A psychological evaluation, sometimes called a psychodiagnostic evaluation, can be an important step in understanding yourself more fully—especially when things feel confusing or overwhelming.
These evaluations are designed to clarify clinical diagnoses and help untangle the complex factors that may be contributing to emotional, behavioral, or attentional challenges.
Whether you're exploring a possible diagnosis, such as ADHD, for the first time or trying to better understand symptoms that could stem from anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, or a personality disorder, this type of assessment offers meaningful answers.
Because different conditions can share similar features, testing helps differentiate between them and ensures that the right diagnosis—and the right kind of support—can be identified.
ADHD ASSESSMENTS
The psychodiagnostic evaluation is the core component for determining if an individual meets the criteria for an attention disorder.
This involves a detailed conversation about your history—your background, your experiences, and how these challenges show up in your everyday life. You’ll also complete standardized questionnaires that give us more information about your symptoms. Another crucial element of the evaluation involves gathering information from significant others, such as teachers or parents, and for adults, from a spouse, partner, or family member to gain insight into the developmental nature and historical presence of symptoms. All of this helps us build a clearer picture and determine whether your experiences match what we know about ADHD.
Although a psychodiagnostic evaluation is enough for a diagnosis, some are seeking a deeper dive into how attentional vulnerabilities impact their daily life, academic performance or work functioning. That’s where a Targeted ADHD Evaluation may be useful.
This type of evaluation goes beyond diagnosis to explore how ADHD—or attention and executive dysfunction more specifically—are affecting your learning, work, or daily life. We might include some neuropsychological tests that look at memory, attention, and problem-solving skills, or academic tests if school performance is a concern. This kind of evaluation gives a more complete picture and can be especially helpful for identifying accommodations or strategies tailored to how you think and learn best.
Targeted ADHD Evaluation
UNDERSTANDING ADHD
Difficulties with focus, organization, time management, or impulsivity can be frustrating and disruptive, whether in daily life, school, or work. For many people, these challenges raise questions about whether ADHD might be part of the picture. An ADHD evaluation is a thoughtful way to explore these concerns. It takes a close look at your attention, behavior, and overall functioning to better understand what’s contributing to the difficulties you're experiencing.
It's important to recognize, however, that difficulties with attention are not always solely indicative of ADHD. Feeling distracted, forgetful, or overwhelmed can sometimes be connected to anxiety, depression, past trauma, medical conditions, or even just the demands of a busy, overstimulating life.
Part of our job is to tease apart those possibilities, so you can understand what’s really at the root of your attention difficulties. That way, any recommendations we offer are grounded in a true understanding of your needs.
Why you might seek a psychological evaluation
You may be feeling overwhelmed, sad, anxious, or emotionally off kilter, and you’re wondering if what you’re experiencing is depression, anxiety, or another mental health condition.
You might be someone who’s always struggled with attention, focus, or impulsivity and you’re wondering if you have ADHD.
You might be a student who learns differently who is struggling to keep up in school or college and are seeking recommendations or academic accommodations that support your learning style.
You may find yourself asking, “Why is life so hard for me?” You’re smart and capable, but planning, organizing, and completing everyday tasks feel much harder than they seem to be for others. You’re ready to understand your brain more fully and discover ways to work with it, not against it.