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What is the purpose of a psychoeducational assessment?
What are the steps involved in completing a psychoeducational assessment?
What are your fees & policies?
What are your policies about email communication?
What are your policies around cancellation, lateness, discontinuation, and withdrawal of services?
What is the purpose of a psychoeducational assessment?
The assessment aims to answer questions about your child’s intellectual, academic, and social-emotional functioning through a standardized and informal assessment, including parent and teacher interview(s), questionnaire(s), observation, and review of previous records. We specialize in providing professional, comprehensive, psychoeducational assessments for students with possible learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and/or giftedness. Please note that there is no guarantee of a diagnosis. However, in any case, a professional Psychoeducational Assessment will help the family and school to provide proper programming and placement if necessary to assist with the child’s needs and focus on their strengths better. Please note that we do not specialize in assessments for concerns such as autism or addictions, and we may need to refer you to other organizations for a more thorough assessment of these concerns if required. The assessment results include a description of your child’s current level of functioning in the areas assessed, as well as recommendations and, if necessary, referrals for further services.
What are the steps involved in completing a professional, comprehensive psychoeducational assessment?
Step 1 - Schedule a Free Consult
After you contact us, an administrative staff member or a Psychologist with Edwards Psychology Services will get back to you to explain the assessment process and answer any related questions. It is your responsibility to withhold personal confidential information from administrative staff. Do not discuss personal details with administrative staff. Administrative staff can only give and answer questions about the assessment process, schedule appointments, and send emails. Administrative staff are not in contact with clients' personal confidential information unless clients choose to disclose information to them. If you decide we are a good fit to work together to help you with your child's needs, let Edwards Psychology Services' staff know of your decision to proceed and complete the following important steps before you come in for the Intake Session.
Step 2 - Complete The Five Steps Below Before the Intake Session
After your free consult, complete the steps below from A through E before you come in for the intake session.
A) Edwards Psychology Services staff will send you an Informed Consent Form through secure email. Please read the Informed Consent Form carefully, sign and return it through our secure email system. The Informed Consent Form must be completed by the parent(s) or guardian(s) with custody of the child. If there is joint custody, all parent(s) or guardian(s) with custody must complete the Informed Consent Form. In addition, you must notify Edwards Psychology Services staff of the email(s) of the individual(s) with custody of the child. We will send all parent(s) or legal guardian(s) an Informed Consent Form to complete and sign. The Informed Consent Form will be discussed at the intake session, and we will answer any questions you have about it at that time.
B) Edwards Psychology Services staff will send you three Consent to Disclose Personal Health Information Forms, also known as Exchange of Information Forms. You must fill out two or three of these forms, depending on how many teachers your child has. For example, you must fill out one form for your child's general education teacher and another for your child's special education teacher. Sometimes your child may have two special education teachers, one for language and the other for math; in this case, you must fill out forms for both of your child's teachers. If your child does not have a special education teacher for language or math, you do not need to send out the form(s); delete it. However, these forms must be completed so that the psychologist working with your child has your permission to speak with your child's teachers about their progress at school.
C) Edwards Psychology Services staff will send you emails to forward to your child's general education teacher, special education teacher for language, and special education teacher for math or special education teacher for language and math as needed. If your child does not have a special education teacher, please delete this email. Similarly, if your child does not have a special education teacher for language or math, you do not need to forward it; please delete this email. You must send these emails to your child's teacher after you have completed, signed, and returned the Personal Health Information Form or Exchange of Information Form to Edwards Psychology Services discussed in Step B.
D) Edwards Psychology Services staff will send you an email to fill out about your child's background history. Please set aside around 1 hour to complete it. We will review your child's background history during the intake meeting.
E) Lastly, we will need copies of your child's report cards from Junior Kindergarten until the present grade. If you have all of them at home, then this is perfect. If not, then ask your child's school for copies of them. Then scan them to your child's psychologist through our secure email site. If you do not know how to do this, you could ask your child's school or a store with a photocopier to scan and email them to you, probably for a fee, then send them through our secure email.
Step 3 - See you at the intake session!
All individuals with custody of the child are required to attend the Intake session. However, suppose an individual with custody of the child cannot participate in the intake session. In that case, they will need to notify your child's psychologist that it is ok to proceed with the assessment without their presence.
The intake session is usually around one hour long. During the intake session, the psychologist will meet with the parent(s) and/or legal guardian(s) to review the Informed Consent Form and the assessment process. Then the psychologist will ask questions about your child's background history. Depending on your child's needs, the psychologist may also ask you to complete a questionnaire or two, or you might be able to complete it later at home. At the end of our appointment, the fee for the intake session will be collected.
Step 4 - Schedule three or more psychoeducational assessment sessions
After the intake session, the psychologist will meet with your child for three or more psychoeducational assessment sessions, each around three hours. At the end of each psychoeducational assessment appointment, the fee for the assessment session will be collected.
Step 5 - The Psychologist will schedule report writing time to independently complete your child's psychoeducational report.
The psychologist will independently take approximately five to eight hours over four to six weeks to analyze the results and complete a comprehensive, detailed psychoeducational report.
