Psychological Testing & Assessment at Light Counseling
Adult ADHD evaluation, autism spectrum assessment, and psychological testing at our Forest and Lynchburg offices — conducted by licensed clinical psychologists
Some questions can’t be answered through counseling alone. When a diagnosis has been uncertain for years, when medication isn’t producing the expected results, when someone has carried a label since childhood that never quite fit, or when a clinician needs objective data before designing a treatment plan, a formal psychological evaluation is the appropriate next step.
At Light Counseling, our psychological evaluation practice is led by Dr. Gary Sibcy, Director of Psychological Services, alongside licensed clinical psychologists Emily Hilton, Ph.D. and Bob Sitler, Ph.D., and psychologist Josh Love. Together, this team conducts evaluations for adult ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and a range of other presentations that require formal assessment rather than clinical impression alone.
Why Formal Evaluation Matters
Self-report is a starting point, not a conclusion. Checklists, online screening tools, and even thorough clinical interviews capture what a person knows and believes about themselves.
They don’t capture what they can’t see, what they’ve spent a lifetime compensating for, or what looks like one diagnosis on the surface but is actually something else underneath.
One case that illustrates why depth of assessment matters: a client who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and hospitalized repeatedly over twenty years. When Dr. Sibcy’s team got the full developmental history, asked the right questions, and ran a proper battery of instruments, the picture changed entirely. Three years since that evaluation, the client hasn’t been hospitalized and is stable in the community. The symptoms hadn’t changed. The diagnosis and the treatment approach had.
The distinction matters practically. Treating someone for the wrong diagnosis delays the right treatment. In some cases it makes things worse, embedding a framework for understanding oneself that closes off better options. Light Counseling’s evaluations are designed to find out what’s actually there — not confirm what someone arrived hoping to hear.
What a Psychological Evaluation Includes
Light Counseling uses a multimethod approach to evaluation. That means multiple instruments, multiple sources of information, and multiple types of data — not a single questionnaire and a clinical conversation.
A typical battery includes a structured clinical interview, a broadband personality measure such as the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) or the MMPI, and a cognitive assessment using the WAIS-5 (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, 5th Edition). For autism spectrum evaluations, the battery includes the ADOS-2, which is the gold standard observational assessment for autism. When clinically indicated, the evaluation also draws on school records, collateral ratings from parents or partners, and performance-based measures that produce objective data independent of what the client reports about themselves.
That last element is where Light Counseling’s approach diverges from less thorough evaluations. Someone who has extensively researched a diagnosis can present in ways that mirror the criteria without actually meeting them. Performance-based measures, developmental history, and collateral information provide a check on self-report that a purely interview-based evaluation can’t. If the data supports the diagnosis, the client gets it. If it doesn’t, they get an accurate explanation of what is present and what can be done about it.
Who Can Formally Diagnose
Formal psychological evaluation for conditions like ADHD and autism spectrum disorder requires a licensed clinical psychologist or neuropsychologist — someone specifically trained in psychological test and measurement.
Counselors, therapists, and general practitioners can identify features that warrant a referral, but the formal diagnosis and the assessment battery that supports it require a psychologist. All evaluations at Light Counseling are conducted by or under the direct supervision of our licensed psychologists.
Adult Autism Evaluation
Adult autism evaluations are one of the fastest-growing areas of our psychological testing practice, and the demand reflects something real. Many adults are seeking answers that weren’t available or offered when they were children. Some grew up in large families, were homeschooled, or came from environments where mild presentations could go unnoticed. Others have spent years struggling with social difficulty, rigid thinking patterns, or communication differences that never had a name.
Our team brings clinical rigor to this work. We’ve also written about it directly — our post on autism assessments goes deeper on what the evaluation process involves for adults specifically.
