Psychological Assessments: What to Expect
Episode Description
Do you think you might be suffering from an undiagnosed mental disorder? If so, a psychological assessment might be able to help. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, psychologist Dr. Hannah Baczynski and host Tim Unsinn talk about what to expect from a psychological assessment, including what an assessment might include, what information you might receive from the psychologist, and what you should communicate with your psychologist before and after receiving an assessment.What to Expect
- What are psychological assessments?
- Questions you should ask
- How much time does a psychological assessment take?
Resources: Learn More
- “Understanding Psychological Testing and Assessment,” (American Psychological Association)
- “After a Diagnosis,” (Mental Health America)
Things to Think About
- When taking a psychological assessment, it’s important to know what you want (and why) and communicate your needs with the psychologist.
- The results of a psychological assessment should help guide you on where and how to find support. Ask your psychologist about receiving a report or feedback session after the assessment is completed.
About the Hosts
Dr. Hannah Baczynski works with people of all ages—providing diagnostic and psychological evaluations for children as young as 2, adolescents, and adults, as well as individual therapy for adolescents. As the clinical director of Dakota Family Services’ DBT Program for Adolescents, she also provides Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and is a firm believer in using treatments that are well-supported by research and that match the client’s goals. When she understands the “why” or the function of the behavior of difficulty a client is experiencing, she collaborates with them to set goals and find new, more productive skills and behaviors.
Transcript
Psychological Assessments: What to Expect
Featuring Dr. Hannah Baczynski, Psychologist, Dakota Family Services
Tim Unsinn:
Welcome to Mind Your Mind, a podcast presented by Dakota Family Services, an outpatient behavioral health clinic located in Minot, Bismarck, and Fargo, North Dakota. In this podcast, I will talk with our experts about understanding and nurturing our mental health and wellness. I'm your host, Tim Unsinn. Join me each episode as we explore the intricacies of our minds, decrease the stigma of mental illness, learn practical tips for managing our mental health and wellbeing, and recognize when it's time to ask for help. Join me now to mind your mind. Welcome to this episode of Mind Your Mind. Our guest is Dr. Hannah Baczynski. Dr. Baczynski is a psychologist with Dakota Family Services in Fargo. Dr. Baczynski, great to have you on Mind Your Mind. Our topic is what to look for or expect with psychological assessments. That's a mouthful. However, before we get to the topic, the question I ask of all of our guests is, why do you do what you do?
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
One of the reasons that I really like being a mental health professional and a psychologist is to help people through things that they can't really get through on their own. So outside of psychological assessments, one of my favorite treatments to do is trauma treatments and the gains that people can make when they face their trauma and do so with a therapist is really incredible. And that keeps me going, watching people overcome their trauma.
Tim Unsinn:
I appreciate that answer. Love that. Helping people in their toughest spots. So our topic is what to look for or expect with psychological assessments. For most of us who are like, okay, didn't know there was an assessment. So what are psychological assessments for and why do people get them?
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
So psychological assessments are for a lot of different things. The biggest, I guess, percentage of psychological assessments I do are for understanding diagnosis. People who want to explore if they have ADHD or autism are the most kind of typical questions. But we also can look at things like personality disorders. We can look at things like trauma and how trauma plays into it. We can look at specific learning disorders. If you or your child's having trouble in school or you need recommendations for how to like tackle school or tackle college or tackle work even. And so people get them for a variety of reasons. When people show up to my office, a lot of it is, what is my diagnosis, like, can you give me a direction? What I see as far as what I believe psychological assessment is for, I think that the recommendations that you get at the end are very, very important. So on assessments that I do, they often have pages and pages of recommendations on things you can do at home, things you can do at school or work, things that you can do for therapy if you need therapy, all of those different directions that you can take in life. So I believe that psychological assessments are for guidance to give you a direction to go, especially if you feel stuck or like you don't have the supports that you need.
Tim Unsinn:
So we go for a psychological assessment. I'm going to assume that we should go prepared and be prepared with questions that we should be asking our provider. What would some of those look like?
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
Absolutely, it's the same as any other like medical procedure that you're getting. You're gonna spend a lot of time and money on a psychological assessment. They're not cheap. And so if you were to go say for if your doctor recommended a surgery, you would probably get a second opinion. You would wanna go in with questions for things like that. And so there is a huge range of quality of psychological assessments. Just like with any other procedure, any medical thing, you wanna make sure that you kind of vibe with the assessor. It's not like you're gonna have to do therapy with them or anything. But you also want to understand maybe their like philosophy on assessment. Like is this gonna be kind of an in and out sort of thing where you get a diagnosis and that's kind of what the goal is?
