How to Get Started

What happens next?

1. During your consultation session, Dr. Smith will gather information about your child and discuss what you can learn with an evaluation. She will answer any questions you might have and review what to expect during the process.

2. A parent intake session will be scheduled next within a week of the consultation call. Intake sessions typically last two hours in order to allow for an in depth review of a child’s history and parental concerns.

3. With parental permission, Dr. Smith will then reach out to other influential people in the child’s life. For example, scheduling a classroom observation and teacher interview can provide valuable insight into the school setting for elementary students. Dr. Smith will work closely with any currently treating providers, such as counselors, neurologists, or pediatricians in order to better understand the whole child.

4. After meeting with parents, Dr. Smith will schedule two testing sessions with the child. Testing sessions typically last two to three hours and cover a wide range of domains (e.g., learning, cognition, memory).

5. One week after testing is complete, Dr. Smith will prepare a report and go over the results and recommendations with parents during a parent feedback session. Although ongoing feedback is provided throughout the testing process, the feedback session is an opportunity to put together the picture as a whole and collaboratively identify the best path forward for the child and family. Although the medical model of assessment typically emphasizes the negative symptoms of disorders, Dr. Smith uses a therapeutic approach to help children to understand their strengths as super powers and areas for growth as construction zones with a whole team of construction workers to bolster their growth. For example, a typical medical model of anxiety may focus on the concerning symptoms (e.g., excessive worry, avoidance of feared situations, rapid heart rate). This ignores that many children with anxiety are also very empathic, detail oriented, and excellent planners. Feedback is meant to celebrate our strengths and provide hope for a path forward for our weaknesses.

6. Children are an important part of the feedback process with Dr. Smith. After meeting with the parents, Dr. Smith will invite the child to join and present a strength-based overview of the results using kid friendly language.

7. A feedback session is only the start of the journey of understanding. You are not alone on this journey! Dr. Smith remains available to answer any questions or concerns following the completion of the assessment. An optional follow-up session can also be scheduled for two to three months after the feedback session to review progress, ask questions, and provide support as needed.

How long does the assessment take?

Dr. Smith strives to schedule the parent intake appointment within a week of the consultation call and will discuss findings throughout the process so that parents can start to understand the unique needs of their child from day 1 rather than anxiously waiting for the feedback session. The total length of time from intake to feedback can vary depending on coordinating schedules for testing sessions and wait times in receiving input from teachers with an average of 6 weeks from start to finish. Expedited services are available for urgent cases.

How much does an assessment cost?

The cost of an assessment varies based on the amount of testing required and can range from $1,500 to $3,500 depending on age and level of testing required to explore the individualized questions for each case (e.g., young child, more targeted assessments going in depth on a single area of concern like AD/HD or gifted testing, comprehensive evaluations). Dr. Smith will provide you with your assessment fee after discussing the type of testing needed for your unique case.

Dr. Smith has chosen to not accept insurance because she believes that each family has the right to choose if their mental health information is shared with insurance companies. In addition, insurance companies place restrictive caps on the number of hours and types of tests that psychologists can use which hinders a psychologist’s ability to provide exemplary services or be collaborative with other key providers in a child’s life (e.g., therapists, teachers). Dr. Smith goes into schools, homes, and other key settings to fully understand an individual and design appropriate interventions for each setting. Although Dr. Smith is not accepting insurance directly for the aforementioned reasons, she does want to support families. She has contracted with an outside business, reimbursify, that can assist families in both verifying and submitting for Out of Network benefits with their insurance company. This can help families pay for services.

No family should be denied valuable mental health services due to a lack of finances. Dr. Smith will work with families on a sliding scale fee or connect families to other providers in the community that are able to accept meet their needs.