Dr. Dina McConnell
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a doctor’s referral to see a Registered Psychologist?
A referral from your doctor is not required as you can self-refer. Some extended medical plans require you to have a physician’s referral and so you are encouraged to check first with your insurer.
What is the cost of an assessment? What forms of payment do you accept?
Dr. McConnell’s fees are $250 per hour and assessments vary in cost, depending on the referral question and the complexity of the evaluation. Please contact the office for an estimate of the assessment your child or teen needs. Parents pay for the first half of the assessment following the testing. The second half of the assessment is due at feedback. Once each invoice is paid, you will get an invoice that you can submit to your extended health insurer if you have those benefits. Given that coverage varies from plan to plan, you are encouraged to review your policy or contact your provider ahead of time to ensure that you understand how your coverage for psychology services works. Some distributed and on-line schools as well as Jordan’s Principle can be billed directly. At this time, e-transfer is the preferred form of payment. Cheques are also accepted. We are sorry that at this time we do not accept debit or credit cards.
What happens if I need to cancel or rebook our appointment?
Please give our office a minimum of 48 hours notice. With less than 48 hours notice, you will be billed for the session time that was booked. The exception is if there is an emergency or your child is ill.
If my child is medicated (e.g. for ADHD), should they take their medication the day of the evaluation?
We recommend that your child stay on their regular medications for their assessment for a variety of reasons.
How can we prepare our child or teen for their assessment?
Parents are encouraged parents to tell their children about the types of tasks and activities that they will be doing at their assessment. We don’t recommend using the term “tests” as this can often make the child feel anxious. You might explain to your child that they will be meeting with a psychologist who will spend time doing activities and getting to know them. Activities may include hands-on tasks such as building block designs, figuring out patterns, and playing word games. Some of the tasks will be like school (reading, writing math) but the tasks are interspersed with non-academic activities. Children are reminded that they will do some tasks for children younger than them and older than them and they are simply asked to try their best. They are reminded that they are expected to ‘run into’ difficult questions and not know the answer!
Breaks (washroom, snack, movement) will be given as needed, and your child is asked to bring a water bottle for during the assessment and a snack for their break. Your child’s interest, energy and effort are carefully monitored.
It is important that your child gets a good night sleep the night prior to their assessment and that they have eaten breakfast in the morning.
If your child wears glasses, hearing aids, or other devices please be sure to bring it to the appointments.
Are the appointments face-to-face or virtual?
These days, parent intakes and feedbacks are typically done virtually to make it easy for parents to attend. All assessment is done face-to-face. Feedbacks can in person, if parents prefer.
How long will we need to wait for feedback and the report?
Following the assessment, the testing is scored, records are reviewed and a report written. If all of the requested information has been received (e.g. forms from parents and teacher), then feedback is typically held within 3 weeks of the last assessment appointment.
Feedbacks can be held virtually or face to face but all testing is completed face to face. Adolescents are welcome and generally encouraged to attend feedback. Reports are sent out within a few days of the feedback session.
Who does the testing and who writes the report?
All of the testing and report-writing are completed solely by Dr. McConnell.