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
Or are you going to be getting a more comprehensive assessment? So questions you should ask, what kinds of assessments are they gonna be doing? So in psychological assessment we have different cognitive tests where you can get your IQ measured, you can get your memory measured. We can understand how your attention and working memory, how your brain thinks, all of those things. Are some of those gonna be included? Are there going to be academic type tests? Are you gonna have to do a reading test or a math test or something like that. And sometimes you do and sometimes you don't. Are there going to be true false kinds of questions that you have to answer about yourself? Are you going to have to do some observational kinds of testing, which is often included in like autism assessments? What is it that you will be doing? What can you expect from the provider?
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
I would also ask questions about the report. When you're done, are you gonna leave with a report? Because there are some psychologists that don't release those to you. And if it's important for you to be able to read through it and read the recommendations and sit with it, that's a question you wanna ask up front because it would be, I imagine, very disappointing if you thought you were gonna leave with a report and then you couldn't get it. How and why would this be shared? Some people get assessments for their kids or get assessments for themselves for like school recommendations and school or work accommodations. Like how and how much of the report would be shared in those situations. And like anything that you need to know to feel comfortable, like they should be comfortable answering, especially timelines, the types of assessments and if you're gonna get the report or not at the end.
Tim Unsinn:
I was gonna ask you about what to expect. I think you covered some of that. Are there areas that we should expect with that assessment?
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
Sure. So when you, you know, decide to get an assessment, if you decide to get an assessment, you should know that there's probably gonna be a wait. Nationally we have a huge shortage of mental health professionals and a huge shortage of psychologists. And so you might have to wait a couple months to even get started. So that is something to know once you get started, you're probably going to have a meeting with the psychologists where they just ask you questions like, what's going on? How long has it been going on for? So if you have, I don't know, records or you know, even if you've just jotted some notes down in your phone, make sure you bring those because especially if you're going for something like ADHD or autism, they're gonna ask questions about your childhood because those are something that start in childhood and they're not gonna just ask you about last week.
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
So having that kind of knowledge, if you have school records from when you were a kid, if you're an adult now those can help as well. Like, you know, report cards or when your teacher says a pleasure to have in class but really struggles with talking too much, like all of that's really helpful. Then you will do, after the interview, you will either the same day or on a different day-- if you come to Dakota Family Services, it will be a different day-- but you'll do the assessments. So whether it's the cognitive assessments, whether it's those self-report, true false assessments, the provider will probably also ask you if someone else will fill out assessments for you. So if it's your kid, you will probably fill out assessments about your kid. Like how often do they do these things, how often is this behavior seen?
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
The psychologist might ask if they can send one of those forms to a teacher or a daycare provider or even, you know, I've had grandmas and grandpas fill 'em out as well. If you're an adult they might ask if you have a friend or a roommate, a spouse, a parent who will fill that out for you. And so it's useful to kind of think about those things beforehand. So you have that information available after you're all done with testing, which depending on you know, how many assessments you're doing could be one to maybe five different 90 minute sessions. You will wait. And I know that that's not what people wanna hear, but it takes time to look at all that information and to organize it in the psychologist's head and then to get it down on paper. And so you will wait for the report and then you will hopefully get a feedback session where the psychologist goes through everything with you.
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
And then again, like I said earlier, you will leave with or without the report depending on the psychologist and those kinds of things. And so be ready to, I guess have information overload with that feedback session. It can be a lot and be ready to ask how you can get in contact with a psychologist if you can after the feedback session, if you have more questions. Because like I said, it can be a lot of information and it can be really weird to have someone you've met like once or twice tell you all about yourself and your personality. It can be a very strange experience.
Tim Unsinn:
So what I'm hearing is be patient but the payoff will be worth it.
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
Yes, hopefully.
Tim Unsinn:
Alright, so now how do we communicate our needs or get our needs met when we're seeking that assessment?
