Psychological assessment
Neuropsychological assessment
Structured assessment of memory, attention, language and executive function, administered by a qualified clinical psychologist and written up as a clinical report for referral and support planning. Adults and the elderly — in clinic in PECHS and DHA, Karachi.
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What it measures
A neuropsychological assessment measures thinking itself — memory, attention and concentration, language, visual and spatial processing, speed, and the executive functions that plan, sequence and hold a task together. It uses internationally validated instruments, administered one-to-one by a qualified clinical psychologist, and it produces a written clinical report describing where functioning is intact, where it has changed, and what that means for daily life.
Families usually arrive at it after noticing something, not after reading about it. A parent repeating a question within the same hour. A capable adult who has begun losing the thread of a conversation. Someone recovering from a head injury or a stroke who is physically much better and is not themselves. A person with a diagnosed neurological condition — Parkinsonism among them — whose family wants to know what is changing and what can be supported.
What it is notIt is not a scan and it is not a neurological diagnosis. PHC's clinicians are clinical psychologists, not physicians — we do not image the brain, we do not prescribe, and we do not diagnose a neurological disease. What this assessment does is describe functioning precisely, in a document a treating doctor can use. It is also not a memory test you can take online, and it is not a one-off score: the useful finding is the profile across domains, and how it compares with what this particular person could do before.
What happens, step by step
PHC is an assessment-first practice, and on this assessment the initial session does more work than usual.
- An initial session.We ask what has changed, when it started, how it has progressed, and what it is affecting — work, driving, medication, money, conversation. Somebody who knows the person well is usually part of this conversation. Bring medical letters, previous reports and a current medication list. Nothing is administered before this conversation.
- A decision about what is warranted.Which domains need testing, and whether testing now is even the right step — there are points in a recovery or an illness where an assessment tells you less than waiting a few months would. You will not be given tests you do not need.
- Administration, in person, by a qualified clinical psychologist.Structured tasks across memory, attention, language, visual-spatial processing and executive function. Breaks are normal and expected, and for an older or fatigued person the work is paced accordingly. Assessment sessions run about two hours for a child and about three hours for an adult. Where sessions are held daily an assessment is usually finished in about a week; more often it takes two to three weeks, and we do not recommend stretching it past three — the length depends on what the initial session found was warranted, and you are told before you come.
- A written clinical report.What was administered, the profile across domains, what is preserved as well as what has changed, and what would help at home. It is written to be usable by the treating doctor as well as by the family. The report is with you in two to three weeks, depending on how complex the case is. The tests are scored and interpreted, the report is written, and Prof. Dr. Tahira Yousaf reviews and approves it before it is handed over.
- A conversation about what follows.Practical support at home, psychological support for the person and for the family carrying it, and — where the findings call for it — a referral to medical care, stated plainly. A report that should go to a neurologist or a physician is one we will tell you to take there.
Who it is for, and who it is not for
Adults and the elderly, most often where cognitive functioning has changed and somebody wants that change described rather than argued about. It is also used alongside a known neurological condition, where the question is what is being affected and what can be supported.
It is not a service for a family who wants a document to remove someone's independence, and we will not write one. It is not an emergency route: a sudden change in speech, vision, movement or consciousness is a medical emergency and belongs in a hospital, today, not in a psychology clinic. And it is not a replacement for medical investigation — where imaging or a neurologist's opinion is what is needed, we will say so and refer.
Not sure whether this is us? Contact us anyway. We will tell you directly whether we can help, and refer you elsewhere if we cannot.
What it is used to answer
No condition page on this site routes here, and that is accurate rather than an omission. The referral into a neuropsychological assessment usually comes from outside psychology — a treating doctor, a hospital discharge, or a family who has noticed a change — rather than from someone reading about a psychological condition.
Where emotional difficulty is part of the picture, and it very often is, the route alongside is emotional assessment and symptom screening. See every condition we work with.
Who administers it
Every psychologist at PHC holds a minimum postgraduate qualification in clinical psychology and completed over 800 supervised clinical hours before joining. One clinician's supplied credentials evidence this work, and only their card appears here.
One name, and it is one name on purpose. We name a clinician on a page like this only where their own supplied credentials name that work, and Falahat Awan's are the only ones that do. Availability is arranged when you book. See every psychologist at PHC.
Questions people ask first
Will this tell us whether it is dementia?
An assessment produces a clinical description of how someone is functioning across memory, attention, language and executive function, and what that pattern is consistent with. A diagnosis of a neurological illness is a medical one, and it is made by a doctor — often using a report like this as part of the picture. We will not tell you we can give you an answer that is not ours to give, and we will tell you plainly if the report should go to a physician.
My father will not agree to come. Can we do it without telling him?
No. An assessment is undertaken with the person being assessed, and it needs their cooperation to mean anything. Get in touch anyway — how to raise it with an older parent, without it becoming an accusation, is a conversation worth having and one we can help with.
What is in the report, and who else sees it?
What was administered, the profile across each domain tested, what is preserved as well as what has changed, and what would help day to day. It belongs to the person assessed, and it is not sent to a doctor, a relative or an employer without consent — though where a doctor should see it we will say so clearly.
What does it cost, and how long does it take?
Assessment sessions run about two hours for a child and about three hours for an adult. Where sessions are held daily an assessment is usually finished in about a week; more often it takes two to three weeks, and we do not recommend stretching it past three. Fees vary by psychologist and by service, and the length depends on which domains the initial session found needed testing. You send us six details, we come back with a psychologist, a time and a fee, and you decide. How fees and booking work.
Confidentiality, session length and choosing your psychologist are answered in full in questions people ask before booking.
Where testing happens
Speaking to someone starts here
PHC is appointment-only. Message or call and a real person answers — Monday to Saturday, 10am to 8pm PKT.
Not sure whether this is us? Contact us anyway. We will tell you directly whether we can help, and refer you elsewhere if we cannot.
Six details, and we can match you
- Name of the person who will attend
- Their age
- What is going on, in your own words
- Whether you would prefer a male or female psychologist
- Online, or in clinic in Karachi
- Whether the person attending is a minor or elderly
If someone else is paying, we will also ask for guardian or payer details. A slot is held once the booking payment is received — half the fee, at least 24 hours ahead.