Community Based Assessment Center

The Child Center offers a community based comprehensive psychological assessment and evaluation services as part of The Child Center's continuum of services.

The community based assessment center is a state of the art assessment and evaluation center that provides comprehensive mental health, at risk, parenting and psycho-education evaluations and assessments with minimal disruption to the child and family. The children and adolescents presenting for assessment and evaluation are able to stay in their home and school. They do not have to travel out of the area/community at great expense nor stay at an over night facility for assessment.

The assessment program for children and adolescents can aid in developing treatment, family, education, crisis safety plans and care coordination and service coordination plans as developed by child and family teams. This service is appropriate for children and adolescents who are :

1. At risk of being expelled from school.
2. At risk of needing foster care.
3. At risk of being placed in a juvenile detention program.
4. At risk for hurting themselves or others.
5. In need of a comprehensive mental health and family assessment for potential:

a. Medication consultation.
b. Treatment recommendations including:
i. Psychotherapeutic intervention techniques.
ii. Family therapy intervention.
iii. Learning disability testing
c. Recommendations to teachers, multi-disciplinary IFSP and IEP teams.
d. Recommendations for use with child and family teams.

Each assessment includes several components and options depending on the referral question.

Psychological testing may include:

1. Minnesota Multi Personality-A
2. Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Batteries
3. Thematic Apperception Test & Children's Apperception Test
4. Parenting Stress Index
5. Adolescent Psychopathology Scale
6. CASII
7. CGAS

The assessment procedures may also include:

1. Classroom Observation
2. Social Interaction Observation
3. Parent Interviews
4. Family Interviews
5. Individual Interviews

THE ASSESSMENT TEAM

The assessment team includes Licensed Psychologists, David Truhn, PhD and Helen Coble, PhD; Mental Health Therapist, Mark Beach, MSW, QMHP; Board Certified Child Psychiatrist, Dennis Reynolds, MD; Speech and Language Therapist, Tina Fredette, and Nurse, Laurie Fischer, RN.

The assessments may involve two weeks to complete depending on the referral question. This is an individualized evaluation. Each client receives the type of testing, interviews and observations that is most appropriate for the child and family.

REFERRAL

Referrals or requests for assessments can be made by contacting the intake office at The Child Center. As an ICTS service, authorization for LaneCare members will include authorization and referral procedures for LaneCare clients.