Assessments
Life is a winding path, sometimes smooth and sunlit, other times shrouded in fog or speckled with unexpected stones. When going through its twists and turns, understanding where you stand can be instrumental in planning and executing your next course. At Hargan Psychology, we believe mental health assessments are the compass and map that can guide you on your journey to well-being.
Hargan Psychology offers a strong clinical assessment capability through a variety of mental health assessments in Melbourne used in therapeutic, educational, forensic and disability settings.
Our clinical assessments are delivered by experienced practitioners and result in a written report that may inform allied health professionals and other stakeholders.
We take pride in our capability to select appropriate, reliable and valid assessment tools, administer them, and provide contextualised insights into the individual’s presenting concerns, as well as tailored recommendations to support them.
What Can An Assessments Provide?
Our expert team leverages a robust clinical assessment capability to provide insights into your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. We utilise a wide variety of evidence-based tools and assess you through multiple tests, whether you’re seeking:
Diagnosis of Mental Health Conditions
Early identification of emerging psychopathology in young people, depression, anxiety, or other concerns can pave the way for timely intervention and effective treatment.
Understanding your Cognitive Abilities
Cognitive Assessments of intelligence, learning disorders, or giftedness can equip you with strategies to maximise your potential.
Bridging the Learning Gap
Identifying challenges in academic areas can inform tailored educational programs and support systems.
Enhancing your Therapy Journey
Personality-based assessments offer invaluable insights into your psychological makeup, interpersonal style, and relationships, empowering you and your therapist to set clear goals and track progress.
Managing Risk
Evaluating the potential for risk factors like offending behaviours empowers proactive interventions and safeguards.
Unlocking Diagnoses like ADHD
Comprehensive assessments for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children can lead to highly effective management strategies and improved quality of life.
Assessing Functional Living Skills
Identifying areas of need in daily life skills equips individuals and loved ones with the knowledge to secure the necessary support.
Know Yourself Better With Mental Health Assessments & Cognitive Assessments In Melbourne
Our mental health assessments including cognitive assessment, psychological tests, and personality tests in Melbourne, go beyond mere labels. We pride ourselves on selecting reliable and valid tools administered by experienced practitioners. But our journey doesn’t end with a report. We delve deeper, contextualising your results to offer personalised suggestions that support your unique needs whether you need individualised therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or a different approach.
You can collaborate with any therapist from our team, armed with a detailed map drawn from your assessment. You can identify strengths to build upon, navigate challenges with newfound clarity, and chart a course towards personal growth and well-being.
Remember, you are not alone on this path. Hargan Psychology will work with you every step of the way.
If you are asking Siri “Find mental health therapists near me”, we can help. Contact us today for a free consultation and take the first step in your journey
Educational Assessments
Educational assessments can be required for a number of reasons, as each individual has a different set of life circumstances influencing behaviour.
As such, each child has a different set of strengths and weaknesses that can impact their academic performance and learning ability, setting them on an individual educational trajectory. At times, these trajectories may not follow the pattern expected for a child’s age or developmental stage.
An educational assessment can provide insight into a child’s cognitive functioning, academic strengths and weaknesses, and preferred learning styles. By assessing various areas of mental functioning, educational assessment help parents and educators gain insight to a child’s unique learning capacity and academic abilities, allowing them to make informed choices about a child’s ideal learning environment and their individual learning needs.
What is included in an Educational Assessment?
- Initial parent interview and/or questionnaire to gather information about the child’s developmental, educational, and medical history, as well as any presenting concerns.
- Approximately 2 hour session to administer the standardised cognitive (intelligence) assessment (WISC-V). This assessment provides a measure of overall IQ as well as its component ability indices including verbal comprehension, visual spatial reasoning, fluid reasoning, working memory and processing speed.
- Approximately 3 hour session to administer the standardised achievement (academic) assessment (WIAT-III). This assessment identifies level of academic achievement and any deficits in expected learning to date, including mathematical ability, problem-solving and language based skills, i.e., reading, writing, comprehension, and vocabulary.
- A detailed report of findings with behavioural and educational recommendations tailored for your child.
- Parent feedback session to discuss your child’s assessment and to answer any questions.
Depending on the purpose of an assessment, a stand-alone cognitive assessment or achievement assessment may be administered if a full education assessment is not required.
What Are The Different Types of Educational Assessments?
WISC-V – Cognitive Assessment – The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Australian and New Zealand Standardised, Fifth Edition)
The WISC is an individually administered comprehensive clinical instrument for assessing the cognitive ability/intelligence of children.
Assessment age range: 6 years 0 months through 16 years 11 months.
