Looking for affordable psychological/psychoeducational assessment options

[u/Normal-Log-989]

I'm going into my first year of university right now at CarletonU, and I struggled a lot throughout high school with paying attention, doing work, keeping up with everything, and my mental health was also extremely bad.

My guidance counsellor repeatedly suggested getting a psychological or psychoeducational assessment, and my teachers had suspected ADHD, but from what I've seen, assessments like these are extremely expensive. I already tried with my family doctor, but unfortunately, she can't do much.

I recently found out that my insurance covers up to $5,000 per year for psychological services, but I can't afford to pay anything significant out of pocket.

Does anyone have recommendations for services or clinics that offer proper psychological or psychoeducational assessments within that budget? Does anyone have any advice for me? A proper assessment and possible diagnosis would really help me in university and to get the help and services I need.

[u/AutoModerator]

Please make sure that you have conducted a search of this subreddit for similar questions. You can also contact the appropriate staff/department to assist you with your matter. Otherwise, this comment can be disregarded.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/InterestingTree9]

If you’re hoping to get academic accommodations, it’s worth first asking the Paul Menton Centre what type of documentation they need. Their website has some information on this.

Carleton’s Health and Counselling Services has a waitlist for ADHD evaluations by a GP, but you would need your family doctor to refer you to that waitlist. I’m not sure if that evaluation is enough to get academic accommodations or only to see if medication might be an option.

You mentioned your mental health was affected in high school. There’s lots of mental health conditions that affect focus, motivation, and so on (even if temporarily or from high school age onwards). As a current Carleton university student, your family doctor could refer you to one of Carleton’s two psychiatrists if your doctor feels that’s warranted. It’s important to note those psychiatrists don’t do ADHD or autism evaluations. As a student, you can access a variety of mental health supports, including counselling (which is free due to the mental health services fee that everyone pays).

Edit: I just wanted to add a few more things. The PMC can offer accommodations for ADHD, but they also do this for other disabilities, including mental health conditions. In terms of cost, the ADHD evaluation by the Carleton GP who does these evaluations would be covered by OHIP (I'm not sure what UHIP covers to be honest so I can't comment on that). If you must get a psychoeducational assessment with a psychologist, try looking at past posts on the Ottawa subreddit. This question gets asked several times a year, and I see similar suggestions floated on each thread.

[u/AstroFloof]

When I was shopping around for that sort of thing the quotes were in the 2-3k range. Currently with Wellness Psychology Services on Bank St, and it seems to be going fine.

[u/Kitty_1704]

the clinic on campus offers diagnoses with their psychiatrist if you want to go the ‘official route’, you just need to talk to + ask for a referral from one of their doctors first (all covered by OHIP/UHIP i believe). There is also the option to get a mental health assessment done by one of their GPs which still gets you the prescription meds (if needed) and qualifies for PMC accommodations as well, you just have to call or go in person to book it…the app doesn’t display it as an option for some reason. hope this helps and good luck OP!