What an evaluation at Encore looks like
Built around your specific question, not a default battery.
Psychological and neuropsychological evaluations can feel unfamiliar before you have been through one. This page walks you through every stage of the process at Encore Psychology, from your first contact to receiving your written report. No surprises.
If your situation is time-sensitive, tell us when you reach out and we will do our best to accommodate it. The time from your initial contact or referral to your first appointment is typically around six weeks. This reflects the thorough, relationship-centered model Encore practices. We do not rush intake in order to fill a schedule.
The four parts of an evaluation
- 1
Evaluation Intake Session
The process at Encore begins with you reaching out. From there we schedule a dedicated intake session, typically about a week before testing. This is a focused meeting: we listen to your history, your concerns, and what you are hoping to understand through the evaluation. It is not a formality. What we learn in this session shapes every decision that follows, including which tests and measures are selected for you.
For pediatric evaluations, this session typically involves the caregiver and often the child, depending on age and what is most useful. This intake-first approach is part of what makes Encore Psychology different. Testing that starts from a real understanding of the person produces results that are more accurate and more useful.
- 2
The Evaluation
Testing at Encore Psychology is conducted in person at 33 Bloomfield Hills Parkway, Suite 225, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304, Monday through Friday. Telehealth evaluations are available to eligible residents of 40 states through PSYPACT. Dr. Colman selects instruments based on your specific history and the clinical questions the evaluation is meant to answer. She works with both traditional paper-and-pencil measures and iPad-based formats.
This is not a pass/fail exercise. There are no right or wrong answers to aim for. The goal is an accurate picture: how you think, learn, process, and function, gathered carefully and without assumption.
- 3
Feedback Session
After testing is complete, Dr. Colman meets with you to walk through what the results show. For pediatric evaluations, caregivers are included; the format depends on the child's age and what is most appropriate. This is a guided conversation, not a one-way readout. You will hear what the findings mean in plain language, including both strengths and challenges. Questions are welcome, and this session is yours to use.
- 4
Your Written Report
Every evaluation at Encore Psychology concludes with a comprehensive written report. Reports are multi-page and are organized across multiple sections: background and history, behavioral observations during testing, test results and interpretation, diagnostic impressions, and recommendations. The recommendations section is the roadmap. It translates findings into individualized strategies, therapy suggestions, and documentation for accommodations where applicable.
The report is written to be useful long after the evaluation itself. You are welcome to share it with schools, healthcare providers, employers, attorneys, or anyone else involved in your care or planning. Encore Psychology will never release your report to anyone without your written authorization.
What happens between the feedback session and "the rest of your life"
Dr. Colman's goal is for clients to leave an evaluation with direction, not just information. The report is not the end of the relationship. Clients are welcome to return at different life stages without starting over. Encore Psychology aims to be a steppingstone on a longer journey, and Dr. Colman takes that seriously.
The recommendations section of the report is what carries forward. For school teams (IEP, 504). For attorneys and courts. For therapists and other providers. For accommodation review boards. For your own self-understanding.
Our reports are written to be used, not filed. Recommendations are written in language the receiving party recognizes, with the specific accommodations, supports, or referrals an external reader will need to act on.
Where the evaluation can happen
In person, Bloomfield Hills, MI
Our office is set up to feel calm and unhurried, closer to a comfortable living room than a clinical waiting room.
Online, in 40 states (adult clients)
Adult evaluations are also available virtually through PSYPACT in 40 states.
See online evaluations →Timeline overview
How quickly you receive your report depends on how services are paid for. From your first inquiry to the final feedback session, a typical wait is around six weeks.
| Payment method | Report turnaround |
|---|---|
| Private pay | 5 to 10 business days after testing |
| Insurance | 6 to 8 weeks after testing (or longer, depending on insurance processing timelines) |
| Expedited (private pay only) | 48 hours after testing, for an additional fee |
The 48-hour expedited option is a private-pay service for clients who need results quickly: for example, ahead of an upcoming accommodations deadline, or for a time-sensitive employment or legal process.
What you'll receive
By the end of the evaluation, you'll have:
- The written report (PDF + printed copy if requested)
- A walk-through of the report during the feedback session
- Specific recommendations tailored to what you came in for
- Referrals (where appropriate) to therapists, prescribing providers, attorneys, or other professionals
- A relationship with our practice, for follow-up questions, future evaluations, or referrals down the road
What’s in your evaluation report
Encore reports are multi-page. They follow a structured format so that anyone who reads the report later, a therapist, a school team, an accommodation reviewer, an employer, can find what they need quickly. The sections, in order:
- 1
Basis of evaluation
A brief statement of the referral source, who requested the evaluation, and the clinical framework used.
- 2
Reason for referral
The specific question that brought you in. This sets the scope of everything that follows and helps any later reader understand what the evaluation was designed to answer.
- 3
Relevant background history
Developmental, educational, medical, and psychosocial history drawn from the intake conversation, any prior records you brought, and collateral input where relevant. This is how the report places your results in context.
- 4
Current test results
The standardized measures used, the scores or scaled equivalents, and a short interpretive paragraph for each. Results are presented clearly so that a school team, an accommodation reviewer, or another clinician can find the relevant numbers.
- 5
Summary and clinical impressions
How the pieces of the evaluation fit together. This is where the report stops describing parts and starts describing the whole picture, integrating the clinical interview, the history, and the test results into a coherent account.
- 6
Diagnoses
When a diagnosis is warranted, this section names it using DSM-5-TR terminology with specifiers. When one isn’t, or when the picture is sub-clinical, the report says so honestly.
- 7
Recommendations
Usually the longest section. Built specifically for you, not a template list. Covers accommodations (school, workplace, exam boards), referrals to therapists or other providers, self-management strategies grounded in your strengths, and follow-up timing if warranted. This is the section that turns the report into a roadmap.
- 8
Appendix
Supporting score tables, measure descriptions, norms information, and any accommodation summary letter included for external use.
Turnaround: Standard reports are delivered 5 to 10 business days after the final evaluation session for private-pay evaluations, and approximately 6 to 8 weeks for insurance-billed evaluations (a guesstimate, as insurance workflows add time outside our control). Need it sooner? A 48-hour expedited option is available as a private-pay add-on; ask about it during intake if you have a fixed-date deadline.
Ready to begin?
If you have questions about what to expect before reaching out, we are glad to talk you through it. Our reception team coordinates scheduling and can answer questions before you commit to anything.