Not all trauma is a single event. For many individuals in Milwaukee, trauma has been prolonged, repeated, or rooted in early life experiences. When emotional regulation feels unstable, relationships are difficult to sustain, and a persistent sense of threat or shame does not fade, a thorough CPTSD evaluation led by one psychologist can provide the clarity that brief screenings often miss. You can reach out directly, no referral needed.
At Core Spring Diagnostics, one psychologist owns your evaluation from the first conversation through the final feedback session, with no handoffs to other providers. The process is individualized and boutique, shaped around your specific history rather than a fixed set of sessions or hours. Complex post traumatic stress disorder, often referred to as CPTSD, involves the core symptoms of PTSD along with additional patterns such as emotional dysregulation, negative self concept, and interpersonal difficulties. Because these symptoms can overlap with mood disorders, personality patterns, or anxiety conditions, an accurate diagnosis requires careful differential evaluation. Every assessment begins with a cognitive and executive function baseline, then screens for overlapping concerns so the picture stays complete. CPTSD is rarely evaluated alone, and most clients are best served through a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation that understands the full psychological profile.
Prolonged trauma may manifest as intense emotional reactions, difficulty trusting adults, behavioral regression, chronic anxiety, disrupted attachment patterns, or problems with attention and academic engagement.
Complex trauma often appears as mood instability, persistent feelings of worthlessness, self isolating behavior, difficulty forming stable peer relationships, irritability, sleep disturbance, or heightened sensitivity to perceived rejection.
CPTSD may show up as chronic emotional overwhelm, unstable relationships, persistent shame, avoidance of intimacy, hypervigilance, intrusive memories, or difficulty maintaining consistent work or social functioning.
Your evaluation begins with a one-hour clinical interview where your psychologist gathers a thorough personal history in a safe, supportive environment. Complex PTSD often stems from prolonged or repeated experiences, so this conversation covers a broader timeline to understand how those experiences have shaped your emotional regulation, relationships, and sense of self. You set the pace.
Your psychologist selects a personalized battery of assessments designed to capture the layered effects of complex trauma. Testing involves 2 to 6 hours of in-person evaluation over one to two days. You will also be sent home with self-report questionnaires, and someone close to you can complete their own if they choose. If your psychologist identifies signs of other conditions (such as anxiety, depression, dissociation, or ADHD), those areas are screened for as well.
All testing data, clinical observations, and questionnaire results are compiled into a detailed diagnostic report. Your psychologist evaluates how complex trauma has affected emotional regulation, identity, relationships, and cognitive functioning. Any co-occurring conditions are fully documented to ensure a complete clinical picture.
Approximately two to three weeks after testing, you return for a feedback session. Your psychologist walks through the diagnosis and provides individualized recommendations: specialized trauma therapy options, emotional regulation strategies, relationship support resources, and next steps tailored to your healing process.
A complex PTSD evaluation begins with a thorough clinical interview covering trauma history, current symptoms, and daily functioning. The psychologist then conducts a cognitive and executive function baseline, followed by gold-standard trauma and mood assessment tools. Comorbidity screening is built into every evaluation, which is important because C-PTSD rarely appears in isolation. One psychologist oversees every step, from intake through the written report and feedback session.
C-PTSD frequently co-occurs with conditions like ADHD, depression, dissociative symptoms, and anxiety disorders, and trauma itself can affect cognitive function, memory, and executive processing. A standalone C-PTSD evaluation captures the trauma picture but may miss related concerns that are shaping how someone functions day to day. The comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation addresses the full clinical landscape in one process, which typically leads to more complete recommendations.
Yes. Complex trauma can disrupt attention, working memory, emotional regulation, and planning skills. These effects are sometimes mistaken for ADHD or depression. At Core Spring Diagnostics, every evaluation starts with a cognitive and executive function baseline, which makes it possible to distinguish between primary cognitive difficulties and those arising from trauma exposure. This layered approach prevents misattribution and leads to more accurate diagnoses.
PTSD typically follows a discrete traumatic event and centers on intrusive memories, avoidance, and hyperarousal. C-PTSD develops after prolonged or repeated trauma, often in childhood, and involves additional features like emotional dysregulation, negative self-perception, and relational difficulties. The evaluation at Core Spring Diagnostics is structured to capture this complexity, with tools selected to assess the full symptom profile rather than a narrow trauma checklist.
During the feedback session, the psychologist reviews the full findings, explains any diagnoses, and walks through individualized recommendations. This includes a discussion of treatment approaches, therapy options, and whether a broader neuropsychological evaluation would fill in any remaining gaps. The session is designed to give you a clear picture of what is happening and a concrete plan for moving forward.
One licensed psychologist manages every aspect of the evaluation, including the clinical interview, testing, scoring, report writing, and feedback session. There are no handoffs to other providers during the process. This continuity ensures the psychologist has full context when interpreting results and making recommendations tailored to your specific situation.
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