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Psychological Testing

Psychological assessment services complement and extend the clinical focus and treatment planning provided at Alldredge Wilderness Journey. An assessment can be especially useful when:

• it is unclear whether previous academic difficulties were the result of a learning issue, an emotional issue, a substance abuse problem, or a combination of these concerns.
• there are diagnostic issues that require clarification.
• you are working with an educational consultant to identify the most appropriate school or aftercare placement.
• the student is applying to a school that requires an assessment for admission.

Alldredge has partnered with Dr. Carole Giunta and Dr. James Orth of Carole T. Giunta, Ph.D. & Associates, LLC to provide three types of assessments to Alldredge families: Personality and Emotional Assessment, Psychoeducational Assessment, and a Combined Personality and Psychoeducational Assessment.

1. Personality and Emotional Assessment: This is an evaluation of the psychological functioning of a student. The goal is to provide students, their families, and members of the treatment team with the information they need to see the student’s strengths and vulnerabilities clearly, and to identify what factors are important to address in continued treatment. Recommendations include specific treatment approaches that will address the continuing psychological and emotional concerns. A personality and emotional assessment provides detailed information regarding a student’s self-concept, interpersonal skills, stress management resources, behavior problems, substance abuse, emotional functioning, and differential diagnosis. Such an assessment is often part of the admissions requirements for therapeutic boarding schools.
2. Psychoeducational Assessment: This is an evaluation of how a student is functioning cognitively and academically. The goal is to provide students, their families, and members of the treatment team with a current picture of the student’s learning style, cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and/or the existence of any learning problems. A psychoeducational assessment can also provide information on how effective previous interventions have been in addressing learning disabilities. Recommendations include accommodations, methods of addressing any learning differences, and ways to help the student engage more productively and pleasurably with academic pursuits. Such an assessment is often part of the admissions requirements for boarding and other private schools.
3. Combined Personality and Psychoeducational Assessment: This is an evaluation of psychological, cognitive, and academic functioning, encompassing all of the goals described for the two assessments above. Combined testing allows us to shed light on the relative contributions of psychological and educational concerns, particularly for students who have disengaged from academic pursuits in the past.

The Timeline

Dr. Orth travels to Alldredge approximately once every two weeks to conduct assessments. Testing should be arranged by the end of the student’s second week at Alldredge Wilderness Journey. Prior to testing, Dr. Giunta interviews the student’s parents and sends them questionnaires to complete. All testing with the student will be conducted in a two-to-three day period at the Mountain Village campus. The final report will be provided two weeks after the assessment is completed. Dr. Orth routinely conducts feedback sessions with parents as well as students to help them clarify conclusions and recommendations.

Scheduling an Assessment

Please contact Dr. Giunta's office ( 301-565-0093 or drgiunta@giunta-associates.com) to schedule an assessment.

If you are unclear whether your child would benefit from assessment services, we recommend discussing this option with your educational consultant or clinical staff at Alldredge Wilderness Journey.