Frequently Asked Questions About Assessment

Assessments are expensive and time-consuming! Why should you go through that process if you can just simply take a few free tests online? To answer this question, we need to consider the importance of specialization when it comes to training and education. As a Registered Psychologist, I have been given a license to practice in the field of psychology, but my education, experience, and training goes beyond that title. As a Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology), I have advanced training in multi-modal methods of both assessment and therapy. A Masters-level clinician has around two to three (2-3) years of education post bachelor’s degree, whereas a Doctoral-level clinician takes around five to seven (5-7) years to complete which includes additional training, practicum (direct patient work), and a dissertation that is defended in front of peers and colleagues. This is not meant to disparage Masters-level Registered Psychologists, but rather to help clarify the difference in training and expertise. Masters-level psychologists certainly have some exposure to testing methodology, but may not have the breadth and depth of training when it comes to a Doctoral-level psychologist. To use an analogy, while a Primary Care Physician likely has training in and understands the diagnostics and treatment of cancer, they would still recommend seeing a specialist for diagnosis and treatment, such as an oncologist. The same principle applies here to the field of psychology. The expertise that comes from training and years spent obtaining a doctorate allows for the use and interpretation of protected testing measures, which ultimately means that the patient gets a higher quality of care.

People are complicated, and have many reasons as to why they function the way they do. Because of this, we use an integrational approach in our reports. This means that we don’t just use one test and hope it catches everything- we use multiple measures that work with each other to understand how your facets come together to form the whole presentation. Given the overlap of symptoms and co-morbidity between diagnoses, every test we use is additive towards a more comprehensive understanding of the diagnostic profile. As an example, a test of purely face-valid depressive symptoms would then be compared with a test that is less face-valid to determine the overall validity and severity of the symptoms so that an accurate diagnosis can be made. This system helps prevent over-diagnosis and provides clarity to everyone involved so that proper care be delivered in an efficient manner. While this may seem different when compared to other reports in the province, it is based on the best methodology for assessment.

A protected test is literally that- an assessment measure that requires the test administrator to prove that they have been properly trained to use it. These tests are kept from the public to make sure that people can’t cheat on them to get the results they want, which ensures the results stay valid. An example of this kind of test would be the WAIS-IV, better known as the IQ test for adults. While people might want to brag that they have a high IQ number, intelligence isn’t just about the big Full Score number- that doesn’t actually tell us how your brain functions! This test also tells us about the different mental strengths and weaknesses in a person, which we can then help you rely on to compensate for weaknesses, or help reinforce and build where needed, respectively. While you may have seen tests online that purport to tell you what your IQ score it, the actual test is protected by the organization that made it (Pearson) so not just anyone can put the answers online, which would make it easy to cheat and make the results meaningless.

A test that is “face-valid” means that the questions on the test are fairly clear as to what cognitive domain, emotion, or structure they are assessing. A good portion of the freely available online self-report measures tend to be “face-valid”, meaning that it is obvious what the question is asking about and it is fairly obvious as to what each answer would mean. While these types of tests can be useful, in conjunction with other less face-valid methods, it should not be the only method of assessment or interpretation.

The Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance (CADDRA) is an independent resource organization that is focused on ADHD. It is useful as a general guide, however, it puts a great deal of focus on historical documentation and use of freely available online self-report measures. While self-report measures are part of obtaining a diagnosis, they are not the end of the road for accuracy or completeness of proper diagnostic procedure. The self-report measures (Likert-scales) CADDRA encourages are easily available online, and are not protected measures, meaning anyone can find the answers and possibly cheat to get the results they want. Furthermore, self-report measures use the patient’s own understanding of their symptoms as a measure of diagnosis rather than actuarial data compiled across international norms and cross-checked with validity scales. This means is that if there is something the patient doesn’t realize is relevant to the diagnosis, they may not know to bring it up! Test security is a key factor in protecting both reliability and validity of testing measures. It is also important to recognize that diagnosis is a serious method and should be taken as such. By providing the “answers” to the symptoms on the checklists and self-reports online, it allows for the diagnosis of ADHD to be greatly exaggerated and potentially abused! At Silvertree Psychology, we understand the importance of history and experience in a patient’s life. This is the main reason why we ask that all our patients complete the extended history form so that we can gain a robust understanding of their experiences. However, we do not write up a report that can serve as a biography. Rather, we write up a report that utilizes internationally recognized and protected testing methodology so that others (doctors / treatment team members) can use that information to assist you. We do not use freely available testing methods. While that would be the best course of action for a business to cut costs and increase income, we believe it is more important that the patients’ well-being is more important than our profit. At Silvertree Psychology, we invest in maintaining access to the best and most up-to-date testing methods at cost to us, but at great benefit to our patients.

Understanding our limits, boundaries, and areas of expertise is crucial to providing the best care to patients. Patients are hurt when people practice outside their limits just for the sake of getting more business! As a Doctoral-level psychologist, I am trained in providing therapy, but I put my energy and specialization in assessment (general, neuropsychological, psychoeducational, and forensic) rather than providing therapy. As such, Silvertree Psychology is proud to partner with Rowantree Psychotherapy as they focus 100% on the appropriate, accurate, and helpful delivery of therapy that is directly tailored to your specific needs. Furthermore, by partnering with Rowantree Psychotherapy, we can assure you that your therapy is informed by the data-driven results of the assessment rather than a catch-all standard such as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

Yes! While both counselling and clinical psychologists can be registered in Nova Scotia, counselling psychologists focus more on the therapy side of treatment. Their education is more attention in school is on things like counselling theory, types of treatment, and helping the patient through their personal journey of therapeutic healing. Clinical psychologists tend to train more broadly, having training in both assessment and therapy, the mastery of which comes with additional training, either as part of specialization during their doctoral education, or from extra training after they graduate.

There are all kinds of studies showing the benefits of working from home (WFH) [see links below] that show how much people benefit from having both comfort and proximity of services, both emotionally and physically. We also must acknowledge how much it allows us to reduce the price of assessment, so that the patient isn’t having to worry about those extra rent costs being passed onto them. At Silvertree Psychology, we have taken great strides to make sure that the experience you get from a virtual assessment is the same as you would get from an in-person experience. The institutions that design these tests (PAR, Pearson, etc.) have designed their tools to be used virtually, including the gold-standard assessment measures. Virtual sessions make it so we can see patients on a wider schedule, so that the time isn’t interrupting work, school, or extracurricular activities, and no time is lost to traveling out to an office somewhere. We respect your time and want to make this process easy, safe, and efficient for you! https://farmingdale-observer.com/2025/05/16/scientists-have-been-studying-remote-work-for-four-years-and-have-reached-a-very-clear-conclusion-working-from-home-makes-us-happier/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2022/05/05/remote-work-increases-employee-happiness-by-20-new-study-finds/ https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jun/16/hybrid-working-makes-employees-happier-healthier-and-more-productive-study-shows