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
I think when you're seeking an assessment, it's really important that you know what you want. A lot of people, like I said, come in and they say, I want to know if I have this diagnosis. But it's also important for you to know why. Why is it important for you to know if you have that diagnosis? What are you hoping to get? Some people are hoping just to get assurance or reassurance that they're on the right track, that they understand themselves. Some people are looking, like I said, for recommendations. For supports. Are you looking for work supports? Are you looking for school supports? Are you looking for changes that you can make to your life to make life easier? Are you looking for ways to make therapy more effective? A lot of people end up in a psychological assessment 'cause they feel stuck in therapy, like they're missing something.
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
And so knowing what that diagnosis or what that assessment will do for you or what you hope it does, will really help to get that need met. If you say "all I want is a diagnosis," then the psychologist might give you a diagnosis or might not and you're left feeling like, now what? Like that, if that's all you say you want, that might be all you get. And so know what you need out of it and be willing to ask for that. Like, I need help figuring out how I can complete college. Because when I went to college, I really like just lost it. I don't know, I couldn't do the work or I couldn't do this, so what is gonna help me with that? Or my kid is really struggling with friends, like what can I do to help them with their friends? What kinds of activities or groups or clubs might be really helpful?
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
And so I think it's really important that you aren't intimidated, I guess, by the person who is a doctor sitting in front of you and tell them what you need because you're taking a risk that you aren't gonna get the right types of recommendations or you aren't going to get the right kinds of information if you don't talk about your concerns, your worries, your needs. And so like I said, I would recommend that you just really reflect on that before you show up. Like you will know probably months in advance when your appointment is with a psychologist, reflect on what you need from them and then tell them otherwise you might not get it. And that would be a real bummer to spend that much time and money and not even feel like you have a direction.
Tim Unsinn:
Roles, goals, expectations, know what you want to get out of what you're expecting. Awesome information, really good stuff. A lot of stuff to reflect on as well as our topic was what to look for or expect with psychological assessments. Any final thoughts on on the topic today?
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
I personally as a psychologist think that psychological assessment is so important. Like I hope for a future someday where it is much more normalized where people can get them more readily because sometimes things happen like you get in a car accident or you bonk your head or something. And just having that, that baseline of understanding of yourself can be really helpful in moving forward. And so I think that psychological assessments are really, really important if only to get a baseline of your general abilities and they help you really understand yourself.
Tim Unsinn:
Thank you. You Dr. Hannah Baczynski has been our guest on Mind Your Mind. And before we wrap up, what do you do personally to mind your mind?
Dr. Hannah Baczynski:
I think that sometimes in my work with, you know, doing therapy and psychological assessments, it can be really heavy. It can be really difficult and so I really enjoy on the weekends or at night sometimes just kind of curling up on the couch and watching my favorite shows. Especially funny shows.
Tim Unsinn:
Humor's important. Right. Thank you so much. Appreciate you. Appreciate you sharing your time and talent with us here on Mind Your Mind. Thank you for joining us for Mind Your Mind, a podcast presented by Dakota Family Services. You can't have health without behavioral health. Remember to mind your mind. For more information, links to additional resources, contact information, and much more, go to Dakotafamilyservices.org.
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Humans are hardwired for social connection, but it can be difficult knowing where to fit in as unique individuals. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn and therapist Christy Wilkie talk about the importance of using your strengths, interests, and relationships to figure out where you belong. They also touch on signs that you might not be staying true to yourself, as well as how to handle feelings of being left out.;
PTSD: Signs, Symptoms, & Treatment (Community Chat Series)
While often perceived as only relating to those who’ve experienced warfare, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can affect anyone. In this special Community Chat episode of Mind Your Mind, Psychologist Dr. Hannah Baczynski and therapist Lucas Mitzel explain what trauma is, how it affects each person differently, and when to seek treatment for trauma-related symptoms. They also discuss different treatment options for PTSD, touching on the pros and cons of each.;
Autism in Children & Adolescents (Community Chat Series)
Though autism is one of the most commonly discussed mental health diagnoses in the community, it is often one of the most misunderstood. In this special Community Chat episode of Mind Your Mind, therapists Lucas Mitzel and Falan Johnson discuss what autism is, how it appears in children and adolescents, and how it may look different between individuals. They also touch on how autism can show up differently in boys than in girls and offer intervention tips for parents and caregivers.;
