LifeStance Health
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I went to LifeStance in Auburn…
I went to LifeStance in Auburn specifically for testing to identify/explain my life-long problems with reading. I had to undergo a complete neuropsych evaluation because "we have to give the psychometrician something else to do for her day of work." I have had multiple neuropsych evals for executive functioning problems over the past 25 years, but they never included "educational" testing specifically for my reading problems. I paid $500 out of pocket for the educational testing because it wasn’t covered by insurance. The psychologist seemed not to understand how to interpret the tests. One test evaluated how quickly and accurately I could distinguish between Bs, Ds, and Ps. It took me forever because it’s something I struggle with. When I remarked that it was difficult and asked how it was used for diagnostic purposes, the psychologist told me it wasn't part of the reading testing and that it was used to determine if I was faking a problem. I went for testing to understand my reading problems and paid out of pocket. I’m not sure why anyone else would fake it but I certainly didn’t. What motivation could I possibly have to lie on the test? Why did he make me waste time on a test that was not useful to understanding my actual problem? During the follow-up appointment when we discussed the results, the psychologist said that the test he said was about faking it actually was used to evaluate reading difficulties and that I took more time than normal. I guess he googled the answer between testing day and writing the report? That among many things made me feel like he was wholly unqualified to do the evaluation. During my pre-testing interview and on the day of testing, the psychologist didn't listen to my concerns and wrote a useless report. Even the neuropsych tests were interpreted differently than the five previous tests. He’s definitely not more qualified than the university-based psychologists who conducted the previous evaluations. I can only conclude that his interpretation is wrong. Now I am out $500 and am no closer to understanding why I have never read at grade level. I called to get an appointment with another clinician to discuss the results of the testing hoping to get an interpretation from someone more qualified professional. I was told I would have to repeat all the testing and pay $500 again. It’s outrageous.