Frequently Asked Questions
When does someone need to be assessed or tested?
When a person’s emotions and behaviors cause problems in familial, social, academic, or employment functioning, a psychological or neuropsychological assessment can determine whether underlying organic impairments are present and what type of treatment plan is indicated.
Neurologists, phychiatrists, and other health care professionals refer patients for psychological and neuropsychological assessment when they want another professional opinion for differential diagnosis, to clarify a complex diagnostic case, to rule out specific psychiatric disorders, or if they suspect the presence of developmental delays, cognitive impairment, or dementia.
Individuals should request psychological or neuropsychological assessments for themselves or members of their family when someones emotional, behavioral, or cognitive problems are causing distress and dysfunction in social, academic, or employment settings. Other reasons for assessment might be to rule out developmental delays, autistic spectrum disorders, psychological disorders, poor recovery from head injury, or suspicion of dementia.
How long does testing or assessment take?
It depends on the referral question and the number of tests administered. Generally, a full battery of neuropsychological and psychological tests can take up to 10 hours, with the clinical interview portion of the evaluation taking approximately 2 hours.
What is involved in a neuropsychological or psychological evaluation?
Because assessment is designed to determine functioning in a range of areas (i.e., thinking skills, psychological symptoms, personality structure), it is important to take a thorough medical, developmental, and academic achievement history. Prior medical or academic records may be requested, and others who know the patient well may be interviewed (i.e., parents, teachers, family members).
Psychological and neuropsychological tests are primarily pencil and paper tests. For example, the testing administrator may ask the patient to answer questions, solve different kinds of problems, learn new information, and so forth. Sometimes a patient will be asked to demonstrate fine motor dexterity, or draw shapes. No physically invasive procedures are ever involved.
Who conducts the testing?
Dr. Goldberg conducts all testing herself to ensure the quality and consistency of her methods.
When will I get my results?
A verbal debriefing of the process and results will be scheduled after testing is completed. During the debriefing, Dr. Goldberg will explain the results of the testing, answer your questions, and discuss treatment and service recommendations with you. A full written report will then be completed and forwarded to you and/or the referring party or physician, based on the type of evaluation that was conducted. Reports directed to family and patients are written in understandable language.
Who else will receive the report?
Evaluation reports are provided to the referring party (e.g., physicians or attorneys). Reports are not released to other parties without proper authorization by the patient.
May I see the raw test data?
Psychological and neuropsychological test materials are copyrighted and protected by publishers to preserve the integrity of the measures and to ensure the validity of their administration and utility. Only professionals who are specially trained to administer these tests and properly interpret results are permitted access to raw data and test materials.
How do I know if I'm receiving high quality services?
Make sure the professional you are seeing has a valid license and is in good standing with the state licensing board and professional associations with which she/he is a member (i.e., California Board of Psychology, American Psychological Association, American Board of Professional Psychology).
When you are receiving high quality services, your psychologist or neuropsychologist will be sensitive to and knowledgeable about how culture, gender, ethnicity, education, genetics, life experience, psychiatric history, personality, environment, trauma history, family history, language, and medical health impacts cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning.
Does Dr. Goldberg file insurance claims for her patients?
Patients are responsible for filing their own claims to insurance companies for reimbursement of payments for services rendered by Dr. Goldberg. Patients are provided with receipts, description of services, dates of evaluations, and all the appropriate paperwork insurance companies require to file for reimbursement, including procedure codes, lists of tests administered (if applicable), and diagnosis.
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