Psychology Patients, Families and Visitors

A psychological assessment helps you better understand the type and severity of your mental health symptoms. Assessment allows a Clinical Psychologist to provide a diagnosis and help plan treatment and support.

During a psychological assessment, you will be asked questions (and possibly complete questionnaires) about your mental health symptoms, coping strategies, day-to-day activities and life history. You will also discuss your goals for treatment. A psychological assessment does not include any medical procedures (e.g., needles, physical examination).  

Psychological assessments may vary in the time they take.

Following a psychological assessment, patients are usually offered the opportunity to discuss the results and learn more about the next steps in their care.  

A neuropsychological assessment is an evaluation of your thinking abilities (attention, concentration, memory, learning, and problem-solving). Neuropsychological assessments identify your cognitive strengths and challenges and can find changes that may have occurred as a result of brain injury or illness. Assessment results can help you and your care team make plans for treatment and support.  

A neuropsychological assessment will typically begin with an interview. You will be asked about your functioning at home, school, and/or work and your observations of your own thinking abilities. You will also ask about your mood, as we know that this can impact thinking. Sometimes, a Clinical Neuropsychologist may ask permission to interview your family or someone else close to you. This is because it is often helpful to understand your strengths and challenges through the eyes of different people. Parents often provide much of the background information for children.      

You may be asked to answer questions, work on computerized or paper and pencil tasks or do other tasks that are very much like games or puzzles. Some tasks are simple while others are more challenging. No one completes all the tasks perfectly. The assessment may include tests of academic skills (reading, writing, arithmetic), especially for children and youth. A psychological assessment does not include any medical procedures (e.g., needles, physical examination).  

Neuropsychological assessments may last take from a few to several hours, with breaks, or be spread over multiple sessions. Following an assessment, a diagnosis may be made (if this is relevant), and patients are usually offered the opportunity to discuss the results and plan next steps in their care. 

A psychoeducational assessment identifies problems that impact learning or school performance. An assessment may include tests of problem-solving, reading, writing, mathematics knowledge, attention, learning and memory. A psychoeducational assessment can help to identify accommodations and supports you need to succeed in school. Psychoeducational assessments are often conducted for children, but may also be conducted for adults who are in school or retraining after an injury.  

A psychoeducational assessment will usually begin with an interview so the Psychologist can understand your history, goals and current situation. A Psychologist may also speak with family, teachers or others who know you well. It can often be helpful to understand your strengths and challenges through the eyes of multiple people.  

Psychoeducational assessments will include tasks that are familiar, like the types of tasks you have done in school. Other tasks will be quite different, like puzzles or games. You may also be asked to complete some questionnaires. Some tasks are simple while others are more challenging. No one completes all the tasks perfectly. A psychological assessment does not include any medical procedures (e.g., needles, physical examination).  

Psychoeducational assessments may last a few hours or be spread over multiple sessions. Following an assessment, a diagnosis may be made (if this is relevant), and patients are usually offered the opportunity to discuss the results and plan next steps in their care.  

Following a psychoeducational assessment, a diagnosis may be made (if this is relevant), and patients/families are usually offered the opportunity to discuss the results and plan next steps in their care. With consent, results can be shared with your school.

Psychotherapy can take many different forms depending on your challenges and treatment goals. Many psychotherapeutic services at LHSC follow an approach called cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). This approach helps people change ways of thinking and acting that may be generating distress and problems in living.

Depending on the issue and program, psychotherapy may be provided in group, family or individual formats. It usually involves education about how mental health problems develop and the factors that worsen or help them over time. You and your therapist will talk about your thoughts and experiences. You may also be asked to complete homework assignments to practice new coping strategies.    

Therapy sessions usually take 50 minutes, though if you are part of a therapy group, sessions may last up to two hours (with breaks). Psychotherapy sessions usually occur once per week. The length of therapy varies depending on the type of treatment, your goals, and other factors.