We are only disabled by environments that refuse to make space for our humanity.
Over the years, I watched people I care about — friends, family, and patients I'd worked with for months or years — get stuck. Not because they didn't deserve support, but because the systems meant to provide it are often slow, confusing, and genuinely hard to navigate.
For many people, obtaining a formal psychiatric evaluation through insurance takes a long time and a lot of strenuous advocacy — and even once you get through the red tape to secure that appointment, the waitlist is often long. Meanwhile, the day-to-day struggle continues.
I already had the clinical language, background and the skill set to help — I just hadn't yet built a way to offer it directly.
This is that.
My years working alongside the disability and neurodivergent community, and with survivors of early trauma, taught me how deeply these experiences shape a person's whole life — not just something to diagnose, but a story to understand and integrate.
That's what I bring to this work: not just an evaluation, but real support making sense of what it means for you, backed by working knowledge of systems like SSDI, Regional Centers, Medi-Cal, and disability rights.
I built this because everyone deserves a starting point that doesn't cost them years of waiting to be known.
Why I Assess for ADHD, ASD, C-PTSD + Anxiety Together
Is it trouble focusing, or a nervous system still bracing for danger? Is it anxiety, or is it the exhaustion of masking autistic traits for years without knowing it? Usually, it's not one clean answer — it's several things overlapping.
Standard ADHD evaluations often work like a checklist: does this symptom appear, yes or no. But sensory overload can look like panic. Chronic hypervigilance can look like distractibility. Years of masking — whether that's autistic masking, ADHD overachievement, or the fawning response common in complex trauma — can blur where your neurology ends and your survival strategy begins. A rigid, single-condition checklist misses all of that, and it's part of why women, neurodivergent adults, and trauma survivors are so often handed one incomplete label — generalized anxiety, depression — when the fuller picture involves several overlapping pieces.
That's why my evaluations look at ADHD, autism, C-PTSD, and anxiety together rather than in isolation. By mapping your developmental history alongside your nervous system's history with stress, we can start to tell the difference between what's been there since childhood and what your body learned to do to survive. The goal isn't just a label — it's a picture of yourself that actually makes sense.
FMLA/medical leave documentation, workplace or academic accommodation requests (many employers and schools accept a licensed clinician's diagnosis without a full testing battery), medication management referrals, treatment planning, and personal clarity around ADHD, autism, C-PTSD, or anxiety
A psychologist's evaluation and mine serve different purposes:
Formal psychological/neuropsychological testing produces the specific documentation required for certain high-stakes determinations — school district IEP or 504 plan qualification in some cases, Social Security disability claims, or some legal proceedings. Those systems often require standardized testing scores, not a clinical diagnosis alone.
What my evaluation is best well-suited for:
How my evaluation can support a higher-level testing:
What you should know
My assessment is a comprehensive diagnostic clinical evaluation — covering ADHD, Autism screening, C-PTSD, and anxiety together — not psychological testing.
Looking for an ESA letter instead? [See the ESA Letters page ]
Comprehensive neuropsych testing is expensive and in high demand.
Many practices require documented clinical history before authorizing it.
My written report provides that starting point — detailing your symptoms and history in professional language that strengthens a psychologist referral and supports medical necessity for insurance coverage.
Optional:
two 15-minute follow-up calls are available afterward for ongoing advocacy or resource support, if you'd like them.
1. Free Consultation (15 Mins)
We hop on a brief video call to discuss what's bringing you in, answer your questions, and make sure this evaluation is the right fit for what you need.
2. Comprehensive Digital Intake
Complete detailed history forms and gold-standard, adult-focused screening questionnaires from home, at your own pace, before your first session.
3. Four Clinical Interview Sessions (60 Min Each)
We meet via secure telehealth across four sessions, exploring your developmental history, nervous system's history with stress, behavioral patterns, and personal strengths — covering ADHD, autism, C-PTSD, and anxiety together rather than in isolation.
4. Clear Diagnostic Results
You receive a written diagnostic report — including your diagnosis, relevant history, and recommendations — and we review it together so you understand exactly what it means and how to use it.
How it Works
As required under the No Surprises Act, you're entitled to a Good Faith Estimate of expected costs before your evaluation begins. [See our Good Faith Estimate policy
Fees + Cancellation Policy:
Comprehensive ADHD / Autism (screen) / C-PTSD / Anxiety Evaluation — $2700
-Four 60-minute clinical interview sessions
-One 30-minute results review session
A detailed written report, including your diagnosis, relevant differential considerations, recommendations, resources, and functional impairment clarification
Two optional 15-minute follow-up calls for ongoing advocacy or resource support
Please remember to cancel or reschedule at least 24 hours in advance. You will be responsible for the entire session fee if cancellation is received with less than 24 hours' notice, or if you are more than 15 minutes late without contacting me to reschedule.
My Background
I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), a person late-diagnosed myself, and I hold almost two decades of direct clinical experience with the exact populations and conditions I now support.
I spent the early part of my career working one-on-one with individuals navigating both a neurodevelopmental diagnosis (such as ASD) and a psychiatric diagnosis (such as ADHD or anxiety) before transitioning to working with children and families navigating the aftermath of intensive abuse.
I have been providing trauma-focused care, conducting mental health assessments, helping people access systems and work around red tape while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to support recovery my whole career.
My years spent within the disability and neurodivergent community, and alongside survivors of early trauma, gave me a felt understanding of how these experiences shape a life — not just clinical knowledge, but the ability to help you integrate this diagnosis into your story.
Because YOU are not just a label — you are the whole story.
This background is why I don't treat evaluations as a form to fill out. I've spent my career sitting across from people navigating exactly the systems — school, work, housing, disability services — that this documentation is meant to unlock.
FAQ
Do you accept insurance, or can I get reimbursed?
I don't bill insurance directly, but I can provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance for possible out-of-network reimbursement, depending on your plan.
Can this evaluation be used for Social Security disability (SSDI) or Regional Center eligibility?
Not on its own. Those determinations typically require standardized psychological/neuropsychological testing, which is outside my scope as an LCSW. My evaluation can, however, support a referral for that testing.
Do you prescribe medication?
No. If medication is appropriate for your diagnosis, that is a conversation best had with your primary care doctor or psychiatrist. The report I provide can support that conversation.
What if the evaluation doesn't result in a diagnosis?
Not everyone who comes in for an evaluation meets full criteria for one of these conditions, and that's a legitimate outcome too. You'll still receive a written summary of what we found and recommendations for next steps.
Do you work with adults only, or also teens/children?
I only work with adults.
Is this confidential?
Yes. Sessions and records are protected the same way any other therapy or clinical evaluation is, under HIPAA and California confidentiality laws.
Do you offer payment plans for the $2700 evaluation?
Yes. Rather than paying the full amount upfront, you can pay $600 at each of your five appointments (four evaluation sessions and your results review) as you go, so you're only ever paying for work that's already been done.
Connect
Contact
hello@thelightholdercounseling.com
+1-669-250-1296
© 2026 The Lightholder Counseling All rights reserved.