North County San Diego · Carlsbad · Encinitas · Vista
A thorough psychological evaluation gives you an answer you can act on, for yourself or your child. We test adults, teens, and kids for ADHD, autism, learning differences, and complex diagnostic questions, in person across North County San Diego.
4.9 on Google · Doctoral-level psychologists · Serving North County since 2018
What psychological testing is
A psychological evaluation is a structured set of standardized tests and clinical interviews that a doctoral-level psychologist uses to answer a specific question about how your mind works, whether that is ADHD, autism, a learning disorder, or a diagnosis that has never quite fit. Done well, it replaces years of guessing with an answer you can use.
We are a relational, attachment-informed practice, so our evaluators are clinicians first. That shows up in the report: not a wall of scores, but a coherent story about the person in the room, and a plan for what comes next.
The same doctoral-level clinician meets you, administers the tests, scores them, and writes your report. No interns, no automated write-ups, no handoff to a stranger.
Each battery is built around what you actually want to know. We tell you up front what an evaluation can and cannot answer before any testing begins.
Plain-English findings, specific recommendations, and a feedback session where we walk through the results together. The kind of report schools, doctors, and employers accept.
Every evaluation is reviewed by an outside consulting expert and presented to our full team before the report is signed. Your diagnosis is stress-tested, not rubber-stamped.
Types of evaluation
Five common reasons people come to us for testing. Each links to a page that goes deep on that evaluation. If you are not sure which one fits, the free 15-minute consultation is built for exactly that.
When effort and results have never quite matched.
For grades that do not reflect the work, late-diagnosed adults, and people whose first ADHD assessment did not go deep enough.
Most asked
For teens and adults who have always known something fit differently.
Late-diagnosed autism, women and gender-diverse adults, and clients whose pattern was missed by a generalist.
When ADHD and autism overlap, evaluating both at once is more accurate.
For high-masking adults and women, kids and teens with mixed presentations, and anyone who has one diagnosis but feels something still is not explained.
Effort, output, and result are not adding up.
Dyslexia, dysgraphia, processing speed, and the patterns that produce capable kids who come to hate school.
For when therapy is not moving and you suspect the diagnosis is wrong.
Personality assessment, mood and trauma differentials, and the second opinion that finally makes the picture coherent.
You will not be sold testing on the consultation. About 1 in 5 calls ends with us recommending a different evaluation, a different provider, or no testing at all, because the consult is for figuring out what you actually need.
The consultation model
Most testing practices finalize a report the moment the evaluator finishes writing it. We do not. Every Coastal evaluation is reviewed by Dr. Elizabeth Laney, an outside consulting expert with more than twenty years of direct patient care and clinician training, and then presented to our full team in weekly consultation.
That means your diagnosis is stress-tested against alternative explanations by clinicians who were not in the room: a second and third set of expert eyes before anything is signed. It is the difference between a label and a formulation you can trust.
How it works
Most evaluations span three to five appointments across two to four weeks. Nothing surprises you. We tell you what each session is for before you book it.
You tell us what you are trying to figure out. We tell you whether testing is the right tool, what battery would fit, and what it would cost. No sales energy.
A 60-to-90-minute conversation about your history, your concerns, and what you want the evaluation to do for you. Pediatric and AuDHD work adds structured developmental measures (e.g. the ADI-R) so we design the battery from data, not just impressions.
Core batteries are administered in person, with breaks. Common instruments include the WISC-V (children), WAIS-5 (adults), and D-KEFS for executive function. Pediatric cases often add the NEPSY-II and the CPT-3 for sustained-attention performance.
Where the question requires it, we add achievement testing (WIAT-4), social-communication measures (SRS-2), and adaptive-functioning measures (ABAS-3). Personality and mood differentials are administered alongside, not as an afterthought.
Before any report leaves the practice, the case is reviewed by an outside consulting expert and presented to our full team in weekly consultation. Diagnostic impressions are tested against alternative explanations.
A 60-to-90-minute feedback session where we walk through what we found, in plain English, followed by the written report. You can use it with schools, doctors, employers, therapists, and other providers.
Who we test
We are not a generalist clinic. The people who get the most out of testing with us tend to share a particular shape of question.
What it costs
A single-question comprehensive psychological evaluation costs $3,000 to $5,000, and a combined two-question evaluation costs $4,000 to $6,000. The fee includes the consultation, all interview and testing time, scoring, the written report, and the feedback session.
The bulk of the process is fixed: about 9 hours for the intake, testing, and feedback session. Report writing is the one piece we cannot predict precisely. We bill a minimum of 3 hours, with most reports landing in the 3-to-6-hour range. No hidden costs, just an honest picture of what to expect, walked through on the free call before any work begins.
Out-of-network · Superbill provided · HSA / FSA accepted
Comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological testing is frequently eligible for partial out-of-network reimbursement. We provide a superbill for CPT codes 96136, 96137, 96130, and 96131; coverage varies by plan, so confirm your out-of-network testing benefits before scheduling.
Psychologist or psychiatrist?
