Will my insurance cover the costs?
Insurance coverage varies considerably from company to company and even between policy levels within a company. Some will cover psychotherapy but not assessment, some require a referral from a physician, others have a list of psychologists they contract with and you must choose from that list, others seem willing to cover any of my services provided the necessary paperwork is completed. It is always wise to check first with your provider.
Psychological and Mental Health services in The Netherlands for children under age 18 are not covered by medical insurance but rather are provided through the municipality (Gemeente) where the child lives, and Katherine is not a registered provider under that Public Mental Health scheme. Some international insurance companies (e.g., Cigna, BUPA, Allianz, SOS International, Tri-Care etc.) may cover a portion or all of your costs, up to a limit set by the company according to your policy.
I don’t think my child needs a full Psycho-educational assessment. Can’t you just check for (a particular diagnosis)?
Guidelines for best practice require us to keep an open mind for competing explanations for a child’s behaviour or achievement when conducting any assessment. Even when there is a specific issue that is suspected, it is only by demonstrating that other areas of functioning are not equally impaired that we can be confident we are on the right track. A narrow focus only on a specific diagnosis leaves out much of the most important information – what are this childs strengths, what are the specific challenges within the current environment, and what is it that this child needs to feel better, learn more easily, or function better in his/her environment?