Autism in Adults (Community Chat Series)
Autism is sometimes perceived as a disorder that only affects children and adolescents, but it is actually a lifelong diagnosis. In this special Community Chat episode of Mind Your Mind, psychologists Dr. Hannah Baczynski and Dr. Megan Spencer explore the symptoms and nuances of autism in adults, touching on the history of autism spectrum disorder, the research surrounding it, how autism commonly presents in adults, and more.;
Spirituality & Mental Health
Though spirituality is often associated with religion, it can mean much more than simply attending religious services or praying. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn and psychiatrist Dr. Wayne Martinsen define spirituality and discuss its relevance in daily life, touching on ways people experience, express, and cultivate spirituality. They also talk about the link between spirituality, religion and meaning in life.;
Setting Healthy & Realistic Goals
Setting goals is easy. Working towards them is hard. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn talks with Dakota Family Services therapist Christy Wilkie about how to set healthy, realistic goals, as well as the importance of managing your expectations and staying persistent. Whether you’re starting an exercise routine, writing a book, trying a new diet, or building your career, keep these tips in mind when setting your next big goal.;
Facing Your Fears
Fear is powerful. It can cause us to avoid problems, people, and even opportunities in our life. But it can also be overcome. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn speaks with Falan Johnson, a therapist at Dakota Family Services, about the function of fear and how to face it. Learn where fear comes from, how to identify it, and how to calm down and build confidence when you’re feeling afraid.;
The Three R's: Regulate, Relate & Reason
In this episode of Mind Your Mind, our host Tim Unsinn talks with Dakota Family Services therapist Jessie Mertz about the “3 R’s”—Regulate, Relate, and Reason. They discuss what each term means, how they build upon each other, and how this approach can help you calm others who are experiencing distress.;
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a chronic, complex mental health disorder that affects around 1% of people in the United States. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn and psychiatrist Dr. Wayne Martinsen discuss the symptoms and implications of schizophrenia, touching on its many effects on individual and family life. Learn about how schizophrenia is treated, how it affects physical health, when it tends to develop, and how it is perceived between cultures.;
How to Have a Conversation About Mental Health
Although the stigma surrounding mental health is gradually disappearing, it can still be tricky knowing how to talk about it. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn and psychologist Megan Spencer explore how to have a conversation with someone about their mental health, including signs that you should talk to them, how to start the conversation, and some possible reactions to expect from the other person.;
The Benefits of Being Outside
Are you feeling cooped up indoors? Join host Tim Unsinn and therapist Lucas Mitzel in this episode of Mind Your Mind as they discuss the importance of getting outside on your mental health. Learn about the benefits of green and blue spaces, activities you can do while outside, and how being outside can help improve symptoms of different mental health diagnoses.;
Dealing With Burnout
In this episode of Mind Your Mind, Tim Unsinn talks with psychologist Dr. Hannah Baczynski about the signs of burnout, how to prevent it, and how to know if your burnout is related to general life stressors or a mental health disorder. They also talk about the difference between fatigue and burnout, as well as how to support yourself and alleviate burnout when you’re experiencing it.;
Living with Chronic Illness
Many of us know someone who has been diagnosed with a chronic illness, or have been diagnosed with one ourselves. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn talks with therapist April Morris about how chronic illness can impact daily living and mental health, as well as how to seek support if you have been diagnosed with a chronic illness.;
Bipolar Disorder: Understanding the Highs and Lows
Although the term ‘bipolar’ is sometimes used as slang to describe someone who is moody or indecisive, true bipolar disorder is a complex and sometimes severe mental health disorder that affects the way a person thinks, feels, and behaves. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn discusses bipolar disorder with nurse practitioner Amanda Daggett, touching on what the disorder is, what its symptoms look like, and how it can be treated.;
Social Media: Managing Emotions & Setting Boundaries
How much time do you spend each day looking at your phone? An hour or two? Multiple hours? In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn meets with therapist Christy Wilkie to discuss how social media use can impact our mental health, relationships, and behavior. Learn tips for monitoring your child’s internet use, as well as how to manage your own time spent on social media.;
Understanding OCD
While OCD is sometimes perceived as simply a desire to keep things neat and organized, it can actually have much more severe symptoms for those who experience it. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn meets with psychologist Dr. Megan Spencer to talk about who Obsessive Compulsive Disorder affects, what its signs and symptoms are, and how to seek help if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with OCD.;
Breaking Bad Habits
