Our high conflict couples assessments are catered towards couples who feel stuck in repetitive patterns that they haven’t been able to break through therapy. We know how frustrating, exhausting, and scary it can be to feel like you’re spinning your wheels in your relationship and can’t get out of the rut. We create bespoke assessments by choosing a psychological test battery fit to address your relationship’s specific needs and challenges.
When couples feel stuck in couples therapy, like the treatment has stagnated and they’re not making gains, therapists and couples come to us to get the therapy moving again. Couples therapy feels rejuvenated after they receive the feedback from a couples assessment.
Questions you might hope to answer:
“How do we break out of our negative cycle together?”
“I feel like I’ve tried everything. What else could I be doing to better reach my partner?”
“What will it take to save our relationship?”
FAQs
What is a psychological assessment?
A psychological assessment is a handful of sessions (usually in the 2-8 range) that combine interviewing, psychological testing, and a feedback session to discuss the results.
What does “high conflict” mean?
“High conflict” refers to a type of arguing that feels overwhelming and out of control. It often involves feeling like arguments can come out of nowhere, escalating into challenging behaviors (such as raising voices or name-calling), and having a hard time making up afterwards (such as feeling like trying to talk about it will just start another fight). High conflict is an incredibly common problem for couples to find themselves in and it’s often a reason to seek out assessment or therapy.
What types of couples get a high conflict assessment?
If you and your partner find yourselves in high conflict arguments and don’t feel like you can effectively resolve conflict together, a high conflict assessment may be right for you. It can help couples understand not only why they get into difficult arguments, but how to establish new and healthy dynamics.
My therapist wants me to do testing. Will you talk with them? Do they get the results?
We deeply value professional consultation and collaboration and are always happy to consult with therapists about the results of testing. After our feedback session, we send your feedback PowerPoint to you through our secure client portal and you are welcome to share the report with your therapist. We are also able to meet with you and your therapist if you decide that would be helpful.
Why should I consider getting a high conflict assessment?
PCT’s high conflict assessments determine why your painful dynamics are occurring, so they clarify how to establish healthier interactions. They also serve to highlight your strengths so you can lean into what you’re good in a partnership. A high conflict assessment can also be an excellent supplement to couples therapy, either by jump-starting the therapy process or propelling treatment progress forward. When you meet with your assessor for a complimentary consultation, you can decide together whether a high conflict assessment would be a good fit.
Can you tell us whether we should stay together or break up?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. We honor your autonomy to make choices about your relationship yourself and whether to stay in a relationship is never a black and white decision. However, we can tell you what will need to change in order to make the relationship work.
What’s so special about these psychological tests?
You can think about psychological tests as similar to medical tests (such as X-rays or bloodwork). Just as medical tests can show something going on physically in your body that you may or may not know about or feel symptoms of, psychological tests can show aspects of a person’s psychology, emotions, thought processes, problem-solving style, or relationship functioning more clearly. Psychological tests have developed from decades of research and empirical evidence, making them robust in reliability and validity. Only doctoral level psychologists have the specialized training to administer psychological tests.
Should I only do testing, or should my partner and I both do it?
It depends. In most situations where a couple wants to improve their relationship, having both partners do testing can give a lot more information than just one partner doing testing. However, there are some situations where it makes more sense for only one partner to do testing. For example, if one partner thinks they might have ADHD, we can assess that partner for ADHD.
My therapist wants me to do testing. Will you talk with them? Do they get the results?
We deeply value professional consultation and collaboration and are always happy to consult with therapists about the results of testing. After our feedback session, we send your feedback PowerPoint to you through our secure client portal and you are welcome to share the report with your therapist. We are also able to meet with you and your therapist if you decide that would be helpful.
Can you do personality testing for public service job applicants (police, security, firearms certification, etc.)?
Yes, for Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
How does payment work?
After your free consultation with one of our assessors, you will receive a quote for the entire assessment. For any service hours (either face-to-face hours with an assessor, or hours the assessor is spending scoring and analyzing test results), fees are charged the day before the service hour occurs. Material costs are charged on the first day of testing along with the service hours for that day. In this way, the fee for an assessment is charged in spread-out portions over the course of a few weeks.
Does every person you assess get the same tests?
No! Our assessments are custom made for every couple or individual getting assessed. Which tests are chosen depends on what the couple or client are hoping to find out from the assessment.
How do you give me the results of testing? Do I get a report?
You will get the results of the testing in a 1-hour feedback session with your assessor. During this hour, your assessor will talk through the results and also present a feedback powerpoint, which you will get a PDF of after the session. We do not provide written reports because we’ve found that they’re not an effective way of delivering feedback to clients. However, if a written report is needed for a certain circumstance, we are open to discussing this further and providing one if appropriate.
Take our quiz to see if this assessment is right for you:
PCT clinicians who specialize in high conflict psychological assessments
If you’re someone who likes the research, the evidence, and knowing why something works, you’re not alone. There can be something remarkably encouraging about having information that’s backed by science. At the very least, it gives us a clearer direction and a starting point for what comes next.
That’s exactly why we’re passionate about couples assessments here at PCT.
