Assessment Services
Psychological Assessment
Psychologists are trained to assess and diagnose mental health problems and disorders. Psychological assessments are offered as a stand-alone service or in preparation for individual and/or group therapy. A professional referral is not required. Many psychologists at Wise Mind Centre offer brief psychological assessments for new clients for the purpose of providing treatment recommendations upon request. An assessment is typically guided by the reasons for referrals (e.g., difficulty returning to work due to depression and anxiety, anger issues, difficulty focusing at work or school). To form initial diagnostic impressions, our psychologists typically evaluate clients’ reported history, subjective self report on standardized meausures, and structured or semi-structured clinical interviews such as the latest verions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manutal of Mental Disorders (DSM) (currently the DSM-5 and DSM-5-TR). An assessment report summarizing the findings of the assessment and recommendations could be provided upon request (additional fees applied based on report writing time).
Please note that the psychological assessment service described above is not intended for legal use. Our clinic does not offer custody access and parental capacity assessment service.
Independent Psychological Evaluations
(also known as Independent Medical Evaluations, IMEs).
An IME is an objective, comprehensive assessment of psychological functioning. At Wise Mind Centre, psychologists with specialized training and experience provide IME services specifically to evaluate the impact of a personal injury (e.g., motor vehicle accident, assault, accident) on psychological functioning. The assessment process aims to identify the cause and nature of any psychological injuries and the impact of any injuries on functioning in work, social, and other settings. The IME report typically includes diagnosis, conceptualization of causal factors that contributed to any psychological injuries or conditions, and psychological care recommendations.
Examples of referral questions that IMEs can address include:
- Is the person experiencing a psychological disorder or a condition, and if so, what is the DSM-V-TR diagnosis?
- What causal factors contributed to the psychological condition?
- How does the condition or disorder impact the person’s capacities in work, daily living, and social spheres?
- What, if any, are the current barriers to recovery or pre-injury functioning?
- What is the likelihood of recovery from the disorder or condition? What factors would optimize recovery?
- What type of evidence-supported psychological treatments or community supports would be helpful?
IME services can be provided in person at our West Broadway office location. The assessment can also be done in a hybrid form, including some in-person and some virtual sessions. Finally, for clients who live outside of lower mainland area and cannot travel for the assessment, the IME can be completed remotely as long as the client is a resident of BC.
The Wise Mind psychologists seek to provide the highest standard of psychological services. For the IME services, this means a thorough, comprehensive assessment; clear presentation of conceptualization; efficient assessment process and fast report turn around time. Our IME psychologists have significant experience working with complex situations that include multiple motor vehicle accidents, multiple personal injuries, and concurrent mental health disorders.