Trauma Assessment

A trauma assessment is a comprehensive assessment of the effects of the trauma experienced by the patient, how the trauma affects the relationship with the patient’s caregivers and the patient’s functioning, as well as recommendations for services or community support so that the patient and family/caregivers can heal and cope in the home environment. The goal of the assessment is to obtain clinical recommendations that guide mental health professionals in developing treatment plans to help the patient and family/caregiver address identified traumas, behaviors, and diagnoses that meet clinical criteria. Within appropriate consent, this evaluation also allows review of legal, mental health/medical/substance use history and interviewing of “collateral contacts”. “Collateral contacts” can be practically anyone, such as daycare, family friends, employers, therapists.

Our Trauma Assessment examines exposure to traumatic events and the impact of the incidents on emotional and executive functioning within the individual’s lifespan. The assessment assesses explicitly for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomology. The assessment includes a clinical interview, standardized trauma measures, and behavioral observations devised to gather a comprehensive understanding of the nature, timing, and severity of the traumatic events, the effects of those events, current trauma-related symptoms. The outcome of this assessment determines if the individual has PTSD, display PTSD symptoms, and the appropriate course of treatment.

What To Expect: Our trauma assessments are conducted in two parts, (1) testing and evaluation and (2) clinical interview. The testing and evaluation are scheduled in sessions according to test. Thus, test sessions may range from 30 minutes to two hours. The duration of the test is dependent on the participation of the individual and test time requirements. Due to the extensiveness of each test, trauma tests are often scheduled on different days. The patient must complete testing and evaluation prior to the clinical interview. After the two parts of the evaluation is complete, it takes roughly three (2) months for the report to be transcribed and compiled. In some instances, it may take six (4) months. This is determined by reports in waiting.