What can I expect if I refer my client for a collaborative assessment?
Initial phone call or email
Please call or email me if you are curious if this would be a helpful type of assessment for your client or their family member. You are welcome to schedule a call with me during a time you are between clients using the link on the contact button at the top of this page. You can decide if you feel like I am the right person to help your client, and if I am not, I am happy to help with a referral to a better fit for your client’s needs.
If you make a referral
If you decide to recommend this type of assessment to your client, I can send you information that might be useful as you discuss the option with your client or their family. I can also send you information you can hand out to your client or their family to take home. Another option is to have me join a virtual session with you and your client (with their permission), to answer questions and help you both decide if this seems right for the client. If your client proceeds with an assessment, and assuming an ROI has been signed, I will contact you early in the process to learn what questions you might have about them to guide your treatment planning. I very strongly encourage clients to allow me to have close contact with you as the best outcome for them in an assessment.
During the assessment process
I will remain in contact with you periodically throughout the assessment. Your client, or their family, and I will be processing the results little by little as we go. I will keep you updated as best I can about those discussions. Clients are strongly encouraged to continue therapy during the assessment process.
Discussing results
Typically, I would come to your place of work and meet with you and your client together to discuss results as a group. However, during the pandemic, we would both meet with your client virtually in a joint session to discuss results. This is typically billed to insurance by you as a 90834. I do not take insurance and so this meeting would be part of my flat fee for service on my end of the billing. Having a joint meeting will allow you to support your client during the discussion, help them remember the information, and deepen the discussion by adding your understanding and observations about their functioning. Most clients benefit from more than one meeting, but usually not more than three. I am happy to talk more about what you believe would be best for you and your client at any time.
Summary Letter
After we complete the discussion session(s), I will write a letter to your client listing their questions and summarizing the answers we came to. Teens would get an additional letter just for them, while one goes to their caregivers. Children sometimes get a story instead of a letter to help them understand some of the main points of the results. All variations of this written feedback would include the next steps and recommendations we talked about all together.
Optional Follow Up Session
You or your client might find it helpful to talk or meet again several weeks after the discussion session(s) to check in, share and process new insights or revelations, and to fine tune the steps your client is taking to move forward in their goals.