Your first session is an initial assessment and will take approximately 90 minutes, it includes a detailed assessment and treatment plan.
Assessments
Assessments are used to identify mental health conditions, emotional states, cognitive functioning, psychological well-being, personal development, strengths, areas for growth, understand symptoms and determine appropriate treatments. They inform treatment plans, track progress, and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and provide a baseline for measuring change over time.
Some of the assessments used are:
- Bio-psychosocial assessment: Considers biological, psychological, and social factors and how these factors interact and influence your overall individual well-being in the context of your family, social networks, and broader community, and how socio-economic and environmental factors impact mental health.
- Depression, Anxiety and Stress Questionnaire (DAAS): Assesses the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress you’ve experienced over the past week. This questionnaire will help us understand your current state.
- Psychological Distress Scale (K10): Assesses emotional distress and severity of psychological symptoms. It’s a useful tool for identifying individuals who might need further evaluation or intervention.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist (PCL-5): Assesses for PTSD symptoms, how they are affecting your life, symptom severity, and to evaluate the presence and intensity of PTSD symptoms.
- Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE): Assesses for traumatic events or experiences that occur in childhood and can have a significant impact on long-term health and well-being. They typically include physical, emotional or sexual abuse, physical or emotional neglect, exposure to family dysfunction such as substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence, incarceration or divorce.
- Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWBS): Assesses internal psychological health and personal growth and provides a detailed assessment of an individual’s subjective well-being.
- World Health Organisation Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL): Assess overall quality of life from a broader perspective, including physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environmental factors.
What is the difference between assessments and diagnosis?
- Assessments are comprehensive evaluations used to gather information about an individual’s overall functioning, needs, or abilities across various domains.
- Diagnosis focuses on identifying and labelling specific medical or psychological conditions based on symptoms and criteria and can only be undertaken by a medical professional or psychologist.