Think of it like the doctor's lab work
When a patient isn't improving, or symptoms could have several causes, a physician orders labs or imaging instead of guessing. Nobody gets the blood test for the number. They get it so the treatment works.
Psychological testing does the same job in mental health care. It measures attention, memory, thinking skills, mood, personality, and social communication with standardized tools and compares the results to people the same age. That gives you something more solid than self-report and session impressions to plan treatment around.
When it's time to refer
Treatment isn't moving
- Progress has stalled. Your client is engaged and the interventions are sound, but the same barriers keep coming back.
- Skills aren't sticking. Your client understands the strategies in session but can't use them in daily life. That can point to attention, memory, or processing differences.
- The treatment plan keeps changing. If you've tried several approaches without a clear reason why none worked, a clearer picture can help you choose.
The diagnosis is unclear
- Symptoms overlap. Inattention, irritability, shutdowns, or social struggles could point to ADHD, autism, trauma, anxiety, depression, or a mix. Why overlapping symptoms are hard to sort out.
- Something may have been missed. Lifelong struggles with focus, organization, or social fit, especially in adults who masked or compensated for years, or in women and girls.
- You suspect more than one thing. Co-occurring conditions are common, and treating one can leave the other untouched.
- Your client arrives with a self-diagnosis. Online content can be a helpful starting point, and testing turns it into an answer. What TikTok gets right and wrong about diagnosis.
Decisions depend on it
- Medication is on the table. A clear diagnosis helps the prescriber choose and monitor treatment.
- Your client needs documentation. IEPs, 504 plans, college disability services, testing agencies, workplace accommodations, and athletes' therapeutic use exemptions usually require a formal evaluation.
- Your client keeps asking "what's wrong with me?" A real answer, with strengths alongside struggles, can be a turning point in itself.
When it may be better to wait
Testing gives the most accurate picture when someone is reasonably stable. If your client is in an acute crisis, a severe mood episode, or active heavy substance use, focus on stabilizing first and refer once things have settled. Not sure? Call us and we'll talk it through.
How to talk with your client about the referral
Tie the referral to goals your client already cares about, and keep the focus on what the results will help you do together. The point isn't the result. It's what we do with it.
- "We've been working hard on focus at work, and some of it isn't sticking. Testing could tell us whether something like ADHD is part of the picture, so we can adjust what we're doing."
- "Think of it like the lab work your doctor orders. It isn't about getting a label. It's about knowing which tools will actually help you."
- "You've told me you've always felt different from other people. An evaluation can help us understand why, and it will show your strengths, too."
- "Whatever the results show, we'll use them here. Our work together doesn't stop. We'll just have better information."
Stay in the picture. Clients often worry that a referral means you're handing them off or giving up. Make it clear that testing is a step inside your treatment, and that with their consent you'll get the results and recommendations.
Say what to expect. An intake, a testing session of a few hours with breaks, and a feedback session where results are explained in plain language. Knowing the steps lowers anxiety. How to prepare for an evaluation.
When clients hesitate
- "I don't want a label." A diagnosis is a description, not an identity. It's also what opens the door to the right treatment, accommodations, and insurance coverage. Testing can also rule things out, which is just as useful.
- "What if I fail?" There's nothing to pass or fail, and nothing to study for. The tests show how someone's mind works, including what they're good at.
- "What if they don't find anything?" Then you've ruled something out and can focus treatment elsewhere. That's progress, not wasted time.
- "Is it expensive?" Many insurance plans cover psychological testing when it's medically necessary. How to check testing benefits.
- "I can't wait months." Standard testing at WPS takes about three weeks from intake to report, and same-day results are available. Adults can also test remotely.
- "Who will see it?" The report belongs to the client. It's shared with you, a doctor, a school, or an employer only with their written consent.
Working with a family? Share our guide for parents: How to Talk to Your Child About Psychological Testing.
Making the referral
- Use our secure referral form. Please don't send client information by regular email.
- Tell us the question. "Is this ADHD, anxiety, or both?" helps us choose the right tests far more than "please evaluate."
- Share what you've tried. Treatments, what helped, and what didn't.
- Send records such as prior evaluations or school reports by fax to (720) 707-1632.
We evaluate children 8 and older, teens, and adults. For children 4 to 7, we recommend our partner practice, Rock Springs Psychological Testing Center. Your client can also book a testing intake directly; no referral is required.
What you get back
Our reports put the answers on page one: diagnostic impressions and what they mean for daily life. Every report also has a section for treating providers, with recommended treatment interventions based on your client's individual results, built on their strengths and targeted to their weaknesses, so you can fold them straight into your treatment plan. With your client's written consent, we share the results and recommendations with you. See how our reports are organized.