Consultation

The goal of a psychological consultation is to establish the best choice of services for persons living with psycho-affective and/or neuro-cognitive problems. Neuropsychology consultation may be used to elucidate treatment goals and provide recommendations for rehabilitation services when behavioural or cognitive difficulties are interfering with an individual's ability to benefit from care.

Psychology Counselling

Clients experiencing difficulty coping with the effects of acquired cognitive and psycho-affective impairments who are referred for psychotherapy are interviewed to ensure that their goals are likely to be met by individual therapy. Sessions are generally fifty minutes per session and are adapted to meet the cognitive, emotional and behavioural needs of the client. The therapy frequency is determined based on individual needs.

Psychological Assessments

Concerns about the psycho-affective status are addressed. The evaluation consists of an interview with the person receiving services and, as needed, with other people who may provide relevant functional information about the person receiving services. Areas assessed span behavioural, emotional, and functional difficulties. A psychological report is completed and provides specific treatment recommendations or suggestions for additional evaluations, as required.

Neuropsychological Assessments

Neuropsychological evaluations address concerns about cognitive changes taking place during the early and later stages of recovery from traumatic brain injury (mild, moderate, or severe), planning for a change in care, work, independent or assisted living. The goals of the neuropsychological evaluations are to understand the nature of an individual's cognitive difficulties in order to develop appropriate plans for care and rehabilitation. Neuropsychological testing applies standardized procedures to evaluate difficulties with academic abilities, learning, memory, language, attention, problem-solving, visual-spatial, somatosensory and fine motor skills. Individual testing is usually completed over the course of a 2-8 hour session. In most cases, testing is conducted over one or two appointments. The results of the evaluation are summarized in a detailed report and a feedback session may be scheduled to review the findings as well as the recommendations for follow-up rehabilitation.

Catastrophic Impairment Assessments (CAT)

Under the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS), a CAT assessment provides a determination of whether:

An insured person who sustains an impairment as a result of an accident may apply to the insurer for a determination of whether the impairment is a catastrophic impairment.

A core team of assessors is needed to complete a CAT. Healthcare provider disciplines needed to complete the assessment are comprised of:

  • Physician (physiatrist or family physician or general internist and neurologist or neurosurgeon)
  • Neuropsychologist
  • Occupational therapist

In specific cases, other healthcare practitioners or professionals may be required to conduct a comprehensive assessment: audiologist, chiropractor, oral-maxillofacial specialist, physiotherapist, registered nurse, specialist physicians, and speech-language pathologist.

The CAT assessment process includes four steps:

  • Intake Step
  • Organize materials
  • Complete screening procedures
  • Decide on the appropriateness of proceeding to an assessment
  • Develop assessment plan
  • Complete all necessary forms
  • Determine claimant' special needs
  • Assemble healthcare provider team
  • File Review
  • Conduct Assessments
  • Reports and Executive Summary