Adoption Psychological Assessment

Most adopting countries require a psychological assessment and each country has different requirements for the testing needed to be eligible to give a child a forever home. This is to ensure that the adoptive parents provide an emotionally healthy home environment for a child. The adoption assessment focuses on the adoptive parent's capacity to integrate the child into their new environment and to meet their physical, psychological, and social needs. 

After completing a psychological assessment, we issue a recommendation on a person's parenting capacity and address any perceived limits to meet the needs of any child as this capacity relates to mental health and psychological adjustment.

Domestic adoption refers to any adoption between Canadian parents and children. Assessments are often required and can provide peace of mind, in addition to official paperwork, to all parties involved.

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Examples of domestic adoption include:

• Public (children under government care)
• Private, through a licensed Agency
• Relative, adoption by kin of a child or step-parents

International adoption refers to any adoption between Canadian parents and children currently living outside of Canada. While many people think of countries on other continents, international adoption also includes the United State of America.

Before you schedule your Adoption Psychological Assessment, you need to finish your home study and have a copy of your home study for us to review. It is not advisable to complete your psychological assessment before you have completed your home study. Some of the information we gather for the assessment will be in the home study and while some psychologists will allow it, the assessment will cost much more as it will take much more time to complete. You will also likely feel frustrated when you have done the same task twice.

Before the start of your adoptive assessment session(s), we require completion of several standardized assessment tests and a third party release form. In a psychological assessment, confidentiality looks different than it does in a counselling situation because you are requesting a document to submit to other authorities and/or professionals for the purpose of adoption. The specific assessment tests will vary, depending on the country from which you are adopting.

During your adoptive assessment interview session(s), we will discuss issues that are significant to you as individuals, as a couple, and as a family. You will also be asked about your current mental health, your history of past mental health issues, ways you may have addressed or are addressing mental health issues, and how you consider any mental health issues could affect your ability to adopt and/or parent a child. You will also be asked about your childhood and family history, including the parenting styles of your parents/guardians.

The cost of Adoptive Assessment is based on the current Recommended Fee Schedule of the Psychologists Association of Alberta (PAA). You will be invoiced for all sessions, testing, test interpretation, and report writing. The total cost varies based on the time spent on the assessment. For example, the interview sessions time may be one or two hours, and additional standardized testing incurs an additional cost.

Generally, we will provide the assessment reports to you within 3-6 weeks after completing your interview session(s).

Please notify us of your preferred language as we have assessors who speak several languages. You may use an interpreter, however, you are responsible for arranging to have the interpreter attend the assessment and will incur any associated costs. Also, please note that reports will be provided in English and it will be yours or your agency’s responsibility to have the report translated into a different language and will incur any associated costs.