FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

At Mind Matters, we understand seeking psychological and educational support for your child involves many questions.

We've compiled this comprehensive FAQ to help guide you through our services, processes, and what to expect when working with our team of clinicians.

General Inquiries

  • Mind Matters offers comprehensive psychoeducational and focused evaluations, IQ testing, parent guidance consultations, and evaluation follow ups. Our licensed psychologists and licensed educational psychologists specialize in assessing learning differences, ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, and the educational impact of various developmental challenges.

  • We have offices in San Francisco and Berkeley. Our San Francisco office is located at 721 Monterey Blvd in the Sunnyside neighborhood, while our Berkeley office is at 3120 Telegraph Avenue, Suite #7, near the border of Berkeley and North Oakland.

  • For single-session services like IQ testing or parent guidance consultations, you can schedule directly through our website. For evaluations and screenings, please contact our Client Care Coordinator, Grace, at 415-598-8378 (extension 1) or info@sfmindmatters.com.

  • We work with children (age 3 and older), adolescents, and young adults. If you're seeking support for a younger child or older adult, we're happy to provide referrals to appropriate resources.

  • A focused evaluation addresses a single question (such as "Does my child have ADHD?" or "Is my child dyslexic?") and typically involves 4-6 hours of assessment. Focused evaluation reports are shorter and address just the primary concern. A comprehensive evaluation addresses multiple questions or concerns, is more thorough in scope, and usually involves 8-10 hours of assessment across multiple sessions. Comprehensive evaluation reports describe your child or teen more in-depth, with thorough recommendations for both home and school.

Comprehensive Assessments

  • Our evaluations begin with an initial parent meeting to discuss your concerns and your child's history. For elementary-aged children, we observe them at school. Testing sessions (typically 8-10 hours total) assess cognitive abilities, academic skills, attention, behavior, and social-emotional functioning. After testing, we provide a comprehensive written report and meet with parents to discuss results and recommendations.

  • The entire process typically takes 6-8 weeks from the initial parent meeting to the feedback session. This timeline allows for comprehensive testing, interviews with teachers or other professionals, analysis of results, and report writing.

  • Yes, our clinicians are qualified to diagnose learning differences, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, depression, and other conditions that impact learning and development. However, we focus not just on diagnosis but on understanding your child's unique pattern of strengths and challenges.

  • After completing the evaluation, we provide a detailed written report and meet with parents to discuss findings and recommendations. All evaluations include a child-friendly feedback story (for younger children) or letter (for teens) explaining their learning profile. Our clinicians remain available to answer questions and connect you with resources, while optional services available for additional fees include in-person child feedback sessions, school meetings, and follow-up parent consultations as needs evolve.

  • Yes. The evaluation fee includes support by phone and email to assist families in implementing recommendations and finding well-matched treatment providers. For an additional fee, our clinicians can attend meetings with school staff to discuss results and collaborate on developing an individualized learning plan.

  • Yes, our evaluations include the necessary testing to determine if accommodations may be appropriate, and we are familiar with the requirements of both the SAT and ACT. While we may recommend accommodations when warranted, approval is ultimately up to the testing agencies. If a request is denied, we can help you evaluate whether an appeal is worthwhile and how to proceed.

IQ Testing

  • IQ testing measures various aspects of intelligence and cognitive functioning. At Mind Matters, we provide standalone IQ testing primarily for admissions purposes for schools or gifted programs. IQ testing can help parents make informed decisions about educational placement options.

  • We offer the Wechsler Intelligence Scale series (WPPSI-IV for preschoolers, WISC-V for children and adolescents, and WAIS-V for older adolescents and adults). In our San Francisco office, we also offer the Stanford-Binet V, which is useful for children who have already taken the Wechsler test recently or who may not do well under time pressure.

    The RIAS-2 is available as a briefer alternative, though not as widely recognized by schools and gifted programs.

  • No. We strongly recommend against any practice or preparation for IQ testing, as this invalidates the results. Instead, ensure your child gets a good night's sleep, eats a nutritious meal before testing, and arrives with a relaxed attitude. Encourage them to try their best, and ask for breaks if they need them.

Specialized Testing

  • We offer focused evaluations for autism, ADHD, dyslexia, kindergarten readiness, development (for children under 5), and behavior concerns. These focused assessments address a specific question or concern, and may not address other questions you have about your child.

  • ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is a brain-style that affects how people pay attention and control their impulses. There are three subtypes: Predominantly Inattentive, Predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive, and Combined Presentation. Our ADHD testing combines interviews with parents and teachers, behavior rating scales, observations, and direct tests of attention and executive functioning to understand your child's unique challenges and strengths.

  • Many conditions can resemble ADHD, including anxiety, learning differences, sleep problems, or simply a poor fit between a child and their environment. Our comprehensive approach helps us determine whether attention problems stem from ADHD or another cause. We also assess for commonly co-occurring conditions, as ADHD rarely exists in isolation.

  • Our autism assessments include structured interviews with parents about developmental history, observations of social interactions, standardized tests that measure social-cognitive skills, and questionnaires completed by parents and teachers. We look at social communication patterns, sensory processing differences, strong/restricted interests and repetitive behaviors, all while recognizing the many ways autism can present.

  • While many Autistic students excel academically, Autism can shape the way your child experiences other aspects of school and life,  such as social interactions, emotional regulation, sensory sensitivities, or adaptive skills. Understanding your child's autism can lead to more effective support strategies, prevent unnecessary struggles, foster self-understanding, and help your child connect with others who share similar experiences.

  • Learning differences are brain-based difficulties that affect specific academic skills despite adequate instruction and cognitive ability. They can impact reading (dyslexia), writing (dysgraphia), math (dyscalculia), or other learning processes. Signs may include unexpected difficulties with certain academic tasks, inconsistent performance, or requiring significantly more effort than peers to achieve similar results.

  • We consider several factors: the severity of difficulties compared to same-age peers, response to high-quality instruction, patterns of strengths and weaknesses, and the gap between cognitive abilities and academic achievement. We also look at your child's developmental history and whether difficulties persist despite appropriate support.

  • Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that affects reading, writing, and spelling. It typically involves difficulty with phonological processing (sound awareness) and/or recognizing printed symbols. Early signs may include delayed speech, difficulty learning new words, trouble with rhyming, letter reversals beyond the typical age, and a family history of reading difficulties.

Fees & Insurance

  • Our comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations are $7,200 with most clinicians and $8,100 with Dr. MurrayMetzger. They typically range from $4,200 - $4,800. IQ testing ranges from $700-$900 depending on the test and clinician. Parent guidance consultations are $350 for a 50-minute session.

  • Yes, for comprehensive and focused evaluations, we offer discounts for clients paying by cash, check or Zelle, and a discount for returning clients or siblings of prior clients. These discounts can be combined. We also offer a limited number of fee adjustments based on family household size and total income.

  • We do not accept insurance directly. However, some clients have been successful in obtaining reimbursement from their insurance companies for our services as out-of-network providers. After services are completed, we can provide you with a statement (called a "superbill") that you can submit to your insurance company. Please contact our Client Care Coordinator for our OON Insurance Reimbursement Guide for more information.

  • Under the law, healthcare providers need to give patients who don't have insurance or aren't using insurance an estimate of the expected cost of medical services. We provide a Good Faith Estimate explaining how much your care will cost before services begin.

About Us

  • Our clinicians are licensed psychologists and licensed educational psychologists with extensive training and experience in assessment. Each clinician has areas of specialty, and we aim to match your child with the clinician whose expertise best aligns with your concerns.

  • Mind Matters embraces a neurodiversity-affirming approach, recognizing and respecting the unique brain styles and experiences of all children. We focus on identifying both challenges and strengths, and we aim to help create environments where your child can thrive.

  • We are committed to providing culturally sensitive and fair assessments. Our clinicians are trained to recognize potential biases in testing materials and interpretation. We consider each child's cultural and linguistic background when selecting assessment tools, administering tests, and interpreting results.

  • You can read about our team on our website, where we provide detailed information about each clinician's background, specialties, and approach. Our Client Care Coordinator can also help match you with the right clinician based on your child's needs and your preferences.

  • We maintain an extensive network of referrals to allied professionals, including therapists, tutors, speech/language pathologists, occupational therapists, and medical specialists. We're happy to connect you with trusted colleagues who can provide additional support for your child and family.

Have additional questions not covered here?

Please don't hesitate to contact us at 415-598-8378 or info@sfmindmatters.com.
We're here to help you navigate this journey.