We know the idea of getting an assessment can be quite intimidating – so here is our process and what is likely to happen when you have an ADHD and/or Autism assessment at Arise Clinical Psychology
It’s highly likely that you have done some research into ADHD and/or Autism and already have a good sense of what Autism and/or ADHD might look like generally as well as why you think you might be neuro-divergent.
We would love to hear from you about why you think you need an assessment and this is best done by sending an email.
What to include in your email:
- your name, age and how to contact you best (or if under 18 their name, age and best contact)
- what kind of assessment you are after, and briefly what has led you to wanting an assessment (i.e., has someone suggested neurodivergence? maybe you resonate with the experiences of ADHD and Autistic people? or similar?)
- whether you have a preference on clinician, best days that you could come in, or if there are any other preferences or important details to note.
We will let you know our availability and provide a quote for the fees associated with an assessment.
Quick Fee Summary
Full fees will be discussed on contact or you can review our Fees page for further information. However, its important to note that we require a 10% non-refundable deposit within 7 days to confirm your booking, which will allow us to begin collecting information.
Unfortunately, currently, there are no Medicare rebates available for these assessments. However, you can check with your individual Private Health Insurance about any rebates they can provide
Other than the 10% deposit, you can pay the remainder however is easiest for you (through instalments or all at once).
Keep in mind full payment is required before we can give you your report.
Further details provided on contact
What to expect once you are booked in?
We tend to book 2-4 sessions (typically 3 hours each), preferably on a weekly basis or daily (if this works for you and in our schedules).
Before you come in, we will ask for contact details of people close to you who could give some insight about you (this can be parents, partners, children, siblings, close friends, teachers, coaches, etc).
For us, the assessment process begins right from when you book in, with us collecting as much information as we can.
We will send out a range of screeners to you and the people in your life to complete. We will also ask you to provide any school reports you may have, then we will scan these for review.
Assessment Day/s
These sessions will likely be booked in the morning, or early afternoon.
Usually the first session will be a “get to know you“, where we will ask about your life growing up, family, friends, education, work, medical history, living arrangements and what brought you to getting an assessment.
Sessions following this we will follow a more structured process (“clinical interview“) with specific questions related to ADHD and/or Autism. Following this, we may want to get some further information (i.e., via screeners) dependent on information collected during the assessment.
Although these questions may be similar to questions answered on the screeners, the clinical interview allows you to give us more information and examples, which then helps us to unpack your experiences in more detail.
Throughout our sessions you are welcome to take breaks as needed. We always have fidgets available and we will attempt to adjust the environment as much as we can to make it more comfortable (i.e., you’re welcome to walk around, sit on the floor, limit the light and/sound in the room etc).
For our adolescent clients in particular, we ask parent/caregiver’s to join these sessions.
However, everyone is welcome to bring their parents, partner, or a significant adult to some or all of these sessions and …. infact, we would often like a parent (wherever possible) to be a part of at least one of our sessions.
Please keep in mind we have limited space to accommodate lots of guests. Instead, we may be able to utilise Zoom or similar to accommodate the inclusion of other family or support people.
After the Assessment Session/s
It will take us up to 4 weeks to collate and write your report.
We will send you a draft report for you to review and give feedback or clarify any information. Once we have made any changes, we will send you a finalised version which is yours to keep and distribute as needed.
If you would like/ feel you need we can organise an additional feedback session to go through and discuss the report.
We look forward to meeting you, and supporting you through this process, which we know can be A LOT of time, effort, spoons, and emotions.
Please do not hesitate to email us if you have any further questions!
