How Assessments Work at Hanover CBT
A Clear, Collaborative Assessment Process for Children, Adolescents, Adults, and Families in Hanover, New Hampshire
At Hanover Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapies, assessments are designed to be careful, collaborative, and clinically useful.
The aim is to understand the person, not just produce scores or labels. Testing may be part of the process, but it is not the whole process. Many people feel uncertain about what an assessment actually involves.
Some worry about being judged, reduced to a diagnosis, or asked to complete tests without understanding why. Others are unsure whether an assessment will be useful, what information they will receive, or how the process connects to real life.
The goal is to gather meaningful information that can help clarify strengths, challenges, patterns, needs, and possible next steps.
Assessments are More Than Testing
An assessment may include interviews, background information, questionnaires, standardized testing, observations, records, feedback, and recommendations. The exact structure depends on the referral question and the person being assessed.
The purpose is not simply to complete a set of tests. It is to answer useful questions: what may be contributing to current difficulties, what strengths are present, what supports may help, and what recommendations would be most practical.
The Process May Look Different for Different People
No two assessments are exactly the same.
The structure depends on the referral question, the person's age, developmental stage, history, goals, and the type of concerns being explored.
Some assessments focus primarily on ADHD, autism, learning differences, or academic concerns. Others may involve broader emotional, behavioral, cognitive, or diagnostic questions.
Children, adolescents, and adults also move through the process differently. Younger clients may require more parent, caregiver, teacher, or school involvement, while adult assessments often rely more heavily on self-report, history, work or academic functioning, and long-term life patterns.
How Our Assessment Process Works at Hanover CBT
Initial Contact and Questions
The process usually begins with understanding why an assessment is being requested.
Some people come to Hanover CBT because they are struggling at school, work, or in relationships and want clarity around what may be contributing. Others are referred by therapists, physicians, schools, psychiatrists, or family members.
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Part of the early process involves clarifying the main questions:
What concerns are present?
What is the person hoping to better understand?
What information would be most useful?
How might the results help support care, accommodations, treatment planning, school planning, or daily functioning?
This helps shape the type of assessment that may be most appropriate.
Interviews, History, and Background Information
Assessments typically include interviews and review of background information.
Depending on the assessment, this may involve discussing developmental history, educational experiences, emotional functioning, attention and executive functioning, relationships, medical history, family history, learning patterns, daily functioning, strengths, and current concerns.
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For children and adolescents, caregivers may provide important developmental and behavioral information. With consent, schools, therapists, physicians, or other providers may also contribute records or observations when relevant.
The purpose of this stage is not only data collection. It is understanding context.
Testing and Standardized Measures
Some assessments involve standardized testing, questionnaires, rating scales, or structured tasks.
These tools can provide useful information about attention, memory, learning, processing, executive functioning, emotional functioning, language, social communication, or other areas depending on the question being explored.
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Testing is designed to answer specific clinical questions. It is not about passing or failing.
HCBT clinicians aim to explain the purpose of testing clearly and create an environment that feels supportive, respectful, and developmentally appropriate.
Interpretation and Clinical Understanding
Assessment is not simply the collection of scores.
Clinicians interpret testing results alongside interviews, history, observations, emotional factors, developmental context, life experiences, and the person's goals.
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At HCBT, assessment involves both rigorous clinical methods and careful interpretation of the person's lived experience.
The process is designed to move beyond labels alone and toward a more useful understanding of how the person functions, what may be contributing to current difficulties, and what kinds of support may help.
Assessments include a feedback session to review findings and recommendations.
The goal is to help clients and families understand the results in a way that feels clear, useful, and connected to real life.
Feedback and Recommendations
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Depending on the assessment, recommendations may involve therapy, school supports, accommodations, psychiatric care, behavioral strategies, medical follow-up, learning support, executive functioning support, or other next steps.
Assessment reports are intended to provide meaningful interpretation and practical guidance rather than simply presenting technical language or test scores without context.
