Frequently asked questions
We understand your concerns and want to reassure you that Neeley Psychological Services is fully committed to protecting your privacy. We take the confidentiality of your health information and any services provided very seriously.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets federal standards to safeguard patient privacy. This law grants you the right to access your own Protected Health Information and establishes minimum requirements for how healthcare organizations protect sensitive data. We maintain a strict policy in accordance with HIPAA to require specific requests and your authorization before sharing any diagnostic information or reports with anyone other than our clients. We will never release any information without your explicit consent and direction about what you would like to disclose. Doing so would be illegal, highly unethical, and would jeopardize our license to practice psychology.
We are dedicated to upholding these standards and are committed to providing accurate, comprehensive, and inclusive assessments for neurodivergent individuals. We will do everything possible to protect and advocate for our clients and the neurodivergent community.
The process starts by requesting an intake appointment through our website. You will receive a welcome email within 1-2 business days that will outline our requirements prior to confirming your appointment. These requirements must be completed within 72 business hours of receiving the welcome email. Our requirements include the following: 1) accepting the emailed invitation to register for our Client Messaging Portal, 2) completing all intake and consent forms, and 3) completing the SAGE-SR mental health questionnaire (adults only). Once the requirements have been completed, we will confirm your appointment request.
Neeley Psychological Services utilizes a payment card and ACH system for convenience and to relieve administrative burden. We have a very efficient, detailed process that gets slowed down if we have to devote staff resources towards invoice reminders and payment collection. We did not require a payment card or ACH registration in the past, which caused a lot of problems. Ensuring we are compensated for our services is the only way we can maintain our competitive pricing.
Unfortunately, many primary care providers, psychiatrists, therapists, teachers, and even psychologists are not very knowledgeable about the various presentations of Autism. It is not a significant part of many training programs. While we wish these providers would just disclose their lack of expertise on the matter, they are often quick to offer an uninformed opinion. A simple test would be to ask them to list Autism diagnostic criteria that you don't meet. There are also a lot of misconceptions about Autism, especially how it may present in those who are assigned female at birth. If you've been told you aren't Autistic, but you disagree, don't give up!
The process starts by requesting an intake appointment through our website. Telehealth and in-office options are available for most clients. You will receive a welcome email within 1-2 business days that will outline our requirements prior to confirming your appointment. These requirements must be completed within 72 business hours of receiving the welcome email. Our requirements include the following: 1) accepting the emailed invitation to register for our Client Messaging Portal, 2) completing all intake and consent forms, and 3) completing the SAGE-SR mental health questionnaire (adults only). Once the requirements have been completed, we will confirm your appointment request.
Prior to the intake appointment, you will receive a good faith estimate from our billing department (via the Portal) of what your insurance may cover, if applicable, and what may be an out-of-pocket expense. At the intake appointment (generally 30-50 minutes) your clinician will collect information about your background and symptoms/traits, review the evaluation process, and answer any questions. If we are a good fit for each other, we can schedule the actual evaluation session(s) at the end of intake appointment. Evaluation session times vary depending on the type of assessment, but are typically scheduled for 1.5 to 2 hours. Most assessments will consist of 1-2 evaluation sessions. We have several psychometrists who assist with the intake and evaluation processes. Your evaluation may include interactions with one or multiple team members. Following your intake appointment, you will be emailed electronic rating scale forms that must be completed at least 48 hours in advance of your evaluation session. Please check your email SPAM folder throughout the assessment process (keywords: Neeley, MHS, WPS).
Prior to the evaluation session, you will receive another Portal message from our billing department regarding the good faith estimate of what your entire evaluation may cost. This estimate may include a breakdown of various costs, including co-pays, co-insurance, and deductibles associated with your insurance plan, as well as any projected out-of-pocket costs. Please see our "Fees & Insurance" page for more information.
The evaluation session(s) may include a mix of cognitive assessments, computer assessments, standardized questionnaires, and interview-based assessments. Most evaluations only utilize standardized questionnaires and structured diagnostic interviews. After the evaluation session is completed, a diagnostic report will be written within a few weeks. You'll receive an electronic copy of your report via the Portal. Reports generally take about 3 to 6 weeks to complete, but may take longer depending on our client volume at the time. We will include a link to an electronic release of information (ROI) form. This form needs to be filled out and submitted if you need us to send your report anywhere (e.g., to your doctor, prescriber, or anyone else you designate). A feedback session may be scheduled with your provider to further review results, if needed.
Please note that Neeley Psychological Services does not offer therapy, coaching, or treatment services. We specialize in diagnostic evaluations only. Your report may include various recommendations, including helpful resources and intervention options.
For most self-referred adult clients, we generally do not need to consult with others, although this is occasionally required. The most common scenario where we may need to interview family or caregivers is for Autism Spectrum Disorder - Level 2 or 3 evaluations. The vast majority of Level 1 evaluations (lowest support needs compared to other Autism presentations) do not require consultation with family, friends, or other members of your healthcare team. However, with the client's permission, we will gladly review any written comments from family, caregivers, or healthcare team members.
