Temperament Evaluation
Temperament describes the way a person perceives and responds to his or her environment; it is constitutionally and biologically based. Children of different temperaments will respond differently, some times radically differently, to the same situation. In order for parenting to be effective, parents must interact with children in a way that fits with a child’s temperament; and in order for a child to be successful in a particular environment or endeavor, he or she needs to have the temperamental resources to required to do so.
A temperament assessment can help us to understand how traits such as adaptability, sensitivity, intensity, and preferences regarding new people and places conditions a particular child’s tendencies regarding sleep, discipline, separations, social skills and communication. The assessment process involves parents filling out a short behavioral questionnaire and returning it by fax or email.
The results of the assessment give us a much richer understanding of the internal influences on a child’s behavior and allow for more accurate and individually specific interventions. Parents find that the insight available through the lens of temperament allows them to parent more effectively. They are able to begin to predict and avoid many problems, rather than trying to solve problems after they create a disruption. Once parents have a basic understanding of their child’s temperament, it is easily applied to future issues.
The process for a temperament evaluations is as follows: Parents are asked to fill out simple questionnaires which will used to generate a temperament profile. After questionnaires are scored, we meet with parents to discuss the results and apply the findings to either a general overview of a child’s temperament style or the impact of temperament on a specific issue. Parents will receive evaluation results in a simple graphic form rather than as a written summary. Parents may also choose to record the consultation discussion of results.
Appointments & Information
Where: Temperament consultations take place in our San Francisco office, by Zoom, or by phone.
How long: Consultations to review a temperament profile usually last 1.5 hours, although they can be longer or shorter depending on the issues at hand.
Fees: Fees for processing and scoring evaluation forms are equal to 20 minutes of consultation time ($100.00). Consultation services are $300 per hour, billed in 5 minute increments.
How to begin: For questions or to arrange an appointment, send us an email. To access temperament questionnaires, click here.
