Assessments

At Psychology 4 Humans we see assessments as an important part of your journey to understand and support yourself - rather than a hurdle before you begin the journey. This is why we aim to make the process positive, meaningful and collaborative. We use the assessment as opportunity to help you explore and make sense of your life experiences. together, we consider areas of strength and difficulty. If relevant, we also identify if your pattern of experiences aligns with particular diagnostic criteria. We use the assessment findings to suggest strategies and/or services that might be helpful for you. Currently, we offer assessments for adults (18 years and over).

We provide assessments relating to:

  • Autism

  • ADHD

  • Cognitive ability and learning

  • Other forms of assessment will tend to be completed as part of counselling

Our assessments can vary, but most will include:

  1. Brief chat via telephone, SMS or email

  2. Screening questionnaires

  3. Initial appointment to learn about you and your history

  4. Additional questionnaires

  5. Interviews and/or cognitive testing

  6. Feedback appointment and written report

Autism

Our understanding of Autism has improved over the last decade. We recognise Autism as a different way of interacting with the world, and not a ‘deficit’. Our assessments seek to understand you as a whole person, including your strengths and ways of coping with challenges, to determine if your experiences align with Autism. We recognise that adult experiences of Autism can be very different to those of children and have developed our assessments with this in mind. Factors such as gender, culture trauma and sexuality are also considered in our assessements.

ADHD

Our ADHD assessments are neurodiversity affirming. We understand that differences do not equal deficits. Unfortunately, differences in areas such as attention and regulation can lead to challenges in today’s society when they are not well understood, self-managed and accommodated.

Our assessments are focused on understanding the types of things that you find challenging as well as what you do well. An assessment can help identify strategies to draw on your strengths and address (or navigate around) things that you have been finding difficult. Importantly, our assessments also consider the types of environmental supports that would benefit you.

Some common questions about ADHD assessments with psychologists and psychiatrists:

How thorough will the assessment be?

This will vary depending on who you see, but generally psychologists will provide a more comprehensive assessment over multiple sessions plus questionnaires. The more comprehensive assessment is helpful for determining what strategies will be most helpful to put in place in your life. Psychiatrists tend to do shorter assessments that may be a single appointment and tend to be primarily focused on whether you meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD.  

How much do the assessments cost?

Again, this will vary, but assessments with psychologists tend to be more expensive because they are more thorough. Full assessments with Psychology 4 Humans start from $800. Costs for assessments with psychiatrists usually start at about $400-$500 (per session with 1-2 sessions typiclly needed). Medicare rebates are often available for assessments with psychiatrists but not for assessments with psychologists.

How valid will the diagnosis be?

A diagnosis is valid from a psychologist or a psychiatrist, as long as they have adequate training and experience in the assessment of ADHD.

What are waitlists like?

Waitlists will vary, over time and between services. Currently, we have availability for assessments with very little waitlist, if any. Most psyciatrists have waitlists of 7-12 months for an ADHD assessment.

Will the assessment help me get medication?

For many people, medications are an important part of managing ADHD. Psychiatrists can prescribe ADHD medications, but psychologists cannot. An assessment from a psychologist can be helpful to take to the psychiartist, but the psychiatrist will still want to verify ADHD for themself - depending on the psychiatrist, they may or may not take the psychologist’s assessment into consideration.

What if I want to access funding from places like Centrelink or NDIS?

ADHD alone generally does not meet the criteria for funding from Centrelink or NDIS. You will only be eligible for funding where additional factors are present. NDIS and Centrelink will require specific types of professionals to provide reports, depending on the situation. If this is something that you are considering, it is best to speak with potential assessing professionals directly about your situation.

Cognitive abilities and learning

Cognitive abilities (also known as intelligence or thinking abilities) have a big impact on many areas of our lives. People with differences in their cognitive functioning may not understand why they find some things challenging. They might avoid things (like study, reading or maths).

Cognitive assessments are useful for identifying areas of strenghts and difficulties. Strategies and environmental supports can then be put in place to address the difficulties and draw on strengths. Assessment can lead to the identification and advocacy of accommodations for study and/or work.