Evaluations
Individuals – Couples – Families – Groups
near me in Spokane, WA
“I conduct assessments and psychosocial evaluations for bariatric surgery, cochlear implants, fitness for duty, and other court-ordered mental health examinations. Many surgeons and insurance carriers require behavioral health assessments prior to surgeries to determine if the candidate has the resilience to go through the operation and recovery. Employers often seek evaluations before allowing their employees to return to work, to establish that you are ready and able to perform the job safely and continuously. In order to have access to children, some parents are required to undergo anger management or other evaluations for family court.”
Clients seek mental health evaluations for a variety of reasons, from their own peace of mind, to court-ordered assessments. Dr. Ray has evaluated many clients over the years, using the best psycho-social techniques, interviews, and informants who have witnessed the client in other situations. Clients sign a release of information authorizing their psych-evals to be sent to the court or person requesting the report. Dr. Ray attempts to discern any pathology and make recommendations for improving the client’s functioning at home or at work. The purpose of the evaluation might be for a parent to be examined after an incident of child abuse, or for a worker to be examined after an incident of anger acted out. A mental status exam and psychological tests are standard components of an evaluation, as are substance abuse issues.
The recommendations can be helpful suggestions or necessary steps to overcome any problems revealed during the evaluation. Dr. Ray does some evaluations before medical procedures in order to determine the resilience of the patient for surgery, such as cochlear implant or gastric bypass surgery. One form of evaluation is fitness for duty, in which a worker is evaluated for the potential to continue successfully in their occupation, usually after some incident that raised questions about the competency of the worker to perform the responsibilities of the job. Other evaluations are done in legal situations, for family court in divorce and parenting situations, or in criminal or civil cases. Dr. Ray said, “Once an injured woman went to trial after a car accident, so I testified about the evaluation of her coping before and after the wreck, and gave an illustration that helped her win a fair settlement (which felt very fulfilling).”
When you or someone you know needs an evaluation, please call Dr. Ray at 509-46-6632.