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Counseling and assessing gifted children and adults has been a part of my practice for over 40 years. Most of my clients are elementary school age children. A parent may request testing information whose data can be used to obtain needed services for their child in the school he/she attends. For those gifted students who also have special needs, additional counseling services are provided. There are times when a parent requests that I also act as an advocate by going to the school to review test data, negotiate accelerated learning programs for their child, and help the child adjust to the school environment. I also will discuss communication strategies with parents in their efforts to obtain the desired school programs and the academic resources needed. There are also times when I will go to the school to observe how well the child performs in class and to interview teachers and other school staff in regard to the child.

Many assessments for gifted children and adults are done in my office, although there are times when I will go to the person’s home to administer tests.

The psychological assessments I perform include:

Not all tests are used with each client and the selection of the assessment tools depend on the referral needs. Both parents and teachers are also asked to provide information through various rating scales and other comments. Parents also may bring in portfolios and samples of their child’s work.

When a referral for a gifted child is received and an appointment has been scheduled, the parents are usually sent a questionnaire for their completion. At the time of the appointment, an intake interview with the parents is done to obtain additional information. Based on the parents’ request, there is a discussion of the kinds of assessment techniques to be used to answer questions and determine future directions. In most cases, parents want to use test data to obtain a better program for their child or to improve their child’s school performance. After the parents agree to the services, a testing session begins. Once the testing is completed, the results are reviewed followed by a discussion of how the information and test results can be best used to achieve the parents’ goals. Parents often share test results with their child’s school personnel with the hope that my recommendations will be implemented. For gifted children who have special needs, a treatment plan would be developed, often including individual and/or family psychotherapy. I usually use cognitive behavior therapy techniques which are well suited for gifted individuals of all ages, particularly since they appreciate and respond well to conceptual reasoning and logical thinking, which is already their strength.

For gifted adults, there is usually less testing involved. However, mental status and personality assessments are often obtained. Gifted adults often request psychotherapy in order to achieve one of their goals – to be successful in using their abilities to their full potential. Of my current clients, approximately two thirds would be considered gifted and/or talented.

There is much to like about working with gifted clients. They are motivated to obtain and use information and take appropriate action to follow through. In most cases, fathers of gifted children are as involved as mothers and fully participate in the process. Most parents of gifted children are also gifted themselves and have experienced frustrations in their own educational history. Thus, they know what emotions and thoughts their child may be having and want to prevent further problems from occurring. I have found working with bright, rational individuals to be very rewarding.

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