Evaluation
Services

At Blue Ridge Behavioral Consulting, we provide high-impact, trauma-informed evaluations for adolescents and young adults, as well as their families. Each evaluation is designed to answer specific referral questions and provide clear, real-world guidance to support decision-making across legal, educational, and clinical settings.

Please Note: We are actively expanding our offerings to meet the needs of the families and professionals we serve. The evaluations below reflect our current areas of focus.

Complex Behavioral Needs Evaluation

This evaluation is designed for adolescents and transition-age youth exhibiting emotional dysregulation, relational difficulties, or behaviors that are difficult to interpret through a single diagnostic lens. These may include histories of trauma, disrupted attachment, instability in placements, or longstanding system involvement.

We assess the underlying contributors to behavioral and emotional challenges—including trauma exposure, developmental history, family dynamics, and current functioning—using trauma-informed interviews, standardized tools, and multi-informant input.

This evaluation is particularly appropriate when:

  • A youth has experienced multiple placements or failed interventions

  • Emotional regulation, trust, or attachment are ongoing concerns

  • Behaviors have been labeled “oppositional” or “noncompliant” without deeper assessment

  • Systems are unsure whether trauma, mood, ADHD, autism, or environmental factors are driving behaviors

  • Agencies, caregivers, or courts need insight to guide placement, treatment, or stability planning

Adolescent Violence Risk Evaluation

This evaluation is designed for adolescents who have made threats, engaged in violent behavior, or are showing persistent patterns of aggression, defiance, or emotional dysregulation. These behaviors may arise from complex trauma, impulse control issues, mood instability, or environmental stressors—and they require more than disciplinary responses or crisis plans.

We use a structured, evidence-based approach to assess both targeted violence risk and broader behavioral concerns. Through validated risk assessment tools (e.g., SAVRY, FAVT-A, VRAI), clinical interviews, caregiver input, school or legal records, and behavioral history, we identify key risk and protective factors. This evaluation distinguishes between reactive aggression and intentional harm, offering clarity on current risk and guidance for intervention.

This service is especially valuable when:

  • A youth has made verbal, written, or digital threats

  • There is a pattern of escalating aggression or behavioral outbursts

  • Violent behavior has occurred and risk of recurrence is unclear

  • Schools, courts, or agencies are considering placement, disciplinary action, or safety planning

  • There is a need to understand what is driving the behavior—and how to intervene effectively

School Avoidance & Truancy Evaluation

This evaluation is designed for youth who are chronically missing or refusing school due to emotional, behavioral, or environmental stressors. School refusal often stems from anxiety, depression, trauma exposure, executive functioning deficits, or inconsistent adult oversight—issues that go far beyond attendance alone.

We conduct a thorough assessment to explore the underlying causes of school avoidance, combining record review, interviews with the youth and caregivers, and the use of validated tools to assess emotional functioning, mental health concerns (such as anxiety, depression, or trauma), and executive functioning. The goal is to provide a developmentally informed understanding of what’s interfering with attendance—and to offer clear, practical guidance for helping the youth re-engage with school successfully.

This evaluation is especially helpful when:

  • A student is frequently absent or refusing school due to emotional distress or avoidance

  • Prior interventions (IEP/504 plans, therapy, behavioral contracts) have not resolved the issue

  • There’s uncertainty about whether symptoms are clinical, situational, or both

  • CSA, schools, or DSS teams need clear recommendations for reintegration planning

This evaluation explores the relational dynamics, parenting patterns, and communication challenges that may be contributing to a child or adolescent’s emotional or behavioral difficulties. It is especially useful in cases involving high conflict, caregiver burnout, inconsistent parenting approaches, or uncertainty around family roles and responsibilities.

Using a combination of individual and joint interviews, standardized measures, caregiver input, and collateral data (e.g., case records, school reports, treatment history), we assess how the family system functions under stress—and where support is needed to create a safer, more regulated home environment.

This evaluation is especially appropriate when:

  • There is frequent conflict, emotional reactivity, or boundary confusion in the home

  • Youth behaviors appear tied to relational stress rather than individual diagnosis

  • DSS, CSA, or legal teams are considering placement, reunification, or parenting support services

  • A child or teen has experienced multiple caregivers, inconsistent attachment, or instability

  • Therapeutic progress has stalled due to unresolved family dynamics

Family Functioning Evaluation

This evaluation is designed to explore how trauma—whether confirmed or suspected—may be affecting a child or adolescent’s emotional regulation, relationships, behavior, or academic functioning. This is not a forensic trauma disclosure evaluation, but a clinical assessment of trauma impact and recovery needs.
We use trauma-sensitive interviews, standardized tools, and multi-informant input to assess current symptoms, internalized beliefs, and emotional responses. Findings help guide therapy goals, placement planning, or safety interventions.

This evaluation is especially appropriate when:

  • A youth has experienced abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or community trauma

  • Behaviors suggest possible trauma impact but disclosures are unclear

  • Emotional reactivity, avoidance, or mistrust are interfering with functioning

  • Agencies need trauma-informed recommendations for treatment or stabilization

  • DSS or courts are planning reunification, placement, or service referrals


Trauma Impact Evaluation