FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I believe in the positive approach to psychological assessment and work hard to make this a fun, positive, sensory friendly, and beneficial process for you and your child. No waitlist and fast turnaround times. I understand you are wanting answers and guidance as soon as possible and work to make that happen. Thorough assessment to accurately help you and your child understand themselves better. Collaborative approach with therapists, teachers, and other providers. I have three wonderful children, all with different personalities, abilities, and experiences. I 100% get that parenting can be hard and helping our children is not as easy as it should be. As parents, we love our kids and want the best for them. It can be so hard seeing your child struggle, and I want to assist you in finding a helpful path together and provide you with some practical recommendations. I do not accept insurance, so you do not have to wait for insurance authorization or have a limited assessment based on what insurance dictates. Carlsbad Assessment Center has an office in beautiful Carlsbad Village. It is walkable to coffee shops, restaurants, and the beach. You are welcome to explore the village, go on a walk, and get coffee/food while your child is being evaluated.

Set up a free 15 minute consultation with me to determine if an assessment would be a good fit. Based on the 15 minute consultation, I will provide you with an estimated cost based on the testing needs. After the 15 minute consultation, you can decide if you would like to move forward with the evaluation. We would then set up a time for the clinical interview and make the appointment for the assessment. A $250 deposit is required to set up the clinical interview and 50% of the total payment is due prior to the initial interview and the remaining 50% is due prior to the feedback session.

Yes, you can make an appointment yourself and you do not need a referral.

I do not conduct custody evaluations. There are specialists in this area who are a better fit for you if you are interested in a custody evaluation.

While I am trained in therapy and previously provided therapy, I do not conduct therapy at this time. My passion is psychological assessments/testing. I want to focus all my time and energy on comprehensive assessments. I work with you on having a comprehensive evaluation for your child so I can tailor treatment recommendations to your child’s specific needs. I can assist you in providing referrals for therapists in the community.

My specialty is children and adolescents. I provide assessments for children 2-18. There are wonderful adult assessment specialists in North County who may provide assessments for adult needs.

Carlsbad Assessment Center for Children is located at 1241 Carlsbad Village Drive, Suite 208, Carlsbad CA 92008.

90 minute clinical interview with caregivers. This can happen through telehealth or in person depending on preference and availability. On a separate day, the child is evaluated from approximately 9:00- 2:00 (shorter for younger children), with a lunch break and shorter breaks as needed. Depending on what is being assessed, the child’s attention span, and the amount of tests required, a second day of testing is likely to occur. Teacher interviews and questionnaires are often included if applicable. It will take 2 weeks to write up the report and summarize the findings. The report will include history, test summary, diagnosis (if any), and recommendations. 90 minute feedback session after the report is completed to discuss results, go over questions, and provide recommendations, next steps. This occurs via telehealth but can occur in person depending on preference and availability. Dr. MacArthur will try to attend an IEP meeting (pending availability) to assist in explaining test results and go over recommendations to support you in helping the school to understand your child (if appropriate).

Activities, such as puzzles, blocks, looking at pictures, drawing, answering questions, playing, and discussing their emotions, social experiences, and working on a workbook. Some activities are more academic, while other activities are more social and emotional focused. Some children think they are going to a medical doctor to get “shots” when they come for an assessment. This is not the case. I am more like a teacher or someone who works with them on activities and helping them to understand why some things are easy for them and why some things may be more difficult for them. Please have your child have a good night of sleep the night before and eat a good breakfast the day of. Pack food and water. They will get a lunch break and have brief breaks throughout the day. The caregiver can stay in the waiting room for the entire evaluation period. There will be some parent questionnaires/rating scales you may need to fill out in the beginning. There is wi-fi and you are welcome to bring your computer. You can also explore the Village and take a walk or grab food as needed. I will go over more details during the initial consultation and the clinical interview and will provide you with an information sheet on how to explain the assessment to your child.

There is no guarantee that insurance will reimburse you for the assessment. I am not in-network with any insurance provider. I accept private pay only (cash, check, IVY Pay, credit card, or HSA/FSA). I provide a superbill (a receipt of the testing used and the appropriate insurance codes) for you to submit to your insurance company to see if they will reimburse you for out-of-network fees. Some insurance companies do not provide any reimbursement, and some provide partial reimbursement. I am happy to provide more information about this during the initial consultation. I do not work with any insurance companies directly.