Multi-Disciplinary Team Assessments

  • Social Relatedness and Social Skills (such as Autism Spectrum Disorder)
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Independent Living Skills
  • Behavior Regulation
  • Attention & Memory
  • Mental Health (such as depression and anxiety)
  • Treatment Planning

Team Assessments are the core of our work. Team services are available for toddlers, children, adolescents, young adults, and adults. During team assessments, at least two professionals collaborate to create a holistic understanding of a child’s individual strengths and areas of need. We also use Team Assessments to evaluate the overall functioning of children with multiple disabilities, complex language and learning challenges, Autism Spectrum Disorders, deaf blindness, or other complicated presentations. Our assessment guides treatment planning, helps with prioritizing services, clarifies eligibility for community services, and identifies key recommendations in daily life.

Psychotherapy Services

  • Cognitive Behavior Interventions for Depression, Anxiety, and Obsessive -Compulsive Disorder.
  • Mindfulness Techniques
  • Interpersonal Counseling Strategies
  • Play Therapy
  • Parent Consultation
  • Individual, Marital, and Family Therapy Services for People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Individual psychotherapy services are available for toddlers, children, adolescents, young adults, and adults. ACES professionals offer cognitive behavior therapy interventions, and specialize in treating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. ACES professionals also incorporate mindfulness techniques, interpersonal counseling strategies, play therapy, parent consultation, and trauma based intervention based on individual training and the client needs. Individual, marital, and family therapy services are available for children, adolescents, and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Services for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing

  • Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
  • Consultation (about school, parenting, or program development)
  • Educational Testing
  • Individual, Marital, and Family Counseling
  • Multi-Disciplinary Team Assessments
  • Psychological Assessment
  • Speech Language Assessments

ACES is recognized as the leading provider of deaf services in Central Virginia. We specialize in customized application of evidence-based interventions for children and adults who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, particularly those with literacy learning challenges. ACES professionals can offer services directly in American Sign Language (ASL), spoken English, sign language supported by conceptually accurate spoken English, and Cued Speech/ Cued English. Interpreting services are available as needed. Additionally, both American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting and Certified Deaf Interpreting Services are available to service providers and families with people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Psychological Assessment Services

  • Intellectual Functioning (Giftedness, Intellectual Disability)
  • Attention and Learning Disorders
  • Mental Health Functioning (Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Thought Disorder)
  • Neurological challenges (head injury, seizures, developmental delays)
  • Independent Educational Evaluations (IEEs)
  • Eligibility for accommodations in high-stakes situations (college disability services, extra time for SAT/ GRE)

Comprehensive psychological assessment services are available for toddlers, children, adolescents, young adults, and adults. Assessments include a clinical interview, review of school and medical records, direct measurement of functioning, and formal input from others (such as a parent, teacher, or spouse). Comprehensive testing can be helpful for addressing concerns about attention, intelligence, learning, social skills, behavior outbursts, mental health issues, trauma, employment, and qualifying for community services. Comprehensive testing can be used to explore the need for accommodations in high stakes testing (ACT, SAT, GRE) and post-secondary settings, to determine eligibility for community services, to guide treatment planning, and/or to clarify a diagnosis.

Our new DBT-A Skills Group is for teens ages 13-17 and their caregivers. The 24-week group teaches effective strategies to manage emotions, reduce high-risk/life threatening behaviors , and navigate problems and relationships. In general, DBT aims to help clients create “a life worth living.” 

DBT skills teach teens and families to:

  • Regulate their emotions and behaviors
  • Reduce problem behaviors and increase skillful behaviors
  • Experience a range of emotions without acting on those emotions
  • Improve relationships with family, school, and peers