Will the evaluation meet my agency's requirements?

We'll confirm the specific requirements of your agency, attorney, or governing authority during the intake conversation. Most pre-adoption psychological evaluations follow a standard format, and we adapt the report to your specific situation.

Can you coordinate directly with our agency or attorney?

Yes, with your permission. We can deliver the report directly to the requesting party and follow up with them if there are clarifying questions.

We're a couple, do we both need to be evaluated?

Most agencies and adoption authorities require both partners to be evaluated. We typically conduct both individual and joint sessions when evaluating a couple. We'll clarify the specific requirements for your situation during intake.

Will the evaluation involve a "psychological test" we can fail?

No. The evaluation is a comprehensive look at your psychological readiness for the adoption; it isn't pass/fail in any simple sense. We work to provide a fair, complete, and accurate evaluation, and the agency or attorney uses our report alongside the rest of the home-study process to make their decisions.

Is the evaluation confidential?

The clinical work is confidential. The written report is delivered to you and (with your permission) to the requesting party. Beyond that, we don't share anything without your written consent.

Do you do international adoption evaluations?

Yes. We're experienced with international-adoption documentation requirements and can write reports in the formats required by adoption authorities in several countries. We'll confirm the specific country's requirements during intake.

How long does the report take?

Standard turnaround is 5 to 10 business days from the final evaluation session for private pay, and 6 to 8 weeks for insurance. A 48-hour expedited private-pay option is available for fixed-date deadlines, for an additional fee.

Can the evaluation be virtual?

Often, yes, for adopting parents living in any of the 40 states that participate in PSYPACT. Confirm with your specific agency that they accept virtual evaluations before scheduling.

Specialty & Forensic

Pre-adoption psychological evaluation

For individuals and couples navigating domestic or international adoption.

A pre-adoption psychological evaluation that meets your agency's, attorney's, or social worker's requirements, in person at our Bloomfield Hills office, or online in 40 states. Completed on transparent timelines, with a report formatted for adoption professionals.

Encore Psychology is part of Michigan Healthcare Professionals (MHP), a physician group serving the metro Detroit area. Adoption evaluations are conducted by Dr. Brooke Colman, licensed Clinical Psychologist.

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Children's book resting on a chair in a sunlit room

Purpose and scope

An adoption psychological evaluation assesses the emotional readiness, stability, and overall psychological functioning of prospective adoptive parents. It is not designed to find disqualifying information. It is designed to provide an honest, professional picture of the individuals seeking to adopt, so that agencies, courts, and international authorities can make informed decisions.

The evaluation is not a judgment. It is a required professional assessment, and Dr. Colman approaches it as such.

Most clients arriving here are mid-process. You may be working with an adoption agency, an adoption attorney, a home study evaluator, a foreign government's adoption authority, or some combination, and somewhere in that paperwork is a requirement for a psychological evaluation of the adopting individual or couple.

You'll typically need a pre-adoption psychological evaluation if you're:

Pursuing a domestic infant adoption through a licensed agency
Pursuing an international adoption (most countries require a psychological evaluation as part of the dossier)
Adopting through the foster-care system in some states
Adopting a relative or stepchild and your attorney or social worker has requested one
Pursuing an embryo or open adoption arrangement that includes a psychological component
Working with an attorney who wants a third-party evaluation in support of the adoption case

What's included

What's included in an adoption evaluation

A pre-adoption psychological evaluation at Encore typically includes:

An intake with you (or you and your partner, if a couple) to understand the specific requirements of your adoption agency, attorney, or governing authority
Clinical interviewing, structured and unstructured, covering your developmental history, mental-health history, relationship history (if a couple), motivations for adoption, parenting plans, and supports
Validated personality and psychological measures as appropriate to the specific question being asked
Collateral and reference review if your agency requires it
A comprehensive written report in the format your agency, attorney, or governing authority requires, typically including a recommendation regarding psychological readiness for the adoption

The report is the deliverable. We write it specifically to do the work it needs to do, for the agency reviewer, the home-study evaluator, the attorney, or the foreign-government dossier.

