and children)
Autism Assessments
Learning Disability Testing
Achievement Assessments
Personality Assessments
Intelligence Assessments
Gifted Testing
Who Should Receive Psychological Evaluation?
Some common reasons people reach out to us to schedule testing for themselves or a loved one include:
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Anxiety – Feeling anxious in certain situations is a perfectly natural emotional response, but for people with an anxiety disorder, these feelings may not go away, become worse over time, or are heightened in certain situations.
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Depression – Symptoms may include feeling discouraged, sad, hopeless, unmotivated, or disinterested, as well as struggling to perform daily activities.
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Difficulty regulating mood – This may be combination of behavioral changes that seem to occur and linger without being able to redirect your emotions. People experience periods of time where it is more difficult to regulate moods, but if these times are constant or interfere with your ability to lead a healthy, happy, or productive life, you may need to seek diagnosis and treatment.
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Oppositionality – This can difficult to define for many people, especially teens and young adults who are establishing independence and may naturally express some of these characteristics. However, like other concerns, this condition becomes problematic when the oppositionality is constant, leads to violence, or impedes success in personal, educational, or professional settings.
It’s important to remember that psychological conditions are just as real and detrimental to health as physical conditions, but they are also just as treatable. You should feel comfortable reaching out to our expert team for help diagnosing these conditions and finding appropriate therapies that will work for you. We can help you understand and address any psychological concerns. Psychological evaluations may also be used to help those already engaging in therapy to receive necessary clarification to help them improve their treatment goals.
What Kind of Testing is Involved?
Psychological testing from the team at Rewire the Misfire may include a variety of evaluative measures. We always creates personalized assessment plans. Assessment methods may include written tests, rating scales, and computerized testing instrument that evaluate strengths and weaknesses in cognitive, academic, and behavioral function. We may also use behavioral rating scales to gain a better understanding of the severity and frequency of your experiences. We will conduct a one-on-one interview to get to know and understand your unique situation. Information from others who know you may also be gathered with your permission.
The goal of psychological testing is to help you understand your behavior and assess areas of strengths and weaknesses to create practical means of addressing challenges to daily function. Psychological evaluation is meant to educate patients about their own skills and abilities. It is not necessarily a diagnostic tool so much as a way to help you develop a plan to better meet your therapy goals.
Rewire the Misfire will provide evaluations, documentation, practical recommendations, and consultation. However, we encourage patients who do not already have an established therapeutic relationship to make a plan for continued therapeutic care beyond your psychological evaluation.
02.
Dr Long is licensed psychologist with expertise in how behavior and skills are related to brain structures and systems. She evaluates brain functioning by objectively testing memory and thinking skills. A very detailed assessment of abilities is done, and the pattern of strengths and weaknesses is used for diagnosis and treatment planning.
What is a neuropsychological evaluation? What does it entail?
Neuropsychological evaluations are requested specifically to help your doctors and other professionals understand how the different areas and systems of the brain are working. Testing is usually recommended when there are symptoms or complaints involving memory or thinking. This may be signaled by a change in concentration, organization, reasoning, memory, language, perception, coordination, or personality. The change may be due to any of a number of medical, neurological, psychological, or genetic causes. Testing will be helpful in understanding your specific situation.
A neuropsychological evaluation usually consists of an interview and testing. During the interview, information that is important for the neuropsychologist to consider will be reviewed. You will be asked about your symptoms, medical history, medications, and other important issues. Testing involves taking paper-and-pencil or computerized tests and answering questions. The time required depends on the problem being assessed. In general, several hours are needed to assess the many skills involved in processing information. Some tests will be easy while others will be more complex. The most important thing is to try your best. Bring glasses or hearing aids if you use them. Try to rest and relax before your evaluation. You will probably find testing interesting, and the detailed information that is gathered will contribute to your care.
A typical neuropsychological evaluation will involve assessment of the following: executive functions (e.g., sequencing, reasoning, and problem-solving), attention/concentration, learning and memory, language, visuospatial skills, motor and sensory skills, mood, and personality.
How is information from the neuropsychological evaluation used?
By using database scores from large groups of healthy people for comparison, the neuropsychologist can judge whether or not your scores are normal for your age and educational background. The pattern of your own test scores will also be reviewed to estimate whether or not there has been a change in certain abilities.
Testing can identify weaknesses in specific areas. Our tests are very sensitive to mild memory and thinking problems that might not be obvious in other ways. When problems are very mild, testing may be the only way to detect them. For example, testing can help determine whether memory changes are normal age-related changes or if they reflect a neurological disorder. Testing might also be used to identify problems related to medical conditions that can affect memory and thinking, such as diabetes. Test results can also be used to help differentiate among illnesses, which is important because appropriate treatment depends on accurate diagnosis. Different illnesses result in different patterns of strengths and weaknesses on testing. Therefore, the results can be helpful in determining which areas of the brain might be involved and what illness might be operating. For instance, testing can help to differentiate among Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and depression. Your physician will use this information along with the results of other tests, such as brain imaging and blood tests, to come to the most informed diagnosis possible.
Test results can be used to plan treatments that use strengths to compensate for weaknesses. The results help to identify what target problems to work on and which strategies to use. For example, the results can help to plan and monitor rehabilitation or to follow the recovery of skills after a stroke or traumatic brain injury.
Studies have shown how scores on specific tests relate to everyday functional skills, such as managing money, driving, or readiness to return to work. Your results will help your doctors understand what problems you may have in everyday life. This will help guide planning for assistance or treatment.
