Psychological and Neuropsychological Testing

The word “testing” may be daunting, but it can be helpful to think of psychological testing as similar to medical testing. If a person has physical symptoms, a PCP may order x-rays or blood tests to understand what is causing those symptoms. Psychological testing serves the same purpose.

When you or your provider are feeling stuck or unsure how to progress further in your mental health care, psychological assessments can offer clarity by providing explanations for why you are experiencing certain difficulties.

Some of the reasons people are referred to Westside Behavioral Health for psychological and neuropsychological assessment are:

• To assess cognitive abilities and problem-solving skills

• To assess memory concerns

• To assess executive functioning (ability to plan, organize and inhibit cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses; attention; learning; motor coordination)

• To determine if you meet diagnostic criteria for:

  • Attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (AD(H)D)

  • Other psychiatric conditions including Bipolar Disorder, PTSD, depression and anxiety  

• To better understand school, work or relationship difficulties

• To assess concerns about emotional functioning, self-esteem, coping abilities, ability to manage anger or control impulses, interpersonal or social skills, or personality features

• To assess neuropsychological concerns about brain functioning including the nature and severity of any cognitive impairments and whether they are due to aging, brain injury, or another condition.

Your psychologist will work to understand your abilities and strengths and how you can learn to use these qualities to compensate for any limitations or weaknesses identified by the testing. Results of testing will help your provider/referring clinician to create an optimal, customized treatment plan. This would incorporate the therapeutic modalities that would be most effective for you. A report will be provided for the referring clinician and for you which will include interpretation and summary of the testing results, diagnoses, and specific recommendations. Resources as well as referrals to specialists will be provided if needed, for example consultation with a psychiatrist or nurse practitioner for medication management, or follow-up with neurologist for more comprehensive assessment or ongoing monitoring.

We invite you to reach out to your PCP/provider/clinician, or to Westside Behavioral Health, directly to inquire about, or to schedule, psychological or neuropsychological testing.

Please note that we are unable to provide testing for learning disabilities.