​What is Involved in an Assessment for International Adoption?

What does it Cost?
Adopting countries typically want to make sure that their children are going to emotionally, physically, and intellectually healthy homes.  While your home study is designed to provide your adopting country with details of you, your life, and your personal history, the psychological assessment is designed to provide significant information regarding your mental health.  In particular,  psychological assessments for adoption are designed to issue a recommendation to your adoption authority regarding your parenting capacities and limits in caring for a child, as this capacity relates to mental health and psychological adjustment.   

Each country surrendering children for adoption has its own requirements for psychological assessment of prospective parents which form part of the overall assessment of parents ‘suitability’ for adopting.  I am familiar with the requirements for a range of adoption authorities: some require lengthy psychological assessments complete with individual and couple assessments, and examination using psychometrically validated tools measuring personality and psychopathology, while others require only a simple statement of ‘sanity’.  

In general, each prospective parent should expect to: 
  • Attend an approximately 1.5 to 2.5-hour interview appointment;
  • Attend an approximately 1.5 to 2 hour psychological testing appointment; and, 
  • Attend an approximately 1-hour couples interview appointment (if it is a dual-parent family.  Single-parent families do not need to attend a couples interview). 
The above can all be completed in one day (across an approximately 3 to 4.5 hour appointment for single-parent families or across an approximately 4 to 5.5 hour appointment for dual-couple families) or across multiple days.  

The beginning of the interviews will include general fact gathering and a discussion of confidentiality.  In the next phase of the interview we will discuss issues that are significant to you as an individuals, as a couple (if relevant), and as a family.  You will also be asked about your mental health, past or present mental health issues, ways you may have addressed or are addressing mental health issues, and how you see any mental health issues affecting your ability to adopt and/or parent.  You will also be asked about your general parenting knowledge.  

The psychological testing process will involve self-report questionnaires designed to gather information on personality issues, mental health issues, and character strengths.  They are not designed to trick you or make you look bad.  There are no incorrect answers and should be answered as honestly as possible.
We charge a lump-sum fee that covers review of background history questionnaire / home study report, in-person interview and testing appointments, test interpretation, and report writing.  The total cost varies based on the requirements for the psychology assessment and the number of prospective adoptive parents needing to be assessed.

We will be able to tell you the lump-sum cost of the assessment once we know what adoption authority is requesting your assessment, how many prospective adoptive parents there are to be assessed (e.g., is it a single-parent or dual-parent family seeking an adoption), and whether there are any older children (above age 12) to be included in the assessment.  

We ask for a $500 deposit at the outset of the process (i.e., when you book your assessment).  We then invoice for the remaining amount once the psychological assessment has been completed and the report is ready to be released.  We will release the psychological assessment report to you once you have paid the final invoice. 

How Long Does it Take to Get the Report?

The report typically takes 3 to 6 weeks to be produced from the date of your in-person appointment.  

What if​ English is not your first language? 

Please notify us if this is the case.  You may use an interpreter, however, you are responsible for arranging to have the interpreter attend the meeting and will incur any associated costs.  Also, please note that reports will be provided in English and it will be your responsibility (or your agency’s responsibility) to have the report translated.

Prerequisites for the Assessment

Prior to the in-person appointment, we will request a copy of the home study.  We will also send a consent form / agreement form and a background history questionnaire for the prospective adoptive parent(s) to fill out.  We ask that these documents (home study, consent form, background history questionnaire) be sent back to us at least 48 hours prior to the first in-person appointment. 

​Note: It is not advisable to complete your psychological assessment before you have completed your home study.​

How to Get Started

Email us or call us and leave a voicemail.  We will respond to you within 24 business hours.  Together we’ll determine what the assessment will require in order to satisfy the requirements of your adoption agency.  We will give you an estimate of the total cost.  If you wish to move forward, we will request a deposit and we will schedule your assessment to take place as soon as possible.  

​TALK TO US
[email protected]
​778-997-3441        
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