03.
Perhaps you haven’t been feeling yourself. Maybe you have lost motivation or the drive to do the things you used to love. Or you just feel alone. There are many situations that can benefit from therapy and there is nothing wrong with seeking out some extra support. Individual therapy allows you the chance to express your troubles, worries, and emotions in a caring, safe, and confidential environment. A mental health professional can help you identify habits and insights about your life that can be challenging to see without an outsider’s perspective. Once these areas have been identified, a therapist can provide strategies or mechanisms to help you handle and overcome these situations that make you feel overwhelmed or anxious, restoring balance and control to your life.
From American Psychological Association (APA) Website:
Do you ever feel too overwhelmed to deal with your problems? If so, you’re not alone. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than a quarter of American adults experience depression, anxiety, or another mental disorder in any given year. Others need help coping with a serious illness, losing weight, or stopping smoking. Still others struggle to cope with relationship troubles, job loss, the death of a loved one, stress, substance abuse, or other issues. And these problems can often become debilitating.
What is psychotherapy?
A psychologist can help you work through such problems and help you live happier, healthier, and more productive lives. In psychotherapy, psychologists apply scientifically validated procedures to help people develop healthier, more effective habits. There are several approaches to psychotherapy—including cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, and other kinds of talk therapy—that help individuals work through their problems.
Psychotherapy is a collaborative treatment based on the relationship between an individual and a psychologist. Grounded in dialogue, it provides a supportive environment that allows you to talk openly with someone who’s objective, neutral, and nonjudgmental. You and your psychologist will work together to identify and change the thought and behavior patterns that are keeping you from feeling your best.
By the time you’re done, you will not only have solved the problem that brought you in, but you will have learned new skills so you can better cope with whatever challenges arise in the future.
When should you consider psychotherapy?
You may be reluctant to try it out...you may feel nervous about trying it yourself.
Overcoming that nervousness is worth it. That’s because any time your quality of life isn’t what you want it to be, psychotherapy can help. Some people seek psychotherapy because they have felt depressed, anxious, or angry for a long time. Others may want help for a chronic illness that is interfering with their emotional or physical well-being. Still others may have short-term problems they need help navigating. They may be going through a divorce, facing an empty nest, feeling overwhelmed by a new job, or grieving a family member’s death, for example.
Signs that you could benefit from therapy include:
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You feel an overwhelming, prolonged sense of helplessness and sadness
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Your problems don’t seem to get better despite your efforts and help from family and friends
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You find it difficult to concentrate on work assignments or to carry out other everyday activities
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You worry excessively, expect the worst, or are constantly on edge
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Your actions, such as drinking too much alcohol, using drugs, or being aggressive, are harming you or others
04.
COMING SOON
From APA Website:
Group therapy involves one or more psychologists who lead a group of roughly five to 15 patients. Typically, groups meet for an hour or two each week. Some people attend individual therapy in addition to groups, while others participate in groups only.
Many groups are designed to target a specific problem, such as depression, obesity, panic disorder, social anxiety, chronic pain or substance abuse. Other groups focus more generally on improving social skills, helping people deal with a range of issues such as anger, shyness, loneliness and low self-esteem. Groups often help those who have experienced loss, whether it be a spouse, a child or someone who died by suicide.
Benefits of group therapy
Joining a group of strangers may sound intimidating at first, but group therapy provides benefits that individual therapy may not. Psychologists say, in fact, that group members are almost always surprised by how rewarding the group experience can be.
Groups can act as a support network and a sounding board. Other members of the group often help you come up with specific ideas for improving a difficult situation or life challenge, and hold you accountable along the way.
Regularly talking and listening to others also helps you put your own problems in perspective. Many people experience mental health difficulties, but few speak openly about them to people they don't know well. Oftentimes, you may feel like you are the only one struggling — but you're not. It can be a relief to hear others discuss what they're going through, and realize you're not alone.
Diversity is another important benefit of group therapy. People have different personalities and backgrounds, and they look at situations in different ways. By seeing how other people tackle problems and make positive changes, you can discover a whole range of strategies for facing your own concerns.
More than support
While group members are a valuable source of support, formal group therapy sessions offer benefits beyond informal self-help and support groups. Group therapy sessions are led by one or more psychologists with specialized training, who teach group members proven strategies for managing specific problems. If you're involved in an anger-management group, for instance, your psychologist will describe scientifically tested strategies for controlling anger. That expert guidance can help you make the most of your group therapy experience.
05.
Office Hours and Availability
Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm
Payment Methods
Cash, Check, or major credit cards
Insurances & Use of Health Benefits
In-Network Status: participates in-network with Blue Cross/Blue Shield, United Healthcare/Optum, Aetna, Cigna, Secure Health and Tricare. (In-network status can change occasionally, please call for latest information)
Out-of-Network Status: GEHA, Medicare and Medicaid. You will be charged the self-pay fee at the time of service. As a courtesy, we may submit your claims to your health insurance towards your out-of-network benefits. We can explore with you whether your insurance has out-of-network benefits, which could offset the cost of receiving psychological services. We may also provide you a super-bill to submit to your health insurance toward out-of-network benefit or to receive reimbursement from a medical or health savings account.
Self-Pay Fees
$240 for initial psychological diagnostic session
$140 per session for individual psychotherapy
$1200 for Psychological Testing / $1800 for Neuropsychological Testing