Psychological Assessments

Firefly Counselling and Consulting is able to offer a wide range of psychological assessments. The psychological assessments we offer fall in five general categories. Educational Assessments, Personality / Mood Assessments, Developmental Assessments, Trauma, and Addictions Assessments. How much an assessment costs depends on the type of assessment, the complexity of the question being asked, and the level of depth required for the report writing.

For example, a question such as “is my child gifted”, is a relatively straight forward assessment. There would be a brief interview with the parent and child, followed by cognitive testing and short report writeup.

A question such as “do I have ADHD”, is a much more complicated question as ADHD is often a diagnosis of exclusion. That means that a variety of other potential causes for concurring symptoms such as inattention, impulsivity, memory issues, perfectionism, chronic disorganization, etc… could be due to many different causes. Sleeping issues, homelife, learning disabilities, metabolic issues, medications, other mental health concerns are some examples that may ‘look like’ ADHD, or even exist alongside ADHD. This means that an ADHD assessment becomes quite involved (i.e. IQ and academic testing, attention/focus testing, possible calls to teachers/doctors, possibly memory testing, and a fairly extensive report. All of this means that to get an answer to the question about having ADHD may take 3-4 half day sessions of direct work with an assessor, many questionnaires to complete, and contacts with other people. An ADHD assessment may result in a 20-30 page report. This means that ADHD assessments are more resource consuming to do.

Combination questions such as “Do I have Borderline Personality Disorder and a Learning Disability” are basically two or more types of assessments bundled into one report. Wherever possible, Firefly clinicians attempt to utilize the testing and interview materials gathered to answer one part of the question and apply that to the other parts of the question. Inevitably though, there will be additional assessment requirements. This will lengthen the amount of time needed to complete testing, potentially increase the number of people the assessor reaches out to for further information, and lengthen the report.

Educational Assessments

Educational assessments are typically requested for specialized school programs (i.e. supported learning environments, advanced placement/gifted classes), for individuals who want to know what they might need to take to upgrade their education to get into postsecondary school, and to answer questions about possible learning challenges, or to request learning accommodations at school or work. All Educational Assessments involve an interview with the parent and child, or adult alone if the assessment is for you. Cognitive testing (called IQ testing) provides insight into how the brain is handling information, problem solving, and engaging in creative thought. Academic testing provides insight into current academic achievement levels. Specific additional tests around language processing can help to diagnosis learning disabilities, various types of dyslexia, and other learning strengths and challenges. If there is recent prior testing we are happy to review that to see if it can be used rather than redoing tests. This can help reduce costs.

Gifted Assessment - Typically a half day of interviews and testing.

Learning Disability / Dyslexia Assessment - Interview(s), IQ and academic testing, additional testing around the specific areas of identified weakness to provide focused treatment recommendations. Potential consults with teachers/family/other professionals. May be 2-3 half days of testing.

Academic / Work Accommodations - Depending on the situation this may only require focused testing (i.e. Current Academic achievement) along with interview(s), or may require a full Learning Disability / Dyslexia Assessment with additional recommendations around supports needed in the school or worksite. Potential consults with teachers/family/other professionals. May be 2-3 half days of testing.

Developmental Assessments

Developmental Assessments are used to identify neurodevelopment issues that begin in childhood. Parents who are concerned about their child’s behavior, learning, or social interactions may request a Developmental Assessments. It is also common for Adults to request a Developmental Assessment if they have questions about how they themselves interact with the world, or why the world seems so confusing to them. Many adults feel that they ‘don’t quite fit in’. Perhaps they have siblings or other family members who have diagnosis and they wonder if they their challenges have a similar cause. Others wonder if they are neurodiverse. They want to know if a diagnosis could help them understand themself and/or possibly help others to know how to better connect with them.

ADHD Assessment - Interview(s), IQ/Academic testing, consultation with teachers/family/friends/medical professionals as discussed with you, focused testing on attention/concentration, may include basic memory testing, questionnaires to assist in ruling in/out other causes of identified symptoms. May be 2-3 full days of testing.

Autism Assessment - Interview(s), IQ/Academic testing, consultation with teachers/family/friends/medical professionals as discussed with you, focused testing ruling in/out Autism, questionnaires to assist in ruling in/out other causes of identified symptoms. May be 2-3 full days of testing.

Behavioural Assessment - Interview(s), consultation with teachers/family/friends/medical professionals as discussed with you, focused testing around behaviour and mood, additional questionnaires to assist in ruling in/out other causes of identified symptoms. If the concerns are primarily present in the school a school visit may be necessary. If it appears that the behaviours are due to a cognitive/learning or developmental issue then further assessment may be recommended in the report. May be 2 half days of testing and/or contacts with various individuals who interact with the child/teen.

Mood / Personality Assessments

Mood / Personality Assessments are utilized in providing formalized, documented diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD), Bi-Polar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD),

Depression / Anxiety / Other Mood Disorder Assessment - Interview(s), consultation with teachers/family/friends/medical professionals if deemed appropriate and as discussed with you, questionnaires to questionnaires to assist in ruling in/out other causes of identified symptoms. May be a half day of testing.

Personality Assessment - Interview(s), consultation with teachers/family/friends/medical professionals if deemed appropriate and as discussed with you, questionnaires to questionnaires to assist in ruling in/out other causes of identified symptoms. May be a half day of testing.