WIAT-III – The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test
The WIAT is a comprehensive, individually administered test for assessing the academic functioning of children, adolescents, tertiary students and adults.
Assessment age range: 4 years through 50 years, 11 months
WAIS-IV – The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
The WAIS is a comprehensive measure of teenager/adult intellectual ability which includes a full-scale IQ score in addition to index scores that measure different facets of intelligence.
Assessment age range: 16 years – 89 years
WMS – The Wechsler Memory Scale
The WMS is a comprehensive measure of a teen or adult’s memory functioning and assessed both auditory and visual memory. The results from the test can also be used to provide further insight into an individual’s performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.
Assessment age range: 16 years – 90 years
The Conners Fourth Edition
The Conners assessments measure the presence and severity of behaviours associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and its most common comorbid problems and disorders, including learning problems, executive functioning problems, defiance/aggression, and peer/family relations. The Conners typically takes 20 minutes and is completed by parents, caregivers, teachers and children to provide information across home, social and school settings. Hargan Psychology also offers the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale, which assesses the above in adults aged +18.
Assessment age range: Children and adults
What Are Some Other Assessments Available at Hargan Psychology?
The Personality Assessment Inventory – (PAI)
The PAI is an objective inventory of personality which measures psychopathological syndromes associated with a wide range of mental health conditions. It is assists in diagnosis of mental health conditions and treatment considerations. It can be a very helpful starting point for clients with more serious concerns about their mental health and provide valuable information to our treating psychologists on the client’s internal experience and suitability for psychological therapy.
Assessment age range: 18 years to 89 years
A PAI typically includes:
- The assessment process:
- A questionnare filled out at our practice.
- The psychologist writes up a report based on your assessment.
- 1 x 30 minute feedback session where your report is presented (and you can take it home).
The Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales – Third Edition
The Vineland is used to assess individuals aged up to 90 years to measure how adequately they can live independently. It assesses the individual’s skills in specific areas and can help with treatment planning as well as helping to identify developmental delays, cognitive disabilities, autism spectrum disorders and other impairments.
Assessment age range: Birth – 90 years
A Vineland Assessment typically includes:
- The assessment process:
- An email with a questionnaire to fill out.
- The psychologist writes up a report based on your assessment.
- 1 x 30 minute feedback session where your report is presented (and you can take it home).
Assessment Pricing
| Cognitive Assessment (WISC-V or WAIS-IV) |
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| Achievement Assessment (WIAT) |
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| Full Educational Assessment |
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| Adaptive Functioning (ABAS/Vineland) |
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| ADHD Assessment (Connors) |
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| ASD Assessment (MIGDAS) |
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| ASD Assessment with Cog Assessment |
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| ASD Assessment with ADHD Assessment |
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| Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) |
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- All other assessments $200-$220 per hour or part thereof (charged in 15 minute increments).
- *PLEASE NOTE: assessment cost is dependent on provisional and registered psychologist availability
Assessment FAQ's
How do I know what assessment is best for me?
The start of the assessment process is to sit down with a psychologist to go through
developmental history. With the information gathered from this the psychologists will be able
to send through the appropriate screeners to assess which assessment may be most beneficial
for you.
What type of information do I need to provide?
We often obtain information from a number of sources to inform the reports. This begins with
a full developmental history and is often followed up with acquiring school reports and any
other additional reports or assessments that would be beneficial.
Are the assessments just a pass or fail?
No. Psychological tests are not about passing or failing. They measure how your strengths
and weaknesses compared to normative data to help guide treatment or diagnosis.
Will I get a diagnosis?
Not always. A diagnosis is only given if one is clearly supported by the results. Sometimes
the outcome is descriptive, outlining strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations without a
formal label.
What is the difference between the WISC-V and the WIAT-III?
The WISC-V provides scores for different cognitive domains and is used to assess cognitive
strengths and weaknesses, giftedness, or other neurodevelopmental conditions.
The WIAT-III provides achievement scores to compare against cognitive ability and is
commonly used to diagnose learning disorders or track academic progress.
If I’m a parent, should I attend the sessions with my young person? Can I attend each session
if I want to?
Parents are not required to attend their young person’s assessment sessions. In the case of a
cognitive assessment or achievement assessment parents are normally asked to wait outside
while their child completes the assessment to ensure there are no distractions.
How long will it take to get the report?
Once all the information for an individual’s assessment has been collected, we generally aim
for a turnaround time of 6-8 weeks. However, this may be extended in certain circumstances
(such as your clinician requiring more information to support the report).
In these rare instances, your clinician will be in contact with you to provide an update of the report’s delay
and a new estimated wait time for this to be finalised.