Bad habits can be easy to start but sometimes very difficult to stop. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn and therapist Falan Johnson talk about breaking bad habits, including where habits come from, how to know if a habit is bad, and steps you can take to stop it.;
Finding a Therapist
Are you looking for some help on your mental health journey? In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn and therapist Jessie Mertz talk about how to find a therapist, including what you should know when searching and what questions to ask when you meet a therapist for the first time. They also touch on what the letters after a therapist’s name mean, and how they apply to the type of services or treatment you might be looking for.;
Coping with Rejection
Whether it’s from asking someone on a date or applying for a job, we all experience rejection at some point in our lives. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn talks with therapist April Morris about how to cope with rejection, including the common coping stages, the importance of acceptance, and how rejection can impact people differently.;
Borderline Personality Disorder
Like other personality disorders, borderline personality disorder is a commonly misunderstood and stigmatized mental illness. In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn talks with Lucas Mitzel, a therapist at Dakota Family Services, about what BPD is, how it affects someone’s behavior, and where to seek treatment if your child has been diagnosed with BPD.;
Supplements in Psychiatry
In this episode of Mind Your Mind, host Tim Unsinn and Amanda Daggett explore the topic of using supplements for mental health. In addition to talking about some of the most commonly used supplements like melatonin and St. John’s Wort, they also discuss the benefits, the risks, and the research surrounding various supplements.;
Seasonal Affective Disorder (Community Chat Series)
Feeling like you’ve got the winter blues? If you’re noticing symptoms of depression with the change of seasons, it may be a sign that you’re suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. In this special Community Chat episode of Mind Your Mind, therapists Christy Wilkie and Lucas Mitzel discuss the common symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, how it can affect other mental health disorders, and some useful tips, tricks, and resources for managing symptoms of SAD.;
Trying New Things With Confidence
Join Christy and Lucas, therapists at Dakota Family Services, as they share practical tips for building confidence when trying new things. From managing self-doubt to building resilience, this episode will empower you to approach new experiences with a positive mindset.;
Relationships are Hard
In this episode, Christy and Lucas explore why relationships can be so hard. Join them as they discuss the characteristics of both healthy and toxic relationships, talk about the difference between normal conflict and abuse, and help you discover your love languages so you and your partner can best express your love to each other.;
Is Everybody Anxious?
In this episode, Christy and Lucas explore anxiety. Join them as they discuss the signs and symptoms of an anxiety disorder, what you can do to decrease your anxiety, and how to best help loved ones struggling with anxiety.;
Is Everyone Feeling Sad
In this episode, Christy and Lucas explore depression. Join them as they discuss the signs and symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder, what you can do to help yourself feel better, and what you can do to help your loved ones. They will talk about coping strategies, therapy interventions, and ways to help you identify when your child might need extra help.;
Change is Hard
Change is inevitable. Join Christy and Lucas as they explore big and small changes and how they impact you. Learn why change can be so hard, even good change, and discover ways to manage it effectively.;
We Need to Talk About Suicide
In this episode of "Is It Just Me," Christy and Lucas discuss the very important topic of suicide. Listen to learn about risk factors, warning signs, and what you can do to help a loved one who is struggling. Remember, you are not alone. If you need immediate assistance, call 911. If you need to talk to someone, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.;
Do We Need to Get Outside?
Join Lucas and Christy as they explore the power of spending time outdoors on mental and emotional well-being. Discover practical tips, personal anecdotes, and expert insights on the benefits of getting outside and reconnecting with nature.;
Exploring ADHD
In this episode of "Is It Just Me?" Lucas and Christy discuss ADHD, shedding light on its prevalence and impact on daily life. Learn practical strategies for managing symptoms and understand why your friend or loved one with ADHD does the things they do.;
Internet Safety and Mental Health
In this episode of "Is It Just Me?", join our hosts Christy and Lucas as they delve into the complex relationship between the internet and mental health. With the digital age bringing information and social connections to our fingertips, it also presents unique challenges and opportunities for our safety and psychological well-being.;
Boosting Self-Esteem: From Marathons to Daily Triumphs
In this episode of "Is It Just Me?", Christy and Lucas discuss how common it is for people to see themselves differently from others. Using their own personal triumphs and challenges as examples, they outline the things that shape our self-esteem. Additionally, they share simple daily practices to help listeners recognize and celebrate their own personal victories. This episode is filled with tips and engaging stories aimed at encouraging listeners to undertake challenges that foster self-growth and personal confidence.;