A thoughtful, three-part evaluation built around your family
Brightline’s diagnostic evaluation includes three sessions scheduled as closely together as possible. Held in person or online, each is designed to help us understand your child’s needs, address your concerns, and give you the full picture of recommended care. We consider this series the beginning of your child's care — it's what allows us all to continue with clarity and confidence in their ongoing sessions.
Building the foundation, one personalized step at a time
We want you to know that this evaluation series isn't “before” care starts, it IS the start of care. It allows our clinicians to truly understand your history, what you and your child are experiencing at present, and how that information can be used to help shape the future and your child's care. It’s important to note that this series is personalized, which means that while we hold these spaces for you in our calendar and yours, you may not need them all. If that's the case for your child, the clinician will review the plan and discuss next steps so you come away with a clear understanding of what's next. Our goal is to be as efficient and effective as possible.
Session one
We hear your invaluable insights, background, and perspectives.
You know your child better than anyone. You have a unique and intimate view of their changes and challenges. You also have a deeper memory of their full medical, psychological, and family history — all factors that we weave into their full clinical picture.
Your input helps us understand your child’s environment, struggles, and strengths.
Our conversation with you is also time for us to get clear on goals and what feels most important to achieve with treatment.
Session two
We build trust and rapport with your child.
When your child has the time and space to feel safe and heard, they are more likely to open up about feelings, fears, and what they’re experiencing. Their perspective on what they go through on a daily basis teaches us about potential barriers and motivations, and helps your child begin to find their voice with us.
Where possible, we want to get a sense of their own goals for care. With younger children, in order to develop a clear treatment plan, we might spend this time focusing more on observing how your child interacts with you and the world around them, rather than asking them lots of detailed questions.
Session three
We build a plan — together.
The feedback appointment is a highly interactive and collaborative opportunity to share our impressions and discuss what we know about concerns and treatment options based on research.
Together, with your input, we’ll arrive at a treatment plan based on the options we have at Brightline, or depending on your child’s specific need, based on other options in the community.