Mental health evaluation
Your child’s story matters. At Ohana, we’re here to listen. A mental health evaluation helps us get a full picture of your child’s well-being. During the assessment, our team learns about your child’s experiences from early childhood through life at home, in school, and with friends. We’ll also discuss any past mental health diagnoses and treatments.
Throughout the process, you can count on us to take note of your family’s and child's needs, goals and strengths and offer a clear, accurate diagnosis. This way, we can find the best path forward together.
Why get a mental health evaluation
When your child is struggling with mental health, you want answers. You want to know how to help.
The good news is that your child’s brain is still growing and forming new connections. That makes early support especially powerful. We can build healthy habits to help them thrive.
A mental health evaluation is the first step. It allows us to understand all the different parts of your child’s life, including their emotions, actions, relationships, and physical health. Well gather this information to understand the pattern of behavior and feelings, and to better understand the cause of your child’s challenges. From there, we can make a diagnosis and give your family the clarity and direction you deserve.
You can think of a mental health evaluation as the foundation of your child’s care. It shows us the areas where your child needs the most support, so we can build a treatment plan that’s effective and personal to them. This is where their path to healing begins.
What to expect
Our evaluations are thorough, thoughtful, and centered on your child and family. Here’s what you can expect during the process.
A complete picture
We start by taking a deep look into your child’s life from before birth to today. This includes their experiences at home and school, overall health, and any emotional concerns. We pay close attention to signs of different common conditions in childhood such as depression, anxiety, attention problems, eating disorders, and learning styles among other issues.
Two core appointments
The process usually includes two in-depth appointments. The first is the initial evaluation, which lasts about 90 minutes. The second is a 90-minute-long feedback session, where we’ll explain your child’s diagnosis, answer questions, and discuss our care recommendations.
We may suggest additional sessions for younger children or parents who prefer to meet separately.
Multiple ways to gather insight
We use a mix of discussions, questionnaires, and screeners to gather well-rounded information. Sometimes, we include a multi-informant report, where each family member shares their perspective to help us understand life at home.
We recognize that every child communicates differently. Some may need structured questions, while others express themselves through pictures or stories. However your child feels most comfortable sharing, we’ll meet them there.
Clear, informed diagnosis
Our team meets to review the evaluation results carefully. Then, we make a diagnosis using the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) guidelines from the American Psychiatric Association. There may be one diagnosis or several. Either way, we’ll explain everything clearly, so you feel informed and ready to move forward. Diagnoses are important to have peace of mind in knowing what is going on, but also to make sure that the child gets the right kind of treatment for the things they are struggling with.
A kid-friendly space
We design our spaces to help your child feel at home and free to be themselves. Each room has couches, fidgets, toys, and other calming tools to make the experience comfortable. For virtual sessions, we use interactive platforms to keep your child engaged.
How to prepare
Before your visit, it helps to send in any paperwork ahead of time, like individualized education programs (IEPs), 504 plans, or past evaluations. It’s also a good idea to talk with your child about what to expect during the visit. Let them know it’s okay to have questions or feel unsure. You might look through the Ohana website together to make things feel more familiar.
What comes next
After evaluation, we won’t leave you wondering what to do next. We’ll work with your child and your family to create a clear, supportive plan that outlines what we believe is going on (diagnosis), what treatment options are recommended, consideration of whether or not it makes sense to meet with a psychiatrist, recommended services that may be appropriate, and at least one mental fitness goal which can be started the same day to help improve current quality of life.
Personalized treatment recommendations
We recommend the best treatment options based on your child’s diagnosis and other evaluation insights. This might include individual therapy, group programs, medication, or occupational therapy. Sometimes, your child may need a higher level of care, like residential treatment or a partial hospitalization program (PHP).
Your family road map
At the end of the feedback session, you’ll receive a family road map. This easy-to-follow guide includes all the information you need in one place, like:
- Contact information
- Scheduled follow-up appointments
- Suggested group resources
- Treatment recommendations
Mental fitness goal
During the feedback session, your family will make a mental fitness goal — something simple to work on right away. It can focus on building habits like better sleep, nutrition, exercise, or social connection. This way, your child can continue feeling better.
Wellness toolkit
To help bridge the gap before treatment begins, your family will receive a wellness toolkit. We fill this backpack with therapeutic items your child can use to continue care at home.
Ongoing support
We will pair you with a family care manager who will continue to offer support after the evaluation. They’ll help set up a case management session and follow-up appointments to review progress, answer questions, and make sure everything is on track.
Referrals when needed
If your child needs services that Ohana doesn’t offer, we’ll connect you to the right hospitals and community resources. Your family care manager will coordinate any referrals.
Progress tracking
As your child begins treatment, we’ll regularly check in to see how your child is doing and if you have any questions or concerns. Our team meets often to review progress and make adjustments as necessary.
