This document contains information about our professional services and practice. Please read it carefully and let us know if you have any questions. Your signature on this document indicates that you have read, understood, and agree to what is written here.
Psychological assessment
Psychological assessment involves a comprehensive evaluation of someone’s cognitive, emotional, and social functioning at a particular point in time. The evaluation is conducted by interviewing you, reviewing records that might be important to your case, and asking you to fill out questionnaires that help us understand your mental and emotional state. The purpose of any psychological testing is to provide normative data to help inform a clinical diagnosis.
There are risks and benefits associated with psychological assessments. Typically, participation in the evaluation process presents a low risk. However, some clients may feel uncomfortable or nervous about being interviewed or may find it difficult to talk about distressing events. The benefits of completing a psychological assessment include a detailed picture of your overall functioning that will assist in your immigration/legal proceedings.
Confidentiality
In general, all communications between you and our psychologists are confidential (privileged information protected by law), and your information can only be released to others with your written permission. That said, any communication between our psychologists and your attorney will be permitted to assist in your case. Any communication between Dr. Vredeveld and Jamie Hardy-Besaw will also be permitted to assist in your case.
There are a few instances where psychologists are required to break confidentiality. These include:
- Threat to self– If you tell us that you are planning to harm yourself, we are required by law to take protective actions. This may include seeking psychiatric hospitalization for you or contacting the police or other appropriate authorities.
- Threat to someone else– If you tell us that you are planning to harm someone else, we are required by law to take protective actions. This may include notifying the potential victim of your intent to harm them or contacting the police or other appropriate authorities.
- Child or elder abuse –If you tell us about a child or elder who is being abused, we are required by law to report that to relevant agencies.
- Minors – If you are under eighteen years old, please be aware that your parent or guardian is allowed access to the report generated based on this evaluation. We will discuss this with you before releasing the report to them.
If one of these situations occurs, we will do our best to talk with you before releasing information to the appropriate authorities.
Records
The laws and standards of our profession require that records be kept. You are entitled to receive a copy of your report. We are sometimes asked to speak with, send records to, or request records from other professionals. On these occasions, you will be asked to sign a Release of Information form giving us permission to discuss your case with other professionals.
Billing and payments
- The fee for the evaluation, including psychological assessment and written report is $950.
- This can be paid by Zelle, doing a direct deposit into our bank account, or by credit card. Payment instructions are here.
- Half ($475) must be paid at the time of the appointment. You may pay in installments after that time but we do not send the report to you or your attorney until the full payment is made.
- If we are required to testify in court, there will be an additional $150 per hour rate charged for our testimony and our time spent preparing for testimony.
Client Authorization
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By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read, understand and agree with all the information in this document. (You will provide an electronic signature once on the doxy.me call.)