The event may be over, but the body has not always caught up, and PTSD is what it looks like when the alarm never fully switches off. A Core Spring evaluation explains the pattern and what to do about it, for children, teens, and adults in Waukesha. You do not need a referral to schedule.
We look at trauma exposure, intrusive symptoms, avoidance, and the changes in sleep, mood, and attention that follow, with a cognitive and executive-function baseline beneath them. One psychologist owns the evaluation and screens for what frequently overlaps with PTSD, including depression, anxiety, and attention difficulties.
A child might regress in toileting or speech, refuse to sleep alone, replay the event in drawings or play, or react with sudden fear to sounds, places, or people that recall it.
A teen might seem checked out and emotionally distant, avoid school or activities, struggle to concentrate, or describe a sense that the future has been cut short.
An adult might relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares, feel constantly on guard, withdraw from relationships, and lose the ability to relax even when nothing is wrong.
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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