Testing FAQs

What kind of psychological testing services do you offer?

• At the Center for Cognitive Therapy and Assessment, we offer psychological testing for children, adolescents and adults. We encourage you to call us to discuss your needs, even if you are unsure of next steps – if we’re not a good fit, we will let you know and help you find a more suitable alternative.

• Individuals and families come to us primarily for help understanding their or their child’s learning differences, diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADHD, and capturing how social-emotional issues such as the role depression, anxiety, or personality disorders play in one’s life.

• We also offer admissions testing for children applying to independent schools, or for the Fairfax County Public School AAP Program.

I’m interested in getting started with testing. What do I do first?

• If you are interested in learning more information about our testing services and would like to be added to our testing waitlist, please reach out to Dr. Noura Khayat, Director of Clinical Services, at [email protected]. She will contact you via email or phone to schedule an introductory phone call.

• After this phone call, if you decide that you would like to be added to our testing waitlist, we require a nominal $100 deposit by credit card. This is to ensure that families who are added to the waitlist are invested in the process and ready to get started. Requiring a deposit allows us to provide a more accurate estimate to families about when they can expect to start the testing process. Your $100 deposit will go towards your final payment if you decide to move forward with testing at CCTA.

What paperwork is required and when does it need to be completed?

• We ask that you please complete the paperwork as soon as your name is added to our waitlist. This streamlines the process and ensures that all families are able to get started with testing as quickly as possible. All of the necessary intake paperwork can be completed online and instructions will be provided.

• The psychologist assigned to your case will also likely want to contact people who are close to you or your child, as well as from other relevant providers (see “What can I expect from the testing process?”), which will require your consent on our Release of Information Form. The psychologist assigned to your case will provide you with more information about this when he or she contacts you.

I’m divorced and interested in pursuing an evaluation for my child. What if my child’s other parent does not consent to testing?

• If you and your former partner are separated and/or have a joint custody agreement, we require both parties to sign consent (“Testing Services Agreement” and “Testing Financial Agreement” form) to start the testing process. As such, please check that both parties are in agreement with moving forward prior to adding your child’s name to the waitlist, so that we are able to start the process immediately when your turn comes.

• If one caregiver has full custody of the child, we will need to verify this information, but otherwise only need signatures from that parent.

What can I expect from the testing process?

• Step 1: Clinical Interview:

  • For child/adolescent evaluations, the testing process includes a comprehensive interview with parents as the first step. Adults referring themselves for testing will meet individually with their evaluating psychologist for their comprehensive interview.

  • Interviews are scheduled in person at either our Alexandria, Falls Church, or McLean office locations. While meeting in person is preferred, Zoom is an option if that is more convenient for you.

  • The purpose of this interview is to learn more about the concerns that brought you to us, and which questions you would like answered as part of the evaluation process. At this interview, you can expect to be asked questions about your/your child’s early development, medical history, educational history, and social, emotional, and behavioral functioning.

  • For child cases, we prefer to have both parents present to participate in the interview. If scheduling with both parents is challenging, the psychologist will follow up with a phone call to the other parent to ensure their input is included in the process. For adult cases, we may help you identify people in your life who know you well, and whom we would benefit from interviewing.

• Step 2: Individual Testing Sessions:

  • We typically require between 3 – 4 individual testing sessions with the client. If you are including the ASD add-on, it is very likely that 4 individual testing sessions will be needed. During these sessions, we will ask you or your child questions about themselves and get to know them better, administer rating scales, and administer individual standardized assessments. Please feel free to bring water and snacks. We take plenty of breaks during the testing session as needed to best support the test-taker.

• Communication with Other Providers:

  • As part of the evaluation process, it is standard practice for the psychologist to gather information from your child’s school and other relevant providers, such as a therapist and/or psychiatrist, or other adults in the child’s life who know them well.

• Feedback Session:

  • Approximately 6-8 weeks after the final testing session, you will meet the psychologist for a feedback session. At this meeting, the psychologist will review the findings of the evaluation with you. You will receive a hard copy of the report. You will receive an electronic PDF of the report immediately after this meeting.

  • We also offer a brief feedback session for older children and adolescent clients to review results of the evaluation in a developmentally-appropriate manner.

How much does an evaluation at CCTA cost, and what does this fee cover?

• Our comprehensive psychological evaluations cost $5000. There is an additional $1000 fee for evaluations that include a referral question to assess for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This additional cost is due to the additional resources and specialized training needed for ASD evaluations.

• This fee covers all of the meetings with the psychologist assigned to your case (parent interview, as many individual testing sessions are needed given presenting concerns, parent feedback session, and client feedback session, for children 12+, should families choose to participate in that service). This fee also includes the electronic copy of the comprehensive report at the end of the testing process.

