Evaluation Services

Desert Wise provides a broad range of psychological evaluation and assessment services for adults. Our clinicians conduct both focused, one-time evaluations designed to answer a specific referral question and comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological assessments involving standardized testing and more extensive diagnostic evaluation.

The nature and scope of an evaluation depends upon the question being asked. Some evaluations can be completed through clinical interview, record review, and application of relevant professional standards. Others require several hours of standardized psychological or neuropsychological testing, collateral information, and more extensive interpretation.

Regardless of the type of evaluation, our goal is the same: to provide a careful, objective, and well-supported professional opinion.

Specialty & One-Time Evaluations

Desert Wise has extensive experience conducting specialized evaluations for individuals, employers, government agencies, attorneys, and other referring parties.

Military, Veteran & Federal Evaluations

Our military and federal experience includes:

• Nexus assessments and nexus letters for VA claims
• Private DBQs for VA mental health claims
• DoD Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) evaluations
• DoD/VA Temporary Disability Retired List (TDRL) evaluations
• Military accession, retention, and fitness evaluations
• OPM/federal disability evaluations
• Security-clearance suitability evaluations
• Second-opinion evaluations
• VA capacity to manage financial affairs

Occupational & Professional Evaluations

We conduct evaluations involving occupational functioning, safety, suitability, and professional responsibilities, including:

• Fitness-for-duty evaluations
• Occupational functioning, suitability, fitness, and retainability
• Assessment of impaired professionals/providers
• Professional-board and disciplinary matters
• Suitability for special or safety-sensitive positions
• FAA and other aviation-related psychological evaluations
• Needs assessments for workplace or educational accommodations

Forensic & Independent Evaluations

Desert Wise also provides independent psychological opinions in select legal and administrative matters, particularly those involving trauma and/or military service. These may include:

• Civil litigation
• Sentencing mitigation
• Psychological injury-impact assessment
• Diagnostic clarification and second opinions
• Assessment of prognosis
• Posthumous case review

Health & Treatment-Related Evaluations

We also provide focused evaluations when psychological factors are relevant to medical treatment or decision-making, including:

• Spinal cord stimulator readiness
• Bariatric surgery readiness
• Diagnostic clarification
• Assessment of prognosis
• Other pre-procedure or treatment-related psychological evaluations when appropriate

Psychological & Neuropsychological Assessment

Desert Wise provides comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological assessment for adults when the referral question calls for more extensive evaluation of diagnostic, developmental, cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning. These assessments integrate standardized testing with clinical interview and other relevant sources of information to develop a detailed understanding of an individual’s functioning, strengths, and areas of difficulty.

Depending upon the referral question, an assessment may evaluate areas such as:

• Executive functioning
• Learning and memory
• Processing speed
• Language and visuospatial abilities
• Emotional and personality functioning
• Adaptive functioning
• Symptom and performance validity
• Attention and concentration (coming soon) 
• Intellectual and general cognitive functioning (coming soon) 
• Academic functioning (coming soon) 

Each type of assessment follows a standardized core protocol developed for the referral question, while allowing additional or alternative measures to be selected when clinically indicated.

Adult ADHD Assessment  (coming soon) 

ADHD assessment involves considerably more than determining whether someone endorses symptoms of inattention or hyperactivity.

Our evaluations examine current symptoms and functioning, developmental and childhood history, and relevant cognitive and psychological factors. When indicated, assessment may include measures of attention, executive functioning, working memory, processing speed, and other cognitive abilities.

Because difficulties with attention and executive functioning can arise from many different sources, the evaluation also considers reasonable alternative or co-occurring explanations for the individual’s difficulties.

Adult Autism Assessment

Desert Wise provides autism assessment for adults, including individuals whose developmental differences may not have been recognized earlier in life.

Assessment considers developmental history, social communication, behavioral patterns, adaptive functioning, and other relevant psychological and cognitive factors. When appropriate and available, collateral information and historical records may also be incorporated.

Particular attention is given to differential diagnosis and to conditions that may overlap with, coexist with, or resemble features of autism.

Traumatic Brain Injury & Cognitive Assessment

Neuropsychological assessment may be appropriate following a traumatic brain injury or other neurological event when there are questions about changes in cognitive functioning.

Depending upon the circumstances, assessment may examine attention, memory and learning, executive functioning, processing speed, language, visuospatial functioning, and other cognitive abilities.

Evaluation also considers relevant psychological, medical, developmental, and contextual information that may affect test performance or the interpretation of findings. The goal is to characterize the individual’s pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses and, when appropriate, evaluate whether the findings are consistent with cognitive residuals associated with traumatic brain injury.

Memory & Cognitive Aging Assessment

Changes in memory or thinking can occur for many reasons, particularly as adults age. Some changes reflect normal aging, while others may be associated with medical or neurological conditions, medication effects, sleep problems, emotional distress, or neurocognitive disorders.

