Something's Wrong But I'm not Quite Sure What

"Something's wrong but I'm not quite sure what's wrong". These are usually words I hear within five minutes of beginning a conversation with most parents that I talk with. One of my major roles at Beckloff Behavioral Health Center (BBHC) is to provide assessments and testing for children with a variety of problems. Testing... that's just a scary word, it conjures images of stern headmasters glaring at students who are struggling with their assignments. In our society today, we have so many feelings tied up with the word testing, and many of them can be negative.



However, I'm glad to say that testing doesn't have to be a scary or negative experience at BBHC. One worry that many parents have about testing is how the experience will affect their child. At BBHC, every clinician involved with testing is trained both as a counselor and as a testing professional, so we know exactly how to attend to your child's emotional needs throughout the testing process.

Another question that parents have about testing is.... what is it and how will it help us? Testing provides us information about how your child's mind works. This provides us information about language, reading and writing, how well they process information and so much more. Parents can sometimes worry with all this testing that their children will be reduced down to a number. My goal is quite the opposite. I want to expand your understanding of your child to get the whole picture. I want you know your child's strengths and areas of improvement, so that you can fully love and care for your child. 

If I had to sum up what you can gain from testing, I have one word: Answers. When you get testing at BBHC, we make every effort to make sure that you understand your child and the problems they may be experiencing. With every family that I work with, I set aside time to go over the results until parents have a full understanding of what's going on with their child. We spend as long as it takes to help you understand your child more fully, and then we help craft a plan to help address your child's areas for improvement and accentuate their strengths.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, "A moment of insight is sometimes worth a life's experience." At BBHC we help provide insight about your child, so that you can fully embrace who your child is and help your child develop into the sort of person they want to be. Please don't hesitate to call us and ask how we can help you!