A few things are worth understanding before beginning an adult autism evaluation.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which means it begins in infancy and early childhood — not in adulthood. A key part of what our evaluation examines is the developmental history: what parents or caregivers observed, what school records reflect, what early childhood actually looked like. An adult who recalls functioning normally until adolescence or later may have something other than autism, even if their current presentation overlaps with autism spectrum features. Several conditions, including personality disorders, anxiety, and complex trauma, share surface features with autism spectrum disorder. A thorough evaluation distinguishes between them rather than defaulting to the most socially prominent diagnosis.
Adults who have grown up in large homeschooling households represent a population our practice sees more frequently than most. When there’s no classroom teacher to flag developmental differences and parents are stretched across many children, mild autism can pass undetected for years. This is one scenario where a late-adult diagnosis is clinically credible and worth pursuing.
The ADHD and Autism Overlap
ADHD and autism can co-occur, and some clients present with features of both. ADHD also overlaps with depression and anxiety, substance use, impulsive personality patterns, and trauma histories. Our evaluations look at the full picture rather than selecting for a single diagnosis.
Because both ADHD and autism are neurodevelopmental conditions that begin in early childhood, the evaluation always considers whether the current pattern has a developmental basis — or whether it emerged later, which changes the clinical interpretation significantly.
When Trauma Complicates the Picture
Light Counseling sees a significant number of evaluation referrals where trauma history has complicated the clinical picture. Trauma can mimic ADHD. It can present as emotional dysregulation that looks like a personality disorder. It can suppress developmental functioning in ways that look neurodevelopmental. Our psychologists take trauma history seriously as part of every evaluation, particularly when the presenting concern doesn’t fit neatly into the obvious diagnostic categories. For clients whose evaluations surface significant trauma alongside other findings, our clinicians can coordinate with our EMDR therapy practice through Laura Holmes, MA, LPC, CCTP-II, EMDRIA Certified Therapist™. The two services are designed to work together.
Adult ADHD Evaluation
ADHD evaluation for adults follows the same multimethod logic. Self-report and clinical interview are starting points. The evaluation also uses cognitive and performance-based measures that assess attention, working memory, and executive function objectively — not based on how the client describes their experience, but on how they actually perform on standardized tasks.
Adults presenting for ADHD evaluation sometimes come having done extensive research and expecting confirmation. The evaluation is designed to verify or disconfirm through data. When ADHD is genuinely present, the evaluation documents it in a way that supports treatment planning, medication decisions, and workplace or academic accommodation requests. When something else is driving the presentation, that’s equally useful to know — and often leads to treatment that actually works.
Our Psychological Evaluation Team
Dr. Gary Sibcy, Ph.D.
Director of Psychological Services at Light Counseling. He leads and supervises the psychological evaluation practice and brings expertise in personality assessment, adult attachment, complex clinical presentations, and differential diagnosis.
Emily Hilton, Ph.D.
Licensed clinical psychologist with specialized training in adult assessment, including autism spectrum evaluation and cognitive and memory screening, with particular expertise working with older adults.
Bob Sitler, Ph.D.
Licensed clinical psychologist whose practice includes psychological evaluation.
Josh Love brings training in adult autism evaluation and joined Light Counseling’s psychological services team to address growing demand for evaluation services.
Evaluations are conducted in person at our Forest office (1075 Light Boulevard, Forest, VA 24551). The evaluation process typically spans two to three appointments: an intake session, the testing itself, and a feedback session where results are reviewed in detail. Call (888) 808-6050 for scheduling and current availability.
What "Distinctly Christian, Clinically Excellent" Means for Evaluation
Light Counseling’s identity as a distinctly Christian, clinically excellent practice shapes how our psychologists approach evaluation. Dr. Sibcy addresses this directly: Christians value science, data, and evidence-based measurement, because we believe God created an orderly world that can be understood through careful observation. That commitment to rigorous assessment isn’t in tension with the practice’s faith it expresses it.
