Assessments Provided
Initial Evaluation for Psychotherapy
At the beginning of psychotherapy it is important for me to get to know you, and how your difficulties affect your life. I conduct a comprehensive interview and may provide questionnaires. This allows you to have the freedom to discuss your concerns from your own perspective. When working with parents and children, or couples, I interview each of you separately. I'd like to learn about what brought you to see me at this point in your life. What are your strengths? What stresses are you facing? What difficulties are currently preventing you from being happy, content, and achieving your goals?
I conduct a differential diagnostic assessment (typically interviews and questionnaires) to clarify the specific issues from which you or your child are facing. Different problems often look similar on the surface, and it is important to be certain exactly what your difficulties are in order to design the best treatment. When I conduct this assessment, I thorough thoroughly examine the concerns you initially mentioned as well as other related issues. This ensures that treatment targets the full range of your difficulties.
Psychological & Psychoeducational Assessments
If you have concerns about you or your child's academic abilities and functioning, it is important to evaluate their performance and potential. I conduct comprehensive assessments including tests of of cognitive, achievement, memory, visual-motor ability, as well as personality and behavioral inventories. I use these assessments to evaluate learning disabilities, ADHD, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and other disorders in which the symptoms interfere with academic endeavors. Psychological evaluation can also be used to determine intellectual giftedness. Following the evaluation, I meet with you for a feedback session to present and discuss the results which the results. Comprehensive psychological evaluations can be used to help children and adolescents gain services in schools. Adults enrolled in higher education may also be able to receive accommodations if the results meet the institution's criteria.
Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA)
FBA is a system of assessing difficult behaviors to determine the high risk situations (contextual factors), triggers (antecedents), and functions (consequences) that mantain your child's behavior. As people, we do what we do because the behaviors work for us--behaviors help us gain pleasant circumstances or avoid/escape aversive situations. FBA's are useful in constructing behavior intervention plans (BIP's) in schools or at home. Common reasons for seeking an FBA include hyperactivity, disruptive or defiant behavior, and school refusal. FBA's can also be useful in other disorders such as trichotillomania and excoriation (skin picking) disorder.
When conducting an FBA, I may observe your child's behavior in school and at home to determine the factors that maintain their behavioral difficulties. I will also interview you and your child, and ask for consent to gain teacher's perspectives though questionnaires and/or interviews.
I will synthesize this information to provide behavioral interventions for you and your child's teachers. Interventions may include different methods of communicating with your child and learning to recognize the points of intervention. I will help you design individualized and effective reward, discipline, and skill-building systems to maximize learning positive behaviors and significantly reduce or eliminate undesired behaviors. I will consult with you and your child's school about implementing the interventions and monitoring your child's response. Follow up sessions and ongoing parenting skills training may be held to help you manage your child's difficult behaviors.
At the beginning of psychotherapy it is important for me to get to know you, and how your difficulties affect your life. I conduct a comprehensive interview and may provide questionnaires. This allows you to have the freedom to discuss your concerns from your own perspective. When working with parents and children, or couples, I interview each of you separately. I'd like to learn about what brought you to see me at this point in your life. What are your strengths? What stresses are you facing? What difficulties are currently preventing you from being happy, content, and achieving your goals?
I conduct a differential diagnostic assessment (typically interviews and questionnaires) to clarify the specific issues from which you or your child are facing. Different problems often look similar on the surface, and it is important to be certain exactly what your difficulties are in order to design the best treatment. When I conduct this assessment, I thorough thoroughly examine the concerns you initially mentioned as well as other related issues. This ensures that treatment targets the full range of your difficulties.
Psychological & Psychoeducational Assessments
If you have concerns about you or your child's academic abilities and functioning, it is important to evaluate their performance and potential. I conduct comprehensive assessments including tests of of cognitive, achievement, memory, visual-motor ability, as well as personality and behavioral inventories. I use these assessments to evaluate learning disabilities, ADHD, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and other disorders in which the symptoms interfere with academic endeavors. Psychological evaluation can also be used to determine intellectual giftedness. Following the evaluation, I meet with you for a feedback session to present and discuss the results which the results. Comprehensive psychological evaluations can be used to help children and adolescents gain services in schools. Adults enrolled in higher education may also be able to receive accommodations if the results meet the institution's criteria.
Functional Behavior Analysis (FBA)
FBA is a system of assessing difficult behaviors to determine the high risk situations (contextual factors), triggers (antecedents), and functions (consequences) that mantain your child's behavior. As people, we do what we do because the behaviors work for us--behaviors help us gain pleasant circumstances or avoid/escape aversive situations. FBA's are useful in constructing behavior intervention plans (BIP's) in schools or at home. Common reasons for seeking an FBA include hyperactivity, disruptive or defiant behavior, and school refusal. FBA's can also be useful in other disorders such as trichotillomania and excoriation (skin picking) disorder.
When conducting an FBA, I may observe your child's behavior in school and at home to determine the factors that maintain their behavioral difficulties. I will also interview you and your child, and ask for consent to gain teacher's perspectives though questionnaires and/or interviews.
I will synthesize this information to provide behavioral interventions for you and your child's teachers. Interventions may include different methods of communicating with your child and learning to recognize the points of intervention. I will help you design individualized and effective reward, discipline, and skill-building systems to maximize learning positive behaviors and significantly reduce or eliminate undesired behaviors. I will consult with you and your child's school about implementing the interventions and monitoring your child's response. Follow up sessions and ongoing parenting skills training may be held to help you manage your child's difficult behaviors.