We need you to complete the assessment forms that we'll send to you via email following the intake appointment - that's it. Child/Teen evaluations may also include parent or teacher forms to be completed. We need forms completed at least 48 hours in advance of your evaluation session (but still complete them if you missed this deadline). Please check your email SPAM folder throughout the assessment process (keywords: Neeley, MHS, WPS). We have found that many of our adult Autism assessment clients will have compiled documents and lists of their Autism-related traits and experiences. You can send these documents to us through the Secure Messaging Portal, which you will be invited to. You can also email these documents to admin@neeleypsych.com. Please keep these documents to 5 pages or less - brief summaries and bullet points preferred.
Probably the most unique aspect of Neeley Psychological Services is that we specialize in populations that other psychological testing practices don't. There are a lot more psychologists who only assess children for Autism and ADHD, whereas we have traditionally focused on adults. That has changed recently with the hire of our child psychologist, Dr. Katherine Stubblefield, and we now see clients as young as 2.5 years. We also specialize in assigned female at birth (AFAB) and gender minority presentations of adult Autism, which are commonly misunderstood and underdiagnosed. Many females and gender minorities have had their neurodivergent traits and experiences invalidated or diminished by healthcare professions throughout their lives. They are often misdiagnosed with things like Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) or Bipolar Disorders.
Another important aspect of our assessment practice is that most of our evaluations are paid (or partially paid) through private insurance. Many assessment psychologists only accept out-of-pocket payments, presumably because they don't know how to bill insurance or don't have access to the right kind of billing services.
Next, Neeley Psychological Services has a very fast turnaround time, from initial intake appointment to final diagnostic report. We don't know why most psychological testing clinics have notoriously long wait times, but we've never had that problem. We have been fine-tuning our processes and procedures for years, which has resulted in a quick and efficient assessment process.
Lastly, our evaluation process for adults is collaborative and rooted in the neurodiversity-affirming model of diagnosis. Your understanding of and identification with a particular diagnosis is very important to us. We understand the diagnostic criteria very well, and, with you being the expert on yourself, we will determine what diagnosis, if any, helps you make sense of your life narrative.
For adult clients, Neeley Psychological Services primarily focuses on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We also can conduct assessments for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). However, we generally can only focus on one or two diagnoses per evaluation. Our evaluations are very specialized. We don't provide comprehensive assessments to explore every possible DSM-V diagnosis that someone may qualify for. We do not specialize in bipolar disorders, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, most personality disorders, or learning disorders. Dr. Katherine Stubblefield (Dr. Kat) provides ASD, ADHD, and Learning Disorder assessments for child and teen clients - www.drkatstubbs.com
If your child has a genuine interest in being evaluated, we'd be happy to help. This is important: please do not schedule appointments for your child unless you are absolutely sure they are interested in the process and will be an active participant. Also, please understand that we cannot discuss evaluation results unless your child signs a release form.
Our first question would be - "Does your partner want to be evaluated?" We're okay with people trying to help their loved ones to find providers and access services. However, we try to avoid situations where someone is being evaluated only to satisfy the desires of someone else, such as a spouse/partner or a therapist. The assessment process can be very challenging when someone doesn't want to be evaluated; results are often inconclusive. It is hard to get accurate assessment data when someone isn't motivated and invested in the process. We also believe in client autonomy and do not want to force diagnoses on clients who aren't seeking them. If your spouse/partner is genuinely interested and wants to go through the process, we'd be happy to help. We prefer that they initiate the process.
Yes, we are licensed in Washington and Oregon and are also a member of the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT), which allows us to provide telehealth/remote evaluation services for clients in 40+ states. See the following map to determine if your state participates in the PSYPACT:
https://psypact.site-ym.com/page/psypactmap
Please note that some situations require an in-office evaluation. For example, if you are applying for disability income, the agency may require cognitive/IQ testing. Cognitive/IQ testing often requires an in-office appointment. If you are seeking a diagnosis to qualify for a particular program or service, you are responsible for determining what that program or service requires. Also, some insurance policies do not cover telehealth evaluations, so, while we may be licensed to provide telehealth services in your area, it may not be covered by your insurance.
The short and honest answer: we do not know. We see clients in 40+ states and do not attempt to keep track of all programs and associated requirements. It is your responsibility to determine what information a particular program needs in order for you to qualify. For example, some programs may require a certain type of Autism assessment, or they may need a full IQ test completed, which we may or may not be able to accommodate. Please let us know in advance if there are specific assessment steps needed in order for you to qualify for a program or service.
Possibly. It depends on the process. You will likely need to consult with your organization's human resources department to learn more about the accommodations process. We always need our clients to do their own research to determine what accommodations are available and would benefit them. We do not have information or opinions on what type of accommodation(s) you should pursue. If a short letter or brief accommodation form needs to be completed, we can usually help with that as long as you provide the information we need. Longer processes may incur a fee. We struggle to complete lengthy disability forms or ADA Medical Certification forms because they are not designed for neurodevelopmental diagnoses such as Autism or ADHD. These types of forms will generally need to be filled out by primary care providers or other medical doctors.
Possibly. We've been growing rapidly for the past 1-2 years and are currently focused on fine-tuning our processes before more expansion. However, we are always interested in hearing from licensed mental health professionals experienced in Autism and ADHD assessment. Email us at admin@neeleypsych.com.
We do not solicit reviews due to confidentiality. However, you are welcome to leave a review on our Google business page: https://g.page/r/CZjs0VRg6cL_EAE/review
If you have had a negative experience with Neeley Psychological Services, we would greatly appreciate the opportunity to make the situation better prior to posting a negative review. Please contact Dr. Neeley at ben@neeleypsych.com