Both psychoeducational and neuropsychological assessments refer to the evaluation of underlying mental processes impacting educational, workplace achievement and life management abilities. To understand why a person achieves at a certain level, it is critical to measure various aspects of cognition using the tools of psychological measurement.

Psychoeducational and neuropsychological assessments can help guide someone’s short and long-term goals, clarify diagnoses, provide solutions for deficit areas, including treatment planning, and reveal areas of strength.

While there is considerable overlap between psychoeducational and neuropsychological assessments, neuropsychological assessments provide a more in-depth look at cognitive functioning and is typically used with clients who have had head injuries or concussions, medical illnesses, or other neurological conditions. Please consult with Dr. Nicole Hipp to determine which assessment type is right for you.

The cognitive processes indexed by a psychoeducational assessment include:

• Attention
• Concentration
• Processing speed
• Working memory
• Reasoning
• Novel problem-solving
• Language
• Visual-spatial abilities
• Memory
• Executive Functions
• Academic Skills
• Mental health symptoms
• Activities of Daily Living/Functional Skills

Part of psychoeducational assessment includes obtaining personal history from the client. This will include an intake interview, and we may ask you to complete self-report questionnaires. Family members, teachers or other people close to you may be asked to complete questionnaires as well.

It is important that you understand your results and can ask questions about your performance. After you complete the formal assessment, a feedback session with the psychologist provides you with information about your results, diagnoses and specific recommendations to improve functioning and overall well-being.

Many students and non-students alike wonder why they struggle in a certain subject or task, or want to know how to improve their performance, especially as they enter higher education or the job market. Psychoeducational assessment can provide you with specific recommendations to improve your academic and workplace achievement, as well as goal attainment in other areas of life.

Most universities and colleges require psychoeducational assessment to approve disability accommodations when enrolling for the first time. Even if the student has been tested in the past, it may be considered outdated. Many higher education disability offices require assessments to be completed within the previous four years from enrollment. [Please note that the awarding of the amount and type of accommodations are at the sole discretion of the university or colleges disability office and is not guaranteed.]

While CCS may be able to conduct some of the assessment process virtually, most assessments require in-person meeting. Dr. Hipp and her colleagues have taken significant steps to protect our patients and staff members due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This includes:

• Social distancing & face covering precautions 
• Increased ventilation and air flow to the outside
• Plexiglass barriers between patient and staff during test administration
• Gloves and face masks offered to all patients 
• Sanitization of all reusable materials
• Options for outdoor meetings