"Do we have to come in for everything?" is one of the most practical questions families ask us, and the answer surprises most of them. A psychological assessment is a series of steps rather than a single appointment, and several of those steps work beautifully over video. Here is which parts of the process happen virtually, which happen at our office, and why the split falls where it does.
The Short Answer
At Brinkley Psychology, the process is a mix by design. The free 15-minute consultation happens by phone or video. The parent interview and the feedback session usually happen over secure video. Rating scales go out by email. The testing itself happens in person, at our office at 5006 Monument Avenue in Richmond, near Willow Lawn and St. Mary's Hospital.
For most families, that means the drive to our office is only for the testing sessions. Everything else fits into your day from your own office or kitchen table.
What Happens Over Video, and Why It Works
The virtual pieces of an assessment are the conversation pieces, and conversation translates to video with nothing lost.
The parent interview runs 1 to 2 hours, and for a psychoeducational or neuropsychological assessment closer to 2, covering your child's developmental history, school experience, and daily life. You're the expert on your child, and you don't need to be in our office to share what you know. Doing it from home means no childcare to arrange, no time off beyond the call itself, and an easier way for both parents to join, even from two different locations.
The feedback session works the same way. Dr. Brinkley walks you through the results, any diagnosis, and the recommendations, using simple visual slides she sends you afterward. Parents may ask better questions from their own couch than from an unfamiliar office, and the slides plus the written report mean less depends on your memory of the meeting. If preferred, feedback sessions can also take place in person at the office.
Rating scales, the questionnaires that gather input from parents and teachers, arrive by email and get completed on your own time. When it helps, Dr. Brinkley also consults by phone with a therapist, teacher, or physician who knows your child.
Why the Testing Itself Happens In Person
Standardized testing is the one piece that doesn't translate to a screen, for reasons that come down to accuracy.
Every standardized test was normed under specific conditions: a quiet, controlled room, physical materials, a trained examiner across the table. Blocks get handled, puzzles get assembled, response booklets get written in, and timing is precise. Change the conditions and the scores stop meaning what the norms say they mean. A child tested over video at home, with a sibling in the next room and a dog at the door, isn't taking the same test.
There's also the observation piece. Watching how a child approaches a task, where their attention goes, and what happens when items get hard is a core part of the evaluation, and it requires being in the room. For young children this matters even more: autism evaluations built around the ADOS-2 are interactive and play-based, which is exactly the kind of thing a webcam flattens.
In-person testing also just works better for kids. A dedicated space with no home distractions, real breaks, and a clinician who can read the room keeps children engaged in ways a video call can't match.
What This Means for Your Calendar
Count the actual office trips and the process gets less daunting. A focused ADHD evaluation involves roughly 2 to 4 hours of in-office testing, and a full psychoeducational or neuropsychological assessment takes 3 to 9 hours, split across appointments. Those testing visits are the in-person commitment. The consultation, the interview, and the feedback session can happen from wherever you are.
For families driving in from Midlothian, Short Pump, or Glen Allen, that structure removes most of the round trips a fully in-person process would demand. It also makes scheduling gentler around work and school in Henrico County, Chesterfield County, and Richmond City school calendars, since the video appointments can land in an afternoon gap or a lunch break without anyone leaving their desk.
One More Place Video Shows Up
Assessment isn't the only service with a virtual option. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) at Brinkley Psychology runs both in-office and fully virtual, with Dr. Brinkley coaching a parent through an earbud while the family plays at home. The practice's telehealth setup is a working part of how care gets delivered, and if distance or logistics are a barrier for your family, it's worth a conversation about what can flex.
