Formal Assessments

Formal Assessments for Townsville & North Queensland

Alliance Rehabilitation is a specialised interdisciplinary allied health service supporting people across North Queensland. Our psychologists offer formal assessments to support potential diagnoses for a range of disorders.

Person-centred Assessment

Our psychologists have a range of resources and experience to assess the needs of individual participants undertaking a comprehensive approach to each assessment. At Alliance Rehabilitation, our therapy approach is person-centred; we do not believe in a one size fits all perspective. Assessments are individualised as each participant is unique.

Our psychologists use a range of formal psychometric tools and clinical understanding to help form an understanding of the participant’s strengths and challenges. This can provide evidence of an individual’s support needs in areas such as community participation, education, employment, and interpersonal relationships.

They can also provide letters of support for the participant’s paediatrician or GP. Formal Assessments are designed to support access to funding schemes such as the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Conditions we provide assessments for includes (but is not limited to):

Intellectual Impairment/Disabilities
Global Developmental Delay
Communication Disorders
Learning Difficulties
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
We use the autism-specific diagnostic assessment to support your GP/paediatrician to complete the evaluation.
Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

What does the assessment include?

A formal assessment is designed to help understand a participant’s cognitive and adaptive functioning, highlight any underlying issues, and assess their behaviour to build their potential.

The first part of the formal assessment will include an interview between the psychologist and the participant or their parent/carer. They will discuss your family background, medical history, social history, any previous assessments, current level of motivation, and what goals you would like to work towards. Your psychologist will also discuss the context of any behavioural issues, what you are struggling with, what areas you are doing well in, and a general overview of your strengths and challenges. Understanding the background of your social and medical history, sleeping patterns, interactions with friends, siblings, and each parent/carer, your triggers, and sensory issues will all paint a larger picture.

Following the initial interview, the psychologist will then carry out cognitive testing and psychometric testing to understand your strengths and challenges for a variety of skills. Tests may include adaptive behaviour assessments, intelligence testing, as well as formal structured or semi structured interviews.

The tests will address:

Physical and sensory skills
Speech, language, and communication
Social, emotional, and mental health
Attention
Motor skills
Memory
Impulse control, problem-solving, and planning skills

If you have seen another specialist or allied health professional, such as a speech pathologist, our psychologist will consider their assessments, evidence, and letters to help with confirming a diagnosis.

Benefits of Having an Assessment

Benefits of Having an Assessment

Our psychologists spend time with the participant for the formal assessment, observing their mental health and wellbeing. Having an assessment may support the participant’s potential and help identify what supports may be required at home, in the workplace, or at school. The information from the assessment is incredibly helpful and the report will serve as evidence for any future appointments and/or services.

Other benefits include:

Better understanding of an individual’s needs through formal diagnosis.
Improved ability to advocate for the participant to maximise their potential.
Better access to early intervention, funding schemes, or access to additional support at school.
Psychological intervention to support health and wellbeing.
Detailed recommendations to support growth, and a record to track progress.

Identify if any challenges are related to cognitive difficulties or another underlying issue.

What to expect from an initial session?

Choosing a psychologist is a uniquely personal experience. You need to feel comfortable in your sessions to get the most out of them. The initial session is as much for you to get to know your clinician as it is for them to get to know you. Our initial psychology sessions are designed to get to know as much about your personal history, medical history, social history, current level of motivation, like, dislikes, what you want to achieve, your strengths, and your challenges. Based on the information provided, your therapist will design a therapy plan and case formulation which will work towards your identified goals.

Paediatric Initial Sessions

Our sessions for children are a little different. The first session is generally where the psychologist will sit down with a parent or carer to discuss their identified goals and what they want their child to achieve/ their expectations with therapy. They will discuss the context of behavioural issues, what they are struggling with, what areas they are doing well in, and a general overview of strengths and challenges. Understanding the background of the child’s social and medical history, sleeping patterns, interactions with siblings and each parent, how they play, their triggers, and sensory issues will all paint a larger picture. The psychologist will then meet the child and work out a therapy plan and the capacity of how appointments will go. The case formulation will be based on the parents’ identifications as well as the psychologist’s impressions.

Community Visits

Our psychologists may also provide community visits, school visits, and home visits – assessed on a case-by-case basis. Having a home or school visit can be beneficial as it may act as a better environment to open up in as opposed to a clinical environment.

Multidisciplinary Approach

Our psychologists try to be as involved as possible with the rest of Alliance’s multidisciplinary team. Case conferences between clinicians allows for strategy sharing and gives everyone a full picture of your needs. They can also combine sessions to assist in implementing strategies to help you cope through the physical aspects of rehabilitation.

Referral Options

There are multiple ways for you to be referred to our facility. If you are completing services with us and are not able to continue on a different referral stream, our psychologists are able to discuss next steps and transition options.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

Alliance Rehabilitation is a registered NDIS provider and we aim to provide all Australians under the age of 65, who have a permanent and significant disability, with the reasonable and necessary support they need to enjoy an ordinary life and achieve their goals. We have a dedicated coordination team who can help in identifying whether psychology is right for you or if another service is better suited. Read More >

National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland (NIISQ)

The National Injury Insurance Scheme Queensland (NIISQ) provides care and support to those who sustain serious personal injuries in a motor vehicle accident in Queensland. Alliance Rehabilitation can help provide your treatment, care, and support services. Read More >

WorkCover

If you have had an accident or your mental health has deteriorated due to work, you may be eligible to a WorkCover claim. It can depend on if your employer is self-funded or managed by WorkCover Queensland. We help you regain the skills, strength, and movement needed for you to return to work and help prevent re-injury. To be referred for WorkCover a doctor or specialist needs to complete a Work Capacity Certificate. Our psychologists can help with disability adjustment, as well as work to deal with the feeling of being unable to work due to being injured. Read More >

Private and Corporate

We accept all private and corporate referrals. You can call, email, or complete our online referral form to access our service. We generally ask if you are seeing us privately, to send through some history of the condition we will be treating for the clinician ahead of the session. We also accept referrals through Medical Healthcare Plan, CTP and other insurers, private health funds, and community organisations such as My Aged Care. Read More >

How is Alliance Rehabilitation different?

We are a community rehabilitation facility and work across multiple disciplines to provide a comprehensive service. Our community approach allows us to tailor a program to each individual and ensure we are meeting your goals. Our clinicians collaborate to aid in your rehabilitation, and we provide comprehensive assessments, therapy planning, and monitoring to ensure you are experiencing the best quality of life.

Psychologists are passionate about improving your wellbeing and ensuring you are emotionally, cognitively, and socially healthy. Engaging with a psychologist will be one of the bravest steps you take and can help you achieve your full potential. Being mentally well is something people take for granted and having coping strategies in place will ensure you are always supported and ready to take on anything life throws your way.

References

Contact Us Today

To make a booking or to find out more, call 07 4772 1219 or click below for more contact options.