In the 2020s, the demand for psychological testing and assessments shot up in a way no one expected.
Wait times for ADHD assessments are at least 6 months longer than their historical average. And in 2023, studies showed that there was a demand for mental health services that providers were struggling to meet.
But where does that leave the people waiting on a diagnosis? That’s something Light Counseling wants to address. Here’s a review of their testing and counseling services in 2026.
Why Diagnosis Matters
For many people, a diagnosis is just a label. Simply a word or phrase that can be assigned to you. It’s not something that’s really serious.
But for many others, a mental health diagnosis makes a real difference. It can change the course of your life in a variety of ways. And above all, it can be something incredibly personal, meaningful, and complicated.
All of that makes a diagnosis matter for many different reasons:
You finally have an answer
You might have felt that there was something different about you your whole life. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but there always seemed to be a difference between you.
You didn’t seem to have the same traits that the other people around you had. For example:
- You had a different amount of energy
- You found different things interesting, and world ‘disappeared’ when you focused
- You spoke, emoted, and reacted in a different way
- The things they found easy, you found hard (and sometimes vice versa)
- In social situations, you didn’t quite understand the ‘unwritten’ rules like they did.
All in all, you felt different – and were often reminded of it. But with a diagnosis, it can feel like you’re finally getting an answer to the why.
It’s incredibly validating
You’re not unmotivated. You’re not lazy. You’re not uncommitted. You’re not unambitious. There isn’t ‘something wrong’ with you – and this proves it.
Really, you’ve finally got an official diagnosis that discounts all of these other labels other people have put on you over your life.
A diagnosis can be validating as it lets you shrug off these unfair statements and judgements. You can now start redefining who you are for yourself.
You’re more likely to be able to access treatment
That’s often the main reason a person wants an official diagnosis.
They may already be all too aware they have a mental health issue or neurodevelopmental disorder.
Being officially diagnosed with it, however, is the only way you can access the right therapies and medication to treat the symptoms.
How Light Counseling Can Help
First, let’s run through a little introduction.
Light Counseling is a Christian counseling center that runs a range of mental health services, including therapy, coaching, and medication management.
They provide individual, group, and family counseling to both adults and children/teens alike.
Their counsellors use evidence-based methods within their sessions, such as CBT, and many other trauma-informed care practices.
Sounds good – but how can they help someone find the diagnosis answer they need?
You’re in need of a diagnosis. You might have been on a waiting list for a long time for one. You may also be on a budget, and in the past, haven’t been able to pay for the care you really need.
What can Light Counseling do to bridge the gap? Here are the pros we found when checking them out:
They offer psychological testing for a range of conditions
This is the main benefit of contacting a Light Counseling center.
They provide a full range of psychological testing and assessment services within their process, and often use it as a tool to help form a better, more holistic treatment plan for a patient.
However, it’s also offered as a stand alone service for those who just want to find out if they have something or not.
Their psychological testing covers a good range of conditions as well, including:
- ADHD
- OCD
- Bipolar disorder
- Autism screening
- Substance abuse and addiction issues
- Anxiety and depression
You can take your time
One of the best things about Light Counseling’s psychological testing is that you can take your time.
You can go at your own pace to describe what you’ve been dealing with, your symptoms, your case history, and the troubles you’ve had with getting the right diagnosis thus far.
And if things get too heavy and you need a breather, they make it easy for you to say so.
Even if you walk into your first session with your counselor, and find that you need to either take a break or stop the session entirely, you have the power to do so.
They build a therapy program to suit you
We mentioned it briefly above, but any sessions you undergo with a Light Counseling counselor is tailored to suit you.
Even the introductory session, where you’re just getting to know your therapist, will focus on your own specific needs and desires for treatment.
They don’t have a ‘one size fits all’ approach here, and that’s crucial for quality mental health services.
Their services are made to be affordable
They accept multiple types of insurance, alongside Medicaid, to make sure patients are able to afford both their assessment, as well as any counseling services needed in the long term.
Telehealth appointments are available
Light Counseling is based out of Virginia, with offices in places like Glen Allen and Midlothian. As such, the majority of their patients come from within the state. They also have an office in New York.
But this doesn’t quite come as a downside in our opinion, as they often run telehealth appointments too. They say themselves that they try to make sure as many people as possible can access their psychological testing services, and that does seem to be true.
Waiting for a Psychological Assessment?
Light Counseling could make it easier to access the diagnosis and treatment you’re after. When you need to see a therapist, their services could be right for you.
