A doctor, child's teacher, or other healthcare provider may have told you that you, or your child, may have some learning, developmental, psychological, or behavioural difficulties, and have advised you to see a Psychologist for a formal psychological and diagnostic assessment.
The assessment process, conducted by a fully qualified Psychologist, is generally a straight forward procedure. However, some assessment processes can be very complex and time consuming for both the client and assessing Psychologist. We ask that you contact the clinic for information about the assessment process and obtain a general quote so that you are aware of what is involved, how long it takes, and how much it costs before engaging in the assessment process itself.
To help with funding options, there are a number of different funding pathways which are explained in the Funding Options page in the dropdown menu.
Should you decide to proceed with a formal assessment, you will need to complete the New Client and Referral Form, also found in the main menu. This is an electronic form which is automatically sent to Unique Brains once completed. No personal data will be stored on this website.
We preference referrals from Paediatricians and Psychiatrists, and in certain cases, GP's. These physicians are in the best position to determine whether a formal assessment and/or diagnosis is required. They can also provide the Psychologist with letters and/or reports, and other information that relates to the client’s presenting condition. Other professionals may also provide relevant letters and general reports (e.g., OT, Speech Pathologist and teacher reports).
If possible, referrals should be sent to our clinic prior to attending the initial appointment.
Although we preference physician referrals, we do also accept self referrals from clients.
We also provide assessment services for public and private community organisations, and schools. Please contact the clinic for more information.
The initial appointment involves an introduction, a preliminary review of documented information, initial observations of the client, detailed questions surrounding the presenting condition, and a review of the psychological services you may require. Documented information should also include copies of any medical, psychological and other assessments previously undertaken, so that any changes in performance can be noted.
Please contact the clinic prior to attending the appointment to find out which documents are required.
We offer comprehensive assessments for children and adults in the following areas:
Psychological assessments do take time to complete. For the client, there can be a series of assessment appointments over a number of days where various tests are conducted and observations made by the Psychologist. There may also be scaled assessments to be completed in your own time.
It must be remembered that there are normally several clients being assessed at the same time and the process from initial consultation to receiving the final report can take up to several weeks to complete.
We may also offer individual Brain Mapping as part of your assessment (where appropriate), in order to identify areas of generalised or localised brain dysregulation.
Note: The specific assessments to be completed by you or your child will be discussed with you during the initial appointment.
Once the formal assessment process has been completed, the Psychologist will then begin the process of scoring, compiling and analysing the test results. An integrated comprehensive report will then be written. The report will contain test results, analytical comments, a diagnosis (as required), functional capacity (as required) and recommendations for intervention and/or followup.
A copy of the report will then be sent to you and other approved stakeholders in your treatment team (e.g. referring doctor or other requesting community agency).
Once you have received and reviewed the report, a follow-up appointment can then be made to discuss the results and recommendations, and to answer any questions you may have. You may also discuss further intervention with our clinic at this time.
Note: We do not provide any assessment results or reports until the assessment process has been completed, and the account settled.
We provide priority for those clients who have completed the assessment process at our clinic. We will discuss with you what intervention services we can offer and negotiate regular appointment times for ongoing treatment.
For further information on the various interventions and therapies at Unique Brains, please click on the following links:
For some diagnostic assessments, further consultation with a medical specialist (such as a Paediatrician or Psychiatrist) may be required to confirm a diagnosis and/or to discuss follow-up treatments (such as medications or other therapies). This will be discussed at the time of the assessment.