PTSD can follow a single overwhelming event, a crash, an assault, a medical emergency, or a sudden loss, and leave the nervous system stuck on high alert long after the danger has passed. A Core Spring PTSD evaluation gets to what is actually happening, for children, teens, and adults across Milwaukee. You can reach out directly, no referral needed.
We look at the full trauma picture: intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance, and hypervigilance, alongside the changes in mood and concentration that come with them and a cognitive and executive-function baseline. One psychologist runs the entire evaluation and screens for what often travels with PTSD, like depression, anxiety, or attention difficulties, so the diagnosis reflects everything that is going on rather than the loudest symptom.
A young child might have nightmares, turn clingy or withdrawn, lose skills they had already mastered, or replay the frightening event over and over in their play long after it ended.
A teen might relive the trauma through flashbacks, avoid anything that reminds them of it, feel numb or on edge, struggle to sleep or focus, or take risks that are out of character.
An adult might battle intrusive memories, brace against reminders, feel detached from the people they love, and find that work, sleep, and relationships have all narrowed around the trauma.
Your evaluation begins with a one-hour clinical interview where your psychologist gathers a thorough personal history in a safe, supportive environment. This conversation helps your psychologist understand the nature and impact of your experiences and determine which trauma-specific assessments will be most appropriate. You set the pace for this process.
Your psychologist selects a personalized battery of trauma-focused assessments. 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, or ADHD), those areas are screened for as well, since trauma frequently co-occurs with other concerns.
All testing data, clinical observations, and questionnaire results are compiled into a detailed diagnostic report. Your psychologist evaluates the full scope of how trauma has affected your cognitive, emotional, and daily functioning. Any co-occurring conditions are fully documented so nothing is overlooked.
Approximately two to three weeks after testing, you return for a feedback session. Your psychologist walks through the diagnosis and provides individualized recommendations: evidence-based trauma therapy options (such as EMDR or CPT), coping strategies, medication guidance if applicable, and next steps tailored to your recovery.
No. You can reach out directly, for yourself or your child, with no referral or doctor’s note needed.
PTSD usually follows a single overwhelming event and centers on intrusive memories, avoidance, and heightened arousal. Complex PTSD develops after prolonged or repeated trauma and adds patterns like emotional dysregulation and a negative self-concept. The evaluation is built to tell them apart and to capture whichever one fits your history.
Trauma can disrupt attention, memory, and emotional regulation, and those effects are easy to mistake for ADHD or depression. A cognitive and executive-function baseline measures them directly, so trauma-related difficulties are not misattributed and the diagnosis stays accurate.
Yes. Many people we evaluate are already working with a therapist. The written report gives a clear diagnostic picture and specific recommendations your therapist can use to focus treatment, and it can also support school, workplace, or disability documentation.
Often it does not. PTSD frequently co-occurs with depression, anxiety, and attention difficulties, and trauma can affect cognition. When the picture is broad, the right next step is our comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation, which covers everything in one coordinated process.
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