Trauma & Psychosexual Evaluations:
The purpose of a trauma evaluation is to assess a person’s exposure to
traumatic events, assist agencies and families with diagnostic
clarification, direct clients towards empirically-validated treatments for
trauma, and allow for appropriate referrals for adjunctive services based on
evaluation results.
What is a trauma / psychosexual
evaluation?
A trauma evaluation uses a combination of objective
and projective measures to assess for mental health symptoms commonly
associated with a variety of traumatic events. It enables more accurate
diagnosis and more effective treatment.
The state of Georgia
(Amerigroup) allows for a brief interview, the CANS, which does not
cover all the aspects of the full trauma or psychosexual evaluation.
DFCS caseworkers can request the full evaluation which will be most
informative but may take some additional time to complete due to state
regulated insurance requirments.
Who can benefit from a
trauma / psychosexual evaluation?
Children, adolescents or
adults who suffer from simple or complex trauma associated with:
- Developmental / birth trauma
- Seperation from primary caregiver / foster care placement
- History of neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and/or sexual
abuse
- Victim of / witness to a violent crime
- PTSD symptoms associated with military service
- Neurological injury via traumatic event
- Death of parent or sibling
- Children of divorced / seperatied / blended families
- Foster care / Adopted children
What can I expect?
- Initial Appointment:
The evaluation begins with a meeting during which the care givers share
relevant problems and concerns, provide background information and documents, and provides goals for the assessment. This
appointment lasts approximately one hour.
- Interviews: The next 1-3 sessions are required to continue collecting background information and/or allow for
interviews with client regarding areas of concern. Caregivers and client
will be requested to complete
paper and pencil questionnaires to rate mood and behavior. Each
appointment lasts approximately one hour.
- Testing: The next one or two appointments involve the client completing a variety of tasks
designed to assess the level of trauma. Time
for this part of the evaluation typically ranges from 2 to 4 sit down hours for the client
depending on specifics of the situation and insurance limitations.
- Verbal Feedback:
The next part of the evalution occurs soon after the last test session
and involves meeting to discuss the results. Dr. Gangarosa-Emerson will
explain each test and the client’s performance. You will have preliminary
diagnoses and recommendations to begin to pursue.
- Report: The final part of the evaluation is the report which can be mailed, faxed, or picked up
at an arranged time. It
takes 2-4 weeks to obtain a report from the feedback session. Reports are
thorough and details all of the results, including recommendations
appropriate to the client.
- Interventions Many interventions are availble on-site
including Trauma-Focused therapies, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy,
individual and family therapies, play therapy, & neurofeedback therapy.
All have been proven effective for treatement of trauma-related emotional
problems and reducing negative behaviors.
To make an appointment, call or fax CNC at Phone
706-447-8700 / Fax 706-447-8701. Lawyers and those seeking legal
services are subject to customary legal fees (see
Insurance Information).
|
|
