Evaluation and Assessment

Building Relationships For Life

TEKOA EVAUATION AND ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

A comprehensive evaluation with treatment recommendations is part of the standard admission protocol; however evaluation and assessment is ongoing during a resident’s stay at Tekoa. In addition, non-residential evaluations may be discussed with the program director, Cindy Blevins at cblevins@chpc2.org.

Tekoa offers several treatment and educational programs to meet the unique needs of at-risk adolescents, including three residential facilities, a CommUnity School and an equine experiential learning program. One of our newest programs, the Evaluation and Assessment program, entails a thorough exploration of the following:
~ The adolescent’s presenting problems and concerns
~ Therapeutic concerns
~ Emotional, academic, and social functioning
~ Developmental history

Testing is utilized to describe functioning, to form clinical impressions, to make diagnoses, to plan treatments, to evaluate treatments, to provide necessary documentation for quality assurance, or to provide empathic feedback.

Tekoa staff work with adolescents in this program to understand both their internal experiences as well as environmental contexts. We believe that each person’s psychological experiences are unique despite similarities in presenting issues and/or personal background. We are committed to helping young people express their feelings and concerns in a safe, non-judgmental, therapeutic space. Assessment is ongoing during the individual’s stay, but the ultimate goal is to make treatment recommendations. Youth in this program will reside in the secure, homelike environment of the residential facility; the Boy’s Facility is located in Christiansburg, Virginia, and the Girl’s Facility is located in Pilot, VA. While residing at Tekoa, each individual has the opportunity to take advantage of the full treatment milieu; although the focus will be on a comprehensive evaluation and assessment resulting in appropriate treatment recommendations.

Population served

Tekoa’s Evaluation and Assessment program serves young men and women between the ages of 12 and 17. Up to four beds are available at the Boy’s Residential Campus and assessments for girls can be scheduled on a space-available basis. Non-residential assessments may also be discussed with the program director. Possible reasons for placement in the program include: placement in foster care with little or nor background information, assessment information and treatment options are needed for residential placement, youth is not adjusting well to current treatment and would benefit from updated assessment.

Evaluation Methods

~Comprehensive Record Review
~ Diagnostic Interview
~Symptom Assessment
~Coping Responses Inventory
~Strengths Assessment
~Interpersonal Behavior Survey
~ Personality Inventory
~ Self-Image Questionnaire
~ Apperception Tests
~Inventory of Executive Functions
~Behavioral Inventory
~Educational Testing (including intelligence testing, achievement testing and multilevel academic survey)
~Learning Style and Processing Ability
~Neurological Screener
~Anger Scale
~Trauma Inventory
~Vocational Testing
~Independent Living Skills Assessment
~Functional Analysis (including ABC Recording, tracking charts, ecological events survey, parent interview, student interview, daily analysis sheet, Motivation Assessment Scale, communication log and context analysis)

What makes our program unique?

We differ from the standard evaluation completed in a practitioner’s office in that we actually “live alongside” the individual as he or she functions and copes with daily life activities and demands. We then have first-hand observation about how the person functions academically, emotionally, socially, cognitively, and recreationally, as opposed to a sterile interaction with the person over the course of a few hours. Formal testing time involves a minimum of 12 hours, and post-test instruments will be used to measure progress. Daily tracking and observation will be ongoing during the young person’s length of stay. In-depth treatment recommendations will be provided to the referral agent, including “what works” and “what doesn’t work” with the client. Also, the instruments we use have been chosen specifically with young people in mind, and are not usually part of the assessments commonly performed in our area.

Staff Certifications

Cindy Blevins, Director of Evaluation and Assessment, is a licensed professional counselor experienced in administering and interpreting assessments for children and adolescents.

Admission Procedures

The referral process includes a formal request for admission, which summarizes the reasons for the referral and any identified treatment goals. These are utilized in conjunction with an on-site interview to determine if placement at Tekoa is appropriate.

Contact Information:

Inquiries about placement can be made by contacting:
Cindy Blevins, MS, LPC
Director of Evaluation and Assessment
930 Cambria Street, Christiansburg, Virginia 24073
(540) 382-6657, Extension 101
cblevins@chpc2.org

Community Housing Partners Corporation