Psychological Assessments
Psychological assessments provide a supportive way to understand an individual’s unique profile of strengths, difficulties, and support needs. At Beam, we work with children, teenagers, and adults across our clinics in Newcastle, the Central Coast, Cessnock, and Brisbane North, offering assessments for ADHD, Autism, learning differences, cognitive and academic skills, developmental needs, functional behaviour, and more.
Our clinicians take a neurodiverse-affirming approach, ensuring every individual feels respected, understood and supported throughout the process. The insights gained from an assessment are translated into clear, practical recommendations that can be used in therapy, at home, in school or work settings, and within the community, helping individuals and families move forward with clarity, confidence and meaningful supports in place.
Local Assessments in North Brisbane, Newcastle, Cessnock and the Central Coast
Beam Health offers assessment services from our clinics based in Newcastle, North Brisbane, Cessnock, and the Central Coast in Tuggerah and West Gosford.
We offer psychological assessments in the following areas:
We use standardised assessment tools to explore how an individual thinks, learns and processes information. Cognitive assessments provide valuable insight into areas such as memory, reasoning, and problem-solving, helping us build a clear picture of a person’s unique cognitive profile. By identifying both strengths and areas where support may be needed, we can guide personalised strategies that promote learning, independence, and overall development.
In a neurodiversity-affirming approach, an FBA helps us learn more about how a person experiences the world, so we can work together to create supports that reduce stress and increase comfort, safety, and understanding. These typical form part of a larger support plan that provides insights into contributing factors, along with practical recommendations to guide supportive strategies across everyday settings.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Assessment Services
Below is the standard process for assessments; however, your clinician may need more or less of a certain type of session to ensure they understand your child best. They will always confirm with you what is needed during the process.
Our assessments begin with parent/carer-only sessions to gather developmental information, an understanding of your challenges and goals for assessment, and to ensure that we have the appropriate assessment in mind.
We will also complete a session with the child, during which we use a mix using a mix of interviews, standardised testing, and observations. Depending on the age of your child or how comfortable you may be asked to be in the room for this too.
We use a range of questionnaire (paper or online) to gather information about your child and their strengths and differences, we typically ask one or both parents to do this, and an educator who knows your child best.
After all sessions are complete, we prepare a comprehensive report and offer a feedback session to discuss the findings and recommendations.
These sessions help us understand your child’s developmental history, current concerns, and overall context. They are conducted in an interview-style format. Most children would find these sessions long and unengaging, and may find it hard to hear detailed discussions about the parents concerns. Parent only sessions also allow us to really understand your child before meeting them and tailor the assessment to their needs.
Yes, we welcome previous assessments or school reports. These can provide helpful context and depending on how recent they are, may reduce duplication. However, we still need to complete our own standardised components to ensure clinical accuracy and meet reporting requirements.
Most assessments take around 6–8 weeks from the initial intake to the final feedback session. This is just a guide however, and can vary depending on scheduling, complexity, getting all the necessary information, forms returned, and any additional complexities.
Psychological assessments involve many hours of clinician time across interviews, testing, scoring, interpretation, and report writing. Our clinicians are highly trained and follow best-practice standards to ensure the report is accurate, useful, and tailored to your needs.
We offer payment plans to support families with managing cost.
There may be low-cost or publicly funded options available through public health services, school counsellors, or paediatricians. Timeframes for these services can be quite long. Medicare rebates may be available for certain types of assessments when referred by a paediatrician. We recommend speaking with your GP about referral options and alternatives if cost is a concern.
Yes. We offer payment plans to help families manage costs. Please speak with our Intake team to discuss what might work best for you.
Costs may vary depending on the type of assessment, complexity, and whether additional sessions or testing are required.
Some examples of times we may need additional sessions include completing a school observation, additional interview sessions with alternative support people (educators), or additional assessments being added on to support accurate diagnosis.
We’ll always discuss any changes with you before proceeding.
Not necessarily. Our team includes Educational & Developmental Psychologists, Clinical Psychologists and other Registered Psychologists with expertise in assessments. All reports meet professional standards and are suitable for schools, NDIS, and other services.
