Diagnostic Assessment & Clinical Consultation

Diagnostic Assessment & Clinical Consultation

Diagnostic assessment services are provided by trained mental health professionals. The diagnostic assessment consists of an interview to identify mental health or emotional behavioral conditions, determine eligibility for mental health services, and inform a mental health treatment plan.

A diagnostic assessment (DA) is a written report that documents the clinical and functional face-to-face evaluation of a recipient’s mental health, and includes:

  • Current personal strengths and existing support resources
  • Personal and family history
  • Nature, severity and impact of mental health condition
  • Functional impairment and behavioral difficulties
  • Stressors
  • A clinical diagnosis

Diagnostic Assessment and Clinical Consultation services may also include the following additional services, depending on the needs of the recipient.

  • Diagnostic assessment can including follow-up services, including:

    • Explanation of findings
    • Family psychoeducation to family members of individuals with behavioral/mental health conditions
    • Clinical care consultation to caregivers of children with emotional/behavioral disorders
  • More on the follow-up services…

    Explanation of Findings

    Explanation of findings is provided to the client, client’s family, and caregivers, or to other providers to help them understand the results of the testing or diagnostic assessment, better understand the client’s illness, and provide professional insight needed to carry out a plan of treatment.

    Explanation of findings is a face-to-face meeting between mental health professional and the recipient’s:

    • Family
    • Primary caregiver
    • Other responsible persons such as:
      • Case manager
      • Child protection worker
      • Community corrections agency
      • Guardian
      • Health care provider
      • Local education agency representative
      • Qualified developmental disabilities professional (QDDP)
      • School
      • Vulnerable adult worker
    Family Psychoeducation

    The goal of family psychoeducation is to help prevent relapse or development of other related disorders and to achieve optimal mental health and long-term resilience by supporting the recipient and family in understanding these factors:

    • The recipient’s symptoms of mental illness
    • The impact on the recipient’s development
    • Needed components of treatment
    • Skill development
    Clinical Care Consultation

    Mental health clinical care consultation is communication between a mental health professional and other providers or educators, who are working with the same child. These professionals use the consultation to discuss the following:

    • The recipient’s symptoms
    • Strategies for effectively engaging the child and/or family in treatment
    • Intervention needs and treatment expectations in each setting
    Medical Opinion

    Where a mental health condition severely impacts functioning, a Diagnostic Assessment can be used as the basis for a medical opinion to support applications for the following social security disability determinations, financial assistance, housing assistance or accommodations for disability, or other services.

    KFL does not provide Diagnostic Assessments for the sole purpose of rendering a medical opinion. Please do not refer for medical opinions only.

    Only in very rare cases can we offer a medical opinion to an individual who is not a current client, receiving services from our agency. If offered, a medical opinion in these cases will be time limited and valid for up to, but not more than, 90 days. If an individual who requests a medical opinion subsequently engages in services, we may be able to provide a more informed and longer-term medical opinion after a period of treatment and more comprehensive assessment.

Where is it offered?

KFL  offers Diagnostic Assessment & Clinical Consultation services in the following Minnesota counties:

  • Anoka
  • Cook
  • Dakota
  • Hennepin
  • Lake
  • Ramsey
  • St. Louis*

*A note on St. Louis County services: we currently only have capacity to serve individuals in Southern St. Louis County.