For families coming from faith contexts where neurodevelopmental differences have been misunderstood, dismissed, or framed as spiritual failures, that combination matters. A psychological diagnosis isn’t a theological statement about a person’s worth. An accurate evaluation is an act of care — one that gives a person a truer picture of how they’re wired and what kind of support will actually help them.
More at Light Counseling
Psychological testing is one part of what Light Counseling offers. Related services and resources:
Trauma and PTSD Counseling
For clients whose evaluation surfaces significant trauma alongside other findings.
EMDR Therapy
Available through Laura Holmes, EMDRIA Certified Therapist™, for clients whose trauma history warrants specialized trauma processing.
Anxiety and Depression Counseling
Conditions that frequently overlap with or mimic ADHD and autism presentations.
Addiction Counseling
Trauma and addiction frequently co-present; evaluation can clarify which is primary.
Marriage and Relationship Counseling
When an ADHD or autism diagnosis is affecting a relationship.
Understanding Autism Assessments
Our deeper look at what the evaluation process involves for adults.
Our Full Provider Team
All licensed therapists and psychologists across our Virginia offices.
Forest and Lynchburg Office
Where psychological evaluations are conducted (1075 Light Boulevard, Forest, VA 24551).
Other Virginia Locations
Telehealth
Statewide Virginia availability for counseling (note: psychological evaluations require in-person). Insurance Information · Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Formal autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in adults requires a licensed clinical psychologist or neuropsychologist, someone with specific training in psychological test and measurement. Counselors and therapists can identify features that suggest a referral is warranted, but the formal diagnosis and the assessment battery that supports it require a psychologist. All evaluations at Light Counseling are conducted by or directly supervised by our licensed psychologists.
An evaluation is still worth pursuing. If the data supports the diagnosis, you'll have formal documentation that confirms what you've observed in yourself and opens access to appropriate support. If the data points in a different direction, you'll have an accurate picture of what's actually happening, which means you can pursue treatment that actually targets the right thing. Our evaluations follow the evidence either way.
A diagnosis doesn't generate an IEP or school accommodation the way it might for a child. But it can clarify why certain environments and social situations have always been harder than they should be, inform how you structure your work and relationships, change how you understand your own history, and significantly affect treatment decisions. Many people find a late diagnosis answers questions they've carried for decades without explanation.
A screening is a brief set of questions that identifies whether a full evaluation is warranted. It gives a general impression, not a diagnosis. Our evaluations use multiple instruments, multiple sources of information including developmental history and collateral ratings, and performance-based measures that go beyond what someone reports about themselves. The formal diagnosis comes from the full evaluation, not the screening.
Yes. They can co-occur, and ADHD also overlaps with anxiety and depression, addiction, and trauma histories. A comprehensive evaluation looks at the full picture rather than stopping at the most obvious diagnosis. Distinguishing what's actually driving the presentation is exactly what the multimethod approach is designed to do.
Typically two to three appointments: an intake interview, the testing session, and a feedback session where results are reviewed in plain language. The timeline from intake to feedback depends on scheduling and the scope of the evaluation. Call (888) 808-6050 for current availability at the Forest office.
Coverage depends on your plan and the specific evaluation requested. Our insurance page outlines what we accept, and the intake team can help clarify your benefits before you schedule. Call (888) 808-6050 and the intake team can help you navigate that.
Trauma history is taken seriously in every evaluation at Light Counseling. Trauma can mimic ADHD, present as emotional dysregulation, or suppress developmental functioning in ways that complicate diagnosis. Our psychologists account for this systematically rather than treating symptoms as primary when underlying trauma may be driving them.
Results are delivered in a feedback session in plain language, not handed over as a stack of reports. Depending on findings, next steps might include treatment recommendations within Light Counseling, referrals to specific clinicians, coordination with prescribers, or guidance on disclosure decisions (for clients wondering whether to share a diagnosis with an employer, family, or church community). The evaluation doesn't end at the feedback session.