While all of our clinicians are trained and skilled in assessments, we offer co-sign from one of our Clinical Psychologists to support NDIS applications. This is already factored into the assessment fee.
Start with a free intake call. Our team will help clarify your concerns and recommend the most appropriate assessment type.
Yes. Reassessments are common, especially if circumstances have changed or updated information is needed for school or NDIS. Sometimes there is a minimal time required between assessment and reassessment. Our Intake team will talk you through this process and determine the appropriate next steps for you.
Paediatricians typically focus on medical and developmental diagnoses, such as physical health or neurological conditions. Psychologists assess cognitive, emotional, behavioural, and learning profiles. These approaches can complement each other depending on your child’s needs.
Assessments can help inform NDIS access decisions and provide evidence about a person’s functioning in daily life. While a diagnosis may support an application, it doesn’t guarantee NDIS funding. We aim to ensure our reports are clear, comprehensive, and aligned with NDIS requirements. If you need specific documentation, please let us know during the process.
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty, meaning that difficulties with reading/writing occur within the context of otherwise typical development and learning abilities. Cognitive testing helps determine if these literacy challenges are specific to reading/writing rather than a broader learning difficulty or cognitive challenge.
This is essential for identifying learning disorders like Dyslexia and tailoring support strategies.
At Beam Health we work within a neuro-affirming paradigm. This means that when assessing for support needs we use a strength based, inclusive approach to evaluation that shifts away from the traditional deficit based models. The aim is to better understand an individuals neurotype, their support needs, and what accommodations can be helpful for them across contexts.
Yes. We offer adult assessments for ADHD, Autism and learning disorders.
The process for an adult assessment is largely interview style meetings, with some questionnaires (online or paper) and we might ask for supporting information from other people who know you well e.g. parents or partner.
Some things to consider:
- While our psychologists are adequately trained, and provide high quality ADHD assessments for adults, these diagnoses/reports may not be sufficient if you are seeking medication to support managing your ADHD. Psychologists do not prescribe medication, so if you are seeking medication you may want to start this process with a psychiatrist instead.
- Applications for the NDIS as an adult may require a ‘functional capacity’ assessment as a part of your application, which may be an option at Beam. If your primary goal is NDIS access, other services may be more suitable.
If you need the assessment for a specific purpose, be sure to mention this to the Intake team.
Ideally, a parent, carer, or legal guardian should attend with the child, as they can provide important background information and help the child feel safe and supported. If someone else needs to bring your child, they should be someone close to the child and familiar with their history. We’ll need to know in advance and approve this arrangement, and we may still require a separate parent/carer session.
Medicare rebates are generally not available for psychological assessments unless part of a treatment plan. Some rebates may apply for specific assessments, when referred by a specific professional (paediatrician). Please speak with your GP or paediatrician for advice.
Some private health funds offer rebates for psychological services. Please check with your provider about your coverage.
This depends on your child’s age and the type of assessment. For younger children, parents may be present for parts of the session. For older children and teens, assessments are usually conducted one-on-one. However, our team is very flexible and accommodating to whatever helps you and your child feel comfortable and supported.
We will only contact the school with your written consent, and on occasions the school will also ask for your consent to speak with us.
School input can be very helpful, and we may request teacher questionnaires or speak with staff to better understand your child’s learning environment. Many diagnoses require evidence of difficulties across multiple contexts, so hearing from your educators can count as one of those contexts.
Helpful Info About Assessments
Psychological Assessments: What, Why and How?
There’s a wide variety of reasons why assessments are completed and the way in which they are used. Learn more about why assessments are so important and what you can expect from an assessment process.
ADHD Assessments for Children: What’s involved?
An ADHD assessment isn’t just about diagnosis. It’s about understanding your child’s brain and giving them tools to succeed. Read about the process, what to expect, and how a tailored approach can support your child’s unique strengths and challenges.
Talking to Your Child About a Psychological Assessment
How do you explain an assessment in a way that feels positive and empowering? How do you reassure your child that it’s about understanding and supporting them so they can thrive? Learn practical tips to guide this conversation with confidence.