What Happens After an Assessment
After an assessment, some clients continue working with Hanover CBT through therapy, psychiatry, school support, consultation, or connected care. Others may use the assessment to access accommodations, outside services, or additional medical care.
For many people, the assessment process is valuable not only because of the written report itself, but because it helps organize experiences that may have felt confusing or disconnected for a long time.
Assessments at Hanover CBT are a Collaborative Process
The assessment process at Hanover CBT is designed to be collaborative rather than purely transactional.
Clients and families are encouraged to ask questions and understand how information is being used throughout the process. Clinicians work to balance evidence-based assessment practices with respect for the person's individual story, culture, strengths, values, and lived experience.
The goal is not to define someone by a diagnosis. It is to help create greater clarity, understanding, and direction.
Frequently Asked Questions about Our Assessments
Most Asked Questions
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Evaluations are available for children starting at age 3, teens, adults, and older adults.
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Length of the evaluation is determined on an individual basis. Educational assessments (Autism, ADHD, Learning Disorder) are at least two 3-hour sessions. For children, a third session may be necessary. Evaluations that include a psychological component, or evaluations covering multiple disciplines or areas may also require a third session.
The full timeline for an evaluation includes testing, clinician analysis, feedback session, and report writing. The overall timeline and what to expect will be discussed during the free 30-minute Zoom consultation with your provider.
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The evaluation report is generally produced and delivered within four to six weeks after the final testing session. The report is sent through our secure client portal, once final billing is complete.
If a client requests an abbreviated report, this timeline is shorter.
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Requests to expedite assessments are considered on a case-by-case basis.
If you require an expedited assessment, please let us know when you contact our office to request an assessment. We’ll gather the necessary information and pass it along to the assessment provider, who will make the final decision about whether we’re able to accommodate the requested timeline.
We’ll always do our best to support your needs and keep you informed throughout the process.
Cost & Insurance
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The cost of the evaluation depends on the need and complexity of the evaluation. Cost is also dependent on the amount of time your clinician will need to review any provided documentation (e.g., previous evaluation reports, IEPs, school reports, etc.). An estimated range for each evaluation is provided during the 30-minute free Zoom consultation with the assessment provider.
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HCBT does not take insurance, but we can provide you with resources and information to assist you in working with your insurance to help you get evaluation services covered.
Superbills: we provide detailed receipts you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement after payment.
Proactive support: we can help with prior authorizations or out-of-network exception paperwork before testing begins.
Resources: With your intake paperwork, we provide a list of our CPT codes to help your insurance company estimate your coverage.
Testing Day
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During the evaluation, you should take all medications you typically take; however, if the purpose of the evaluation is to determine your performance when not taking a particular medication (e.g., evaluation of attention/distractibility while not taking Ritalin), your provider will discuss this with you ahead of your first testing day.
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Yes. It is important for you/your child to feel comfortable during the evaluation; however, you will need to provide your own snacks/drinks and may need to put them aside during some tasks. Bathroom breaks are always available, as needed.
Accommodations & Support
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Yes. If the data supports it, your comprehensive evaluation report is exactly what testing agencies need to see. If the agency requires an additional letter of support, your assessment provider will provide one.
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No. By law, the COE cannot be signed by the person who performed the evaluation. You should take your report to your college’s Disability Services office or your employer's HR department; they are the authorized parties to sign that specific document.
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Prior to participating in an IEP/504 meeting, it is highly recommended that you share the entire evaluation report with the school. Waiting until the school meeting to share the results usually results in the school needing to postpone the meeting until they have had time to review the results. The evaluation report and test score summary documents should include all of the information you need. If your assessment provider’s participation in the school meeting is still needed, this can be accomplished in either remote or in-person format at an additional cost.
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Yes! We don't want to just give you a report and say goodbye. We offer Diagnostic Teaching and specialized coaching to help you implement the strategies recommended in your evaluation.
If appropriate, we will make a recommendation for therapy or psychiatry services for ongoing support.