How the process works

What to expect

1
Evaluation intake session (~50 minutes)
A conversation to confirm exactly what your agency or attorney needs, what their format expectations are, and what timeline we're working against. We'll explain fees and confirm what to expect.
2
Evaluation sessions (1-2 sessions)
Clinical interviewing and validated measures, completed in one to two sessions. If you're being evaluated as a couple, sessions typically include both individual and joint components.
3
Report (5-10 business days private pay; 6 to 8 weeks insurance)
A comprehensive written report formatted for adoption professionals. We coordinate directly with your agency or attorney if you'd like, including delivering the report to them on your behalf.

A 48-hour expedited turnaround is available, useful when your home-study or dossier deadline is approaching.

In person or online

Where the evaluation can happen

In person, Bloomfield Hills, MI

Our Bloomfield Hills office is calm and unhurried. In-person evaluations work especially well for couples being evaluated together, where some of the most important clinical information comes from being in the same room.

Online, in 40 states

Many adoption evaluations are completed virtually under PSYPACT. We've worked with adopting parents across the country whose local providers had multi-month waitlists they couldn't accommodate with their agency's timeline.

Note: confirm with your specific agency or governing authority that a virtual evaluation meets their requirements before scheduling; most do, but a few have in-person policies.

Cost and timeline

Encore Psychology accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), Blue Care Network (BCN), and Priority Health. We do not accept Medicaid. Private pay is available. Coverage for adoption evaluations varies by plan; contact us to verify your specific benefits before scheduling.

Superbills are available on request for clients seeking out-of-network reimbursement. Fees for adoption evaluations vary by scope and are confirmed at your intake session. See our fees and insurance page for an overview.

Report turnaround is typically 5 to 10 business days for private-pay clients. Insurance turnaround (BCBS, BCN, Priority Health) is 6 to 8 weeks. An expedited 48-hour turnaround is available to private-pay clients for an additional fee.

The time from your initial contact to your first appointment is typically around six weeks. If your adoption agency or court has a specific deadline, please mention it when you reach out.

Our clinicians

Adoption evaluation at Encore is led by Dr. Brooke Colman, PsyD, LP. Adoption evaluation has been a significant part of her clinical work since founding the practice, and she's experienced working with the formats required by major adoption agencies, attorneys, and international authorities.

Learn more about Dr. Colman →

Related evaluations

Reproductive and Fertility Psychological Evaluations (a separate service with its own process)
Back to Specialty and Forensic Evaluations

Referring professionals can find the referral process at For Providers.

Frequently asked questions

Questions adopting parents ask

Will the evaluation meet my agency's requirements?: We'll confirm the specific requirements of your agency, attorney, or governing authority during the intake conversation. Most pre-adoption psychological evaluations follow a standard format, and we adapt the report to your specific situation.
Can you coordinate directly with our agency or attorney?: Yes, with your permission. We can deliver the report directly to the requesting party and follow up with them if there are clarifying questions.
We're a couple, do we both need to be evaluated?: Most agencies and adoption authorities require both partners to be evaluated. We typically conduct both individual and joint sessions when evaluating a couple. We'll clarify the specific requirements for your situation during intake.
Will the evaluation involve a "psychological test" we can fail?: No. The evaluation is a comprehensive look at your psychological readiness for the adoption; it isn't pass/fail in any simple sense. We work to provide a fair, complete, and accurate evaluation, and the agency or attorney uses our report alongside the rest of the home-study process to make their decisions.
Is the evaluation confidential?: The clinical work is confidential. The written report is delivered to you and (with your permission) to the requesting party. Beyond that, we don't share anything without your written consent.
Do you do international adoption evaluations?: Yes. We're experienced with international-adoption documentation requirements and can write reports in the formats required by adoption authorities in several countries. We'll confirm the specific country's requirements during intake.
How long does the report take?: Standard turnaround is 5 to 10 business days from the final evaluation session for private pay, and 6 to 8 weeks for insurance. A 48-hour expedited private-pay option is available for fixed-date deadlines, for an additional fee.
Can the evaluation be virtual?: Often, yes, for adopting parents living in any of the 40 states that participate in PSYPACT. Confirm with your specific agency that they accept virtual evaluations before scheduling.