Many families and individuals wonder if testing is the right choice. If you or your child are struggling, and you’re not sure how to help, a psychological assessment will bring clarity. You’ll deeply understand your own (or your child’s) strengths so you know what to build on. You’ll fully understand your or your child’s weaknesses and have a plan moving forward.

Not everyone shows the typical pattern of symptoms or concerns you can easily google – particularly highly gifted individuals, girls (who are often under-represented in research studies), or people with autism spectrum disorder/autistic people. It is always best to consult with a testing psychologist if you have questions about psychological testing. It is also important to listen to your “gut” if you sense something is not right. I see many parents whose concerns were dismissed or who were pressured to discount their own instincts about their child.

Scheduling a consultation with me helps determine if testing would be useful. I will give you the information you need so that you can feel confident in making the right choices for your child. If testing is not indicated, or is best postponed, I make sure you are connected with trusted clinicians who can offer the right solutions for your concerns.

If you have questions about testing, you can email me at susannah@scearcepsychological.com, or click on the Contact Me button and submit a form message. Remember to include your telephone number so I can contact you promptly. Please do not send personal information in an email because email is not a secure form of communication.

I offer psychological and psychoeducational testing, and I have expertise in testing for the following concerns:

• Learning disabilities

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

• Gifted and talented, and twice exceptional (2E)

• Autism spectrum disorder

• Special education eligibility

• Accommodations for high stakes testing

• Anxiety

• Obsessive compulsive disorder

• Depression

• Bipolar disorder

• Schizophrenia spectrum disorders

• Borderline personality disorder

• Behavior or impulse control difficulties

• Intellectual disabilities

Click on the Contact Me button or email me at susannah@scearcepsychological.com. I will get back to you within 1-2 business days to set up a free consultation phone call. (I am in the office Monday through Friday, 9AM to 3PM.)

I can typically schedule the initial consultation meeting within 4-6 weeks of you reaching out. I set up my schedule so that once we have the initial meeting, we can schedule testing right away.

I am not in network with any insurance company. My goal is to give you an evaluation that is comprehensive, timely, and affordable. I don’t want decisions about an assessment made by an insurance executive. I want decisions about you or your child’s care to be made by you and me. I also don’t want you to have to wait many months for an appointment or to receive the report, which can happen at big practices that take insurance.

This means you pay me directly for an assessment. You may be able to get partial reimbursement for the assessment by submitting an in-depth receipt (called a “Superbill”) to your insurance company. There’s more info below on how to talk to your insurance company about possible partial reimbursement for your evaluation. You can also ask your insurance for a “network exception.” If granted, this means they would reimburse you as if I were in network. I cannot guarantee that your insurance company will reimburse you for psychological services, or that they will honor their pre-authorization decisions. I wish that insurance companies would make it possible to serve on their panels without sacrificing the quality of the assessment, but unfortunately that has not been my experience.

I charge $170/hour for my time, and most comprehensive psychological evaluations take me 12 to 16 hours to complete ($2,040 to $2,720). This includes the initial intake appointment, testing sessions, time spent scoring and interpreting test results, writing the assessment report, and reviewing the results with you at the feedback meeting. At the consultation appointment, I make a list of the tests needed to answer your specific questions and give you a specific estimate of the time and cost for your assessment.

At the end of the process, I can send you the Superbill you need if you would like to file a claim for out of network benefits with your insurance company. I cannot accept any responsibility for your insurance company’s decision regarding your claim.

Yes. If you have a pre-tax account set aside for healthcare expenses, you can use the debit card associated with that account. Or, you can pay by check and submit your receipt to that account for reimbursement. If you do not have this kind of account, ask your human resources department if you can start one.

I ask the consultation fee ($170) be paid at the initial meeting. At the end of the consultation meeting, I give you the specific cost for your personalized assessment. I ask that half of the total cost be paid at the first testing session, and the remaining balance to be paid at the end of the process when I send you the report.

Yes, I offer three-month payment plans when needed. I recognize that the investment in a psychological assessment can be a lot to manage all at once. Please do not hesitate to ask if I can accommodate your needs.

I do not bill insurances directly. If you would like to find out if you can get any reimbursement from your insurance company to help cover the costs of the assessment, I encourage you to contact your insurance and ask about “out of network coverage” for a psychological assessment. Here’s what to ask:

• What are my out-of-network benefits?

• How much is my deductible?

• After I meet my deductible, what percentage of the visit cost will I be reimbursed for?

• Up to how much can I be reimbursed for:

o 60-minute intake appointment (CPT code 90791)

o Psychological testing (CPT code 96136 for the first 30 minutes, CPT code 96137 for each additional 30 minutes)

o Psychological evaluation services (CPT code 96130 for the first 60 minutes, CPT code 96131 for each additional hour)

o 60-minute feedback sessions (CPT code 96131)

• Do I have a limit of how many units of 96137 or 96131 I can get reimbursed for?

• How do I submit a claim with the receipt my doctor gave me?

Sometimes insurance companies want to know my NPI or EIN number, or possible diagnosis codes. I’m happy to provide you with this information if you need it. I cannot guarantee that your insurance company will reimburse you for psychological services, or that they will honor their pre-authorization decisions.

I work with children ages 6 and older, as well as adolescents and adults.

I (Dr. Scearce) do all of the testing, scoring, and report-writing personally. I believe a psychologist must take the time to get to know the examinee as a unique person in order to accurately interpret the test data. I also know how to help a child or teen feel comfortable so they can show their full potential, and I believe my direct observations add rich data to the assessment that I do not feel comfortable outsourcing. For these reasons, I never use students, techs, or psych associates.

Please note that I cannot provide the following:

• Custody evaluations

• Evaluations for parental fitness or to inform visitation

• Forensic evaluations

• Dementia evaluations

• Testing for geriatric degenerative diseases

• Egg donor/surrogacy evaluations

• Police/firefighter/pilot/military/federal agent evaluations

• Pre-surgery evaluations

Yes, I use the ADOS-2, along with other measures, when I test children for autism spectrum disorder.

Most assessments take about one month from start to finish. The process starts with the initial intake/consultation. We then schedule two to three testing sessions, which can often be completed that or the following week, depending on our schedules. The feedback meeting with you is held within two weeks after completing testing and turning in all questionnaires. The full written report is finalized and shared with you within 2-3 weeks following the feedback meeting.

Please bring with you any previous psychological evaluation reports or other records you think would be helpful for me to review (e.g., IEP paperwork, medical records, notes you’ve kept, work samples). You may also want to bring a snack and a water bottle.

Psychological testing should be a great experience for your child! Parents are often more nervous than their children. It is important for your child or teen to feel comfortable so that they can give their best performance during testing. That’s why I take time to help your child feel good about the testing. For teens and adults, I strive to make testing an empowering experience that strengthens their ability to self-advocate.

You can tell your child that they will be spending the morning with a nice person who wants to understand them better so that we can help make their life easier. For school-aged children, I would avoid using words like “test” or “evaluation” as these words tend to raise anxiety and poorly describe what we will be doing. The activities they complete with me are not like tests they take at school; they are interactive and vary in level of challenge. Reassure your child or teen that I am welcoming to everyone, whatever their identity. Tell a young child that I am not the type of doctor who gives shots. Let your child know that they are going to work hard, but they will have a positive experience. The more comfortable you feel about the testing, the more your child will feel at ease.

No problem. Reach out via the Contact form or send me an email at susannah@scearcepsychological.com. I’ll get back to you within 1-2 business days with the info you need.