Sometimes you know you're struggling, but you don't know exactly why.

You may be experiencing anxiety, depression, difficulty concentrating, emotional changes, substance use concerns, trauma symptoms, relationship difficulties, or changes in your ability to function—and you want a clearer understanding of what is happening.

A Diagnostic Assessment (DA) is a comprehensive clinical evaluation designed to help identify your current mental health needs, clarify diagnostic considerations, and determine what type of treatment and support may be appropriate.

At Riverside Counseling, we approach assessment as more than checking boxes on a questionnaire. We look at the whole person, including symptoms, history, functioning, relationships, strengths, and the circumstances surrounding your current concerns.

A Diagnostic Assessment is a structured clinical evaluation conducted by a qualified mental health professional.

The assessment typically explores:

• Current symptoms and concerns
• Mental health history
• Previous treatment and response to treatment
• Medical and medication history when relevant
• Family and social history
• Trauma and significant life experiences
• Substance use and recovery history when relevant
• Relationships and support systems
• Educational and occupational functioning
• Daily functioning
• Strengths and protective factors
• Current safety and risk factors
• Relevant cultural and environmental factors

The information gathered helps the clinician develop a clearer understanding of your current presentation and treatment needs.

A Diagnostic Assessment may be appropriate when you:

• Are beginning therapy for the first time
• Want a clearer understanding of your mental health symptoms
• Are experiencing significant changes in mood, behavior, or functioning
• Are seeking treatment for anxiety or depression
• Are experiencing trauma-related symptoms
• Have concerns about ADHD or other mental health conditions
• Are experiencing substance use or co-occurring mental health concerns
• Have been in treatment before but need an updated assessment
• Need diagnostic information to guide a treatment plan
• Want to better understand how multiple concerns may be interacting

You do not need to know your diagnosis before scheduling an assessment.

Understanding the diagnosis is part of the assessment process.

A Diagnostic Assessment is a collaborative process. The clinician will ask questions about what has been happening, how long you've been experiencing concerns, how those concerns affect your life, and what you have already tried. Depending on your circumstances, the assessment may include:

We begin with what brought you in?

What are you experiencing?

We begin with what brought you in.

What are you experiencing? What has changed? 

What is causing the most difficulty right now?

Understanding your history can help put current symptoms into context.

This may include previous mental health treatment, medical history, family history, relationships, education, employment, substance use, trauma, and significant life experiences.

We look at how your concerns are affecting different areas of your life, including:

• Work or school
• Relationships
• Family
• Sleep
• Daily responsibilities
• Emotional functioning
• Social functioning
• Substance use
• Physical and behavioral functioning

The clinician considers the information gathered and looks at how symptoms, history, environment, strengths, and other factors may be connected.

When clinically appropriate, the assessment may result in one or more mental health diagnoses based on the information available.

A diagnosis is not a definition of who you are.

It is a clinical framework that can help guide treatment.

The assessment concludes with recommendations based on your individual needs. Recommendations may include psychotherapy, specialized treatment approaches, substance use services, psychiatric consultation, medical follow-up, community resources, or other supports when appropriate.

Your assessment is designed to give you greater clarity about what you're experiencing and what may help. Depending on the purpose and scope of the assessment, the outcome may include:

• Diagnostic impressions
• Identification of presenting concerns
• Clinical formulation
• Treatment recommendations
• Level-of-care recommendations when appropriate
• Referrals to additional services when indicated
• An individualized treatment plan

The goal isn't simply to give you a label.

The goal is to understand what is happening so you can determine what comes next.

When substance use is part of the presenting concern, assessment may include exploration of:

• Substance use patterns
• Frequency and quantity
• Consequences of use
• Previous treatment
• Recovery history
• Withdrawal concerns
• Motivation for change
• Co-occurring mental health symptoms
• Current functioning
• Recovery supports

When appropriate, recommendations may include additional substance use treatment or coordination with other providers.

Receiving a diagnosis can bring relief and clarity. It can also bring questions.

A diagnosis describes a clinical pattern of symptoms and functioning. It does not define your worth, personality, potential, or future. At Riverside Counseling, assessment is approached with curiosity, compassion, clinical objectivity, and respect for the individual behind the symptoms.

You are more than a diagnosis.

A Diagnostic Assessment is not simply a checklist or an online quiz.

It is also not a guarantee of a particular diagnosis. Clinical diagnoses are based on the information available at the time of assessment and may change as additional information becomes available or circumstances change. When appropriate, your clinician may recommend additional evaluation or consultation to better understand a concern.

A Diagnostic Assessment can be the beginning of treatment or a step toward finding the right level of care. If therapy with Riverside Counseling is appropriate, the assessment can help inform your treatment plan and identify the areas we will focus on together. If another service would better meet your needs, we can discuss appropriate recommendations or referrals.

The purpose of assessment is not to keep you in treatment. 

It is to help you understand what you need next.

Riverside Counseling provides Diagnostic Assessments for eligible adolescents and adults in Minnesota.

In-person appointments are available in the Brainerd Lakes Area.

Secure telehealth is available throughout Minnesota when clinically and legally appropriate.

You don't have to arrive with a diagnosis.

You don't have to know the right terminology.

You simply need to be willing to talk about what you're experiencing.

Riverside Counseling can help you take the first step toward greater clarity and a plan for moving forward.

Call or text: 218-450-8400
Email: anna@riversidebrainerd.com

Riverside Counseling
Brainerd Lakes Area • Minnesota Telehealth