Why should I pursue testing services at CCTA instead of another practice?

• At the Center for Cognitive Therapy and Assessment, the vast majority of our testing psychologists also offer psychotherapy services to adults, teenagers and children. As such, our psychologists know how to create a comfortable space for people of different presentations to do their best work, can assess when a break is needed, and can redirect unhelpful behaviors.

• We pride ourselves for the attention to detail that we put into each child, adolescent or adult psychological report. CCTA is unique in that our testing team meets weekly for our assessment supervision group, where we discuss our cases amongst each other for quality assurance. We also have every report reviewed and edited by an independent assessment reader to re-check the quality of the work. Our staff is hungry for learning, and we regularly engage in further trainings on topics related to psychological assessment. These additional safeguards are integrated into our assessment fee.

• We also often receive feedback from families and other providers in the community that our reports are extremely comprehensive and provide useful, specific recommendations.

What type of payment do you accept? When should I expect to pay?

• You may pay by check, payable to the Center for Cognitive Therapy and Assessment, or in cash. We charge a $30 processing fee for any check that is returned.

• The first half of payment is due at the parent interview ($2400, or $2900 if your evaluation also includes the ASD add-on. This sum is equal to half of the total fee, minus the $100 deposit). If your parent interview is via Zoom, you can bring a check to your child’s first individual testing session.

I’m on the waitlist – when can I expect to receive a phone call? What happens after I learn that I’m next on the waitlist?

• You will receive a phone call, text, and/or email from Dr. Noura Khayat letting you know that you are next on our waitlist, and discussing next steps such as information on your assigned psychologist as well as scheduling.

Can I choose any of CCTA’s office locations (Falls Church, Alexandria, McLean) to meet for testing?

• Evaluations require many assessments and materials, which are housed at our Alexandria office location. We also have a wonderful space for testing at this office that is quiet and has natural light. For those reasons, the vast majority of testing sessions are scheduled in Alexandria. The psychologist who is assigned to your case may be able to accommodate the parent interview and some testing at a different location, though this is not guaranteed. You should expect for most individual testing sessions to take place at our Alexandria office. There is more flexibility with the parent interview/feedback session with the meeting location.

Can I schedule testing sessions on the weekends, holidays, or school breaks?

• We cannot guarantee that testing sessions can be scheduled on weekends or holidays. Most psychologists at our practice who offer testing services likely do not have availability to meet during these preferred times. You should expect that you or your child will need to miss school and/or work in order to participate in the testing process. We are always available to write letters excusing one’s absence.

How do I schedule the parent session and individual testing sessions?

• After you have been notified that you are next on the waitlist, the psychologist assigned to your case will contact you via email to schedule the parent session and individual testing sessions, given his or her upcoming availability for that month.

Should I bring anything with me to the parent interview, or is there anything that I need to prepare?

• Yes – if you or your child has previously been tested (through school or a psychological practice), please bring a copy of the report. Also, please bring any pertinent medical records and other records, such as previous report cards, or notes from teachers. Please also bring a check for the first half of payment.

Does my insurance cover the cost of evaluations?

• Like many other psychology practices, CCTA is not paneled with insurance companies, meaning that our fees are out-of-pocket expenses. Families are encouraged to call their insurance companies prior to being added to our waitlist to inquire about reimbursement for psychological evaluations. Your insurance rep might ask for a “CPT code” for testing, which are codes that represent the type of service you are seeking, and these are 96130 and 96131. Further questions can be directed to Dr. Noura Khayat during the initial assessment call.

Can I read the report before the feedback session?

• Our policy is that you will receive a hard copy of the report during the feedback session (or access it virtually if the session is online). After the feedback session, the psychologist will email you a signed PDF of the final version of the report, if you consent to receive an electronic copy of the report. It is best practice for psychologists to review test findings in person with parents, as reports can be lengthy. While we strive to write our reports in language that is digestible as possible, there can be terminology and numbers in the report that are best interpreted with the assistance of your child’s testing psychologist. While we understand that it is ideal to receive information about your child as quickly as possible, we are committed to best practices and are unable to make exceptions to this policy.

Can I reach out to my psychologist after the feedback session if I have any additional questions?

• We understand that more questions will arise after the feedback session is done, and the psychological testing process is over. We are available to our clients as needed for future questions.

Does a diagnosis guarantee that my child will receive accommodations?

• We cannot ever guarantee that we will provide any given diagnosis or recommendation prior to the end of the evaluation.

What if we meet for the parent interview and then I decide not to move forward with testing services?

• No problem! We will ask that you only pay for the time the testing psychologist has spent on the case, typically a couple of hours including the clinical interview session. This is billed at their individual fee, which can be found on our website.