Step 6 - The Psychologist schedules an in-person feedback session at the Clinic to review the results of the psychoeducational assessment
The feedback session usually takes around 1 hour. The psychologist will discuss the psychoeducational assessment results during the feedback session with you. In addition, the psychologist will answer any questions you have about your child's performance. After the feedback session, the final fee for the report writing and feedback will be collected.
Step 7 - The final copy of the psychoeducational report will be shared with you.
After the feedback session, the psychologist will take around one week to make any corrections to your child's psychoeducational report. Afterwards, the final copy of the professional, comprehensive, psychoeducational report will be sent to you through secure email. The psychologist will be available to present the findings to school staff and further consultation if needed in accordance with Edwards Psychology Services' hourly fee.
What are your fees & policies?
The hourly rate for Edwards Psychology Services, in line with the average cost of psychology services in Toronto, is $225 per hour. The number of hours for a professional, comprehensive, psychoeducational assessment varies between fifteen and twenty hours, depending on the child's needs. A thoroughly detailed, professional assessment usually takes around fifteen hours, totalling $3600.
Payment is made after the intake session ($225), each psychoeducational assessment session ($675) for each of the three assessment sessions), and the time completed for report writing & feedback session ($1,125). The payment is charged to the client's credit card placed on file. If the family requires other services, such as consultation with teachers and schools, then Edwards Psychology Services' standard hourly rate of $225 applies. Please note that we reserve the right to increase Edwards Psychology Services' hourly rate; however, the family will be given reasonable notice before this is done. After each payment is made, a receipt is given to the family. If the family has health insurance benefits, they can submit the receipt for reimbursement. However, the Clinic cannot guarantee health insurance reimbursement. Also, the family could deduct expenses for the psychoeducational assessment on their income tax form. The family is responsible for speaking with their health insurance benefits provider about reimbursing the psychoeducational assessment fees and their accountant about income tax deductions before obtaining a psychoeducational assessment. The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) does not cover the cost of a psychoeducational assessment.
The psychologist reserves the right to charge the credit card on file if the fees are not paid after each appointment. Fees can only be paid by credit card. Payment for services is due immediately after each session. Your psychologist will provide a secure link to remit payment for sessions online or will charge your online credit card. We accept most credit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, UnionPay, ApplePay, and Google Pay. We do not accept Interac Debit or e-transfers at this time. After sessions are paid, clients will be emailed a receipt; however, this may take up to three business days because this is when the system processes payments.
Insurance Provider Contact: Your insurance provider may call to confirm your appointment dates and fees paid. Your psychology provider will provide you with a consent form to sign confirming your agreement that Edwards Psychology Services can provide your insurance company with this information.
What are your policies about email communication?
According to the Clinic Privacy Policy, email communication with the psychologist will be limited to administrative purposes, such as scheduling and cancelling appointments. All clients must use our secure email or fax services to transmit confidential information. Suppose clients choose to use unsecured email or fax services. In that case, they bear full responsibility for the risk of others obtaining their personal information, including having their information hacked or stolen during or after transmission.
What are your policies around cancellation, lateness, discontinuation, and withdrawal of services?
Your appointment time is reserved just for you. However, late cancellation or missed visit leaves an open slot in the psychologist's day that another client could have filled. As such, we require 48 hours' notice for any cancellations or changes to your appointment through our secure email at contact@deanneedwards.ca or the clinic at (437) 326-3669. Clients who provide less than 48 hours' notice, miss their appointment, are very late or withdraw from services before completion will still be required to pay for services rendered and the approved session fee with their card on file.
How long does the Clinic keep my record of services?
The Clinic retains confidential records about this assessment in encrypted cloud storage, encrypted hard drive, and/or locked filing cabinet for 10 years after your child’s 18th birthday. All personal information will be shredded before disposal.
What are the limits of confidentiality?
We understand that personal health information is confidential, except in the following circumstances:
When there is a risk of past or present child abuse or neglect, the psychologist must report these matters to the Children's Aid Society. In addition, when allegations of sexual abuse by a regulated health professional have been disclosed, the psychologist must report this to the relevant licensing college.
When someone's safety is at significant risk, the psychologist may break confidentiality (e.g., we may call an emergency contact on file or the police or an ambulance to take your child to the nearest hospital). Please note that the client is responsible for paying for any costs due to emergency services (e.g., ambulance) for your child, regardless of who contacts them.
During some legal proceedings, client files may be called to court. When the psychologist is served with a court order, police or other officials may be given access to the client's file. Please note that the purpose of the psychoeducational assessment is to assist with educational programming and placement only. Therefore, the psychoeducational assessment is not to be used for legal purposes. However, if, in the rare case, you become involved in a legal proceeding and the psychologist's assistance is required, even if this request comes from another party, then Edwards Psychology Services' standard hourly rate of $250 applies.
Police, with the approval of a judge or justice of the peace, may request your child's file if your child is identified as missing.
When an audit is conducted by the Quality Assurance Program of the College of Psychologists of Ontario, or when otherwise required by the college to provide information in the event of an investigation, your child's file and information may be shared with the College reviewer(s).
When there is a report of abuse by staff of a resident in a long-term care facility or retirement home, the psychologist must report it to the Director, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, or the Retirement Home Regulatory Authority as applicable.