A psychological evaluation is a comprehensive assessment by a doctoral-level psychologist that answers what is going on and why, using cognitive, academic, and personality testing. A psychiatric evaluation is done by a psychiatrist (a medical doctor) and centers on whether medication is appropriate.
Every clinician at Coastal holds a doctorate in psychology, and psychologists do not prescribe medication in California. So if you want a thorough diagnostic answer, that is a psychological evaluation, and it is exactly what we do. If you are primarily seeking medication, you will want a psychiatrist, and we are glad to coordinate care and refer. Many clients do both: our evaluation clarifies the diagnosis, and a psychiatrist uses our report to guide treatment.
The testing team
Every evaluation is conducted, scored, and written by the same doctoral-level clinician. No interns, no handoff to a writer.
Where testing happens
Testing near you does not mean a single address. We split the work across our North County offices so the longer days are efficient and the rest is close to home.
Our dedicated assessment suite off the 78 hosts the longer, structured testing days for every evaluation.
Your clinical interview, your feedback session, and lighter testing days can all happen in Carlsbad Village.
Our 3-session, assessment-informed consultation is available in Carlsbad, Encinitas, and Vista.
Common questions
A psychological evaluation is a structured set of standardized tests and clinical interviews that a doctoral-level psychologist uses to answer a specific question: ADHD, autism, a learning disorder, or a differential diagnosis. At Coastal Therapy Group it runs across four to six appointments: a clinical interview, one or two in-person testing days, an outside expert review, and a feedback session where we walk through the findings before your written report arrives.
A psychological evaluation is a comprehensive assessment by a doctoral-level psychologist that answers "what is going on and why," using cognitive, academic, and personality testing. A psychiatric evaluation is done by a psychiatrist (a medical doctor) and centers on whether medication is appropriate. Every clinician here holds a doctorate in psychology, and psychologists do not prescribe medication in California. If you want a thorough diagnostic answer, that is a psychological evaluation and it is what we do. If you are primarily seeking medication, you will want a psychiatrist, and we are glad to coordinate care and refer. Many clients do both: our evaluation clarifies the diagnosis, and a psychiatrist uses the report to guide treatment.
About 9 hours of your time across 3 to 4 appointments, plus the feedback session. From your first appointment to receiving your written report, the full process typically takes 6 to 8 weeks.
A single-question comprehensive evaluation (ADHD, autism, learning, or personality) runs $3,000 to $5,000, and a combined two-question evaluation runs $4,000 to $6,000. The fee includes the consultation, all interview and testing time, scoring, the written report, and the feedback session. Our Insight Sessions, a lighter 3-session consultation, are $840. We walk through the exact cost for your case on the free consultation call before any work begins.
We are out-of-network with all insurance plans, which lets us spend the time the work actually requires. Comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological testing is frequently eligible for partial out-of-network reimbursement: we provide a superbill you can submit under CPT codes 96136, 96137, 96130, and 96131, and many clients with PPO plans are reimbursed for a meaningful portion. Coverage varies by plan, so we recommend confirming your out-of-network testing benefits before you schedule. HSA and FSA accounts are accepted directly.
You do not need to know before calling. Book a free 15-minute consultation and we will help you figure out the right fit based on what you are experiencing. We will also tell you honestly if a different kind of evaluation, or a different provider, would be a better starting point.
Neuropsychological testing is a specialized type of psychological testing focused on brain-behavior relationships across many cognitive domains, typically used after a head injury or stroke or when complex cognitive impairment is suspected. Most of our evaluations are comprehensive psychological evaluations focused on a specific question (ADHD, autism, learning, or personality), which use many of the same instruments but are scoped differently.
We test children starting at age 5, teens, and adults of all ages. For younger children we will happily refer you to colleagues who specialize in early-childhood evaluation.
Yes. Our reports are written to the standards that school districts, college disability offices, and the College Board accept. We tell you up front whether your specific case requires anything additional.
If both feel like they might apply, evaluating for both at once is usually more accurate, more efficient, and more cost-effective than doing them one after another. The two conditions overlap in important ways (executive-function challenges, sensory differences, social fatigue), and a combined evaluation lets us see how the pieces fit together. We will talk through whether an AuDHD evaluation is right for you on the free consultation call.
The longer, structured testing days happen in our dedicated assessment suite at the Vista office, just off the 78. Your intake, your feedback session, and lighter testing days can happen in Carlsbad Village. Insight Sessions are available at all three offices (Carlsbad, Encinitas, and Vista), and we coordinate the whole process from your first call.
Probably worth a consultation. We see a lot of clients whose first evaluation was rushed, narrow, or missed a co-occurring condition. The 15-minute call is the place to figure out whether a re-evaluation would actually answer what your first one did not.
When you are ready
Fifteen minutes on the phone with our Director of Psychological Testing, Dr. Chelsea Dudley. No pitch, no pressure. By the end of the call you will know what you need, what it would cost, and whether we are the right people for it.
4.9 on Google · Out-of-network · Superbill provided · Serving North County since 2018