Neuropsychological assessment can help characterize an individual’s current cognitive functioning, identify meaningful patterns of strengths and weaknesses, and assist with diagnostic clarification and recommendations.

When appropriate, results may also provide a useful baseline against which future cognitive functioning can be compared.

Diagnostic & Differential Psychological Assessment

Not every complex clinical presentation fits neatly into a single diagnostic category.

Comprehensive psychological assessment can be useful when symptoms overlap, prior diagnoses conflict, treatment has not produced the expected results, or an individual or treating professional needs greater diagnostic clarity.

Rather than beginning with the assumption that a particular diagnosis is present, our evaluators consider the available evidence, reasonable alternative explanations, and the possibility of multiple interacting conditions.

Our Approach to Evaluation

Psychological assessment is intended to answer questions, not simply confirm assumptions.

For that reason, Desert Wise clinicians do not guarantee a particular diagnosis, disability determination, nexus opinion, fitness determination, or other conclusion. Fees are paid for the professional evaluation and opinion itself and are never contingent upon a particular outcome.

The scope of each evaluation is determined by the referral question. Depending upon the evaluation, this may include clinical interview, standardized testing, review of relevant medical or mental-health records, review of occupational or military records, collateral information, and consultation of applicable professional, legal, military, or federal standards.

Dr. Joye Henrie, Desert Wise’s Clinical Director, has extensive experience conducting specialized evaluations, including VA compensation and pension examinations, military and occupational fitness-for-duty evaluations, federal disability assessments, security-clearance evaluations, and forensic evaluations.

Dr. Henrie oversees the development and implementation of the practice’s specialized psychological and neuropsychological assessment services. Clinicians who participate in these assessments complete structured training and supervised experience specific to the type of evaluation they conduct, with demonstrated competency in test administration and clinical interviewing.

Dr. Henrie provides doctoral-level oversight throughout the assessment process. She personally reviews the assessment data and findings, participates in diagnostic formulation and interpretation, and reviews and co-signs every final psychological and neuropsychological assessment report.

What to Expect

Before Your Evaluation

Our administrative staff will help determine the type of evaluation you are seeking and schedule the appropriate appointment.

You will receive paperwork to complete before your evaluation. All required forms must be completed in advance, and requested records or other documentation must be provided before the evaluation can be completed. Depending upon the purpose of the evaluation, additional records or collateral information may also be required.

Because many evaluations require substantial time after the appointment for scoring, interpretation, record review, and report preparation, individuals facing an external deadline should schedule as early as possible.

During Your Evaluation

The length and format of the evaluation depend upon its purpose.

A specialty or one-time evaluation may involve clinical interview, record review, and other evaluation methods appropriate to the referral question. Comprehensive psychological or neuropsychological assessments generally require standardized testing and may involve multiple hours of evaluation and/or more than one appointment.

Some evaluations can be conducted virtually. Others require or are best completed through in-person testing. We will let you know which format is appropriate when scheduling.

Our clinicians provide examinees ample opportunity to present information they believe is relevant and strive to conduct every evaluation objectively and respectfully.

After Your Evaluation

Following completion of the necessary interviews, testing, and record review, the available information will be integrated and the appropriate evaluation product prepared. Depending upon the type of evaluation, this may include a letter, form, professional opinion, or comprehensive written report.

More extensive psychological and neuropsychological assessments may take several weeks to complete due to the time required for scoring, interpretation, integration of findings, report preparation, and doctoral-level quality review.

For individuals who self-refer for an evaluation, the completed evaluation product belongs to the examinee and will not be released to another party without written authorization, except as otherwise required by law. When an evaluation is requested or arranged by an employer, attorney, government agency, or other third party, the evaluation findings or completed report may be provided to the referring party in accordance with the terms and authorizations established for the evaluation. These arrangements, including who will receive the results, will be explained before the evaluation begins.

Payment & Insurance

Insurance coverage for psychological evaluations varies substantially by insurance plan and by the purpose and type of evaluation.

Some clinically indicated diagnostic and neuropsychological assessments may be eligible for insurance coverage, while forensic, occupational, administrative, disability, nexus, or other evaluations conducted primarily for a third-party purpose may not be covered.

Individuals are responsible for verifying their benefits and understanding any out-of-pocket financial responsibility before completing an evaluation.

Payment is due in full prior to release of the final letter, report, or other evaluation product.

Scheduling an Evaluation

To inquire about an evaluation, please call Desert Wise at 505-361-1957 or contact us through our website (below).

When contacting us, briefly describe the question you are hoping the evaluation will answer, and please let us know at the outset if your evaluation is associated with a court, employment, military, medical, academic, disability, or other external deadline. You do not need to know which particular test or type of evaluation you need. Our staff can help determine the appropriate next step.