Assessment of Psychosis and Unusual Experiences

Exploring Voices, Visions, and Altered States with Curiosity and Respect

Assessment Beyond Labels: A Thoughtful Approach:

We work with adolescents and adults experiencing voices, visions, unusual beliefs, intrusive thoughts, and thinking that feels scattered or hard to follow. These experiences are sometimes described in diagnoses such as: schizphrenia, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder—but we approach these first and foremost as meaningful human experiences deserving of care and understanding.

Our assessment approach focuses on:

  1. Types of experiences — voices, visions, altered states, unusual beliefs, and shifts in perception.

  2. Context and meaning — how these experiences relate to stress, trauma, creativity, spirituality, or cultural background.

  3. Cognitive and emotional processes — memory, attention, mood, and thought patterns that shape how experiences unfold.

  4. Developmental history — early experiences, family context, risk factors, and personal strengths.

  5. Impact on daily life — relationships, work, study, and sense of self.

  6. Identifying stressors - Managing and diminishing stress can reduce risk of more serious challenges.

  7. Resilience and resources — existing supports, coping strategies, and opportunities to increase relationships and support

Why Choose Tide Pools?

We appreciate the importance of context— making it transparent for our patients and their loved ones, and empowering them to work with it.

  • Individualized assessment - we go beyond diagnosis to better understand key areas of a person’s life. We offer a tailored conceptualization that moves beyond labels and appreciates individual complexity and nuance.

  • More than biology - Biological factors are important, but social and psychological factors are equally critical. We look at how these layers interact to shape experiences and functioning.

  • Collaborative care - individuals with diagnoses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder often work with multiple providers. With permission, we readily collaborate with other professionals to gather information for the assessment and to discuss our findings after. This supports coordinated, effective, care

  • Differentiating complex pictures - we not only work with complex diagnostic presentations (e.g. autism and psychosis), we also explore the complex experience of psychosis. Providing language for these experiences and how they relate to emotions and relationships fosters empathy, psychological safety, and opportunities for respectful collaboration.

  • Clarifying blocks and breakdowns - our assessments illuminate how thoughts and feelings interact (what we call “linking”) and the ways individual “blocks” in thinking and feeling lead to challenges.

  • Assessing Early-Onset Psychosis - Active psychotic symptoms in teens are relatively uncommon, and when present, they may be subtle yet impactful. We assess for prodromal presentations—early patterns or experiences that indicate a moderate to high risk of developing psychosis—so families and clinicians can respond thoughtfully and proactively.

  • Personality Dynamics and Functioning - Insights into personality and internal patterns help map pathways for development, relationships, and meaningful support

Our Assessment Process

Every assessment begins with a one-hour consultation to explore your concerns, goals, and questions. From there, we design a tailored assessment that may include structured testing, in-depth interviews, and collaborative reflection—both in-person and online.

We recognize that every person is unique, so each assessment process is flexible, comprehensive, and designed to fit your needs. Our goal is to provide you with clear, compassionate insights that guide effective therapy, parenting, and personal decision-making.