Lake Union Psychiatric Group
Carol B Cole PhD
To reach Dr. Carol Cole, please call 206-329-8393.
I received my Ph.D. in Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington. I also completed a Clinical Psychology Internship and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Washington, including training at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, the Child Development and Mental Retardation Center (now Center on Human Development), the Hall Health Student Health Center, and the Center for the Study of Capable Youth. I joined Lake Union Psychiatric Group in 1999, after a year as a psychologist at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and 8 years as a staff psychologist at Virginia Mason Medical Center.
I specialize in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and young adults. Assessment may be less formal, based on interview and observation, or may include formal psychological assessment, such as cognitive and academic achievement testing. Treatment consists of psychotherapy, which may be on an individual basis, or include some or all family members. My approach to treatment includes cognitive behavioral therapy, insight-oriented therapy, and play therapy, all with a developmental perspective. Parenting consultation is also provided, with the goal of better understanding the child, and improving the parent-child relationship.
I do not provide assessment or treatment for legal/forensic purposes.
A portion of my practice is devoted to assessment and consultation related to gifted children. This may be for the purposed of a school application or program placement, or simply for better identifying and understanding the child’s academic needs and behavioral, social and emotional issues.
Testing for School Applications and Appeals during COVID-19
To minimize risk during this time, masks are still required in the suite and my office. There are air purifiers, and screened windows for ventilation. Materials are sanitized after each use. Please have your child wash hands upon entry.
The structure of appointment will be as follows:
One in-person appointment, roughly 2.5 hours. You will come in with your child for a brief introduction, then wait in the waiting room while the test is administered, with a short snack break. You will then rejoin us for feedback and discussion.
Please bring a snack and drink for your child, and a check for payment.
Please arrive 10 minutes early to fill out the paperwork I will have left for you in the waiting room. Help yourself, do not wait to be greeted. My business card will be attached, and the date and time of the appointment will be indicated.
As always for this kind of assessment:
- Testing for this purpose cannot be billed to insurance; payment will be collected in the form of exact cash or check, at the time of the appointment.
- Please do your best to ensure that your child is well rested and healthy for the testing session.
- You can explain to your child that the purpose of this assessment is a check-up regarding how he/she thinks and learns, that there will be a variety of questions and activities, and a range of difficulty. Children should be encouraged to be willing to try their best, even in the face of challenging work.
- There should be no test preparation or studying for the content of cognitive tests (Wechsler); these assessments are intended to assess responses to problem-solving, not learned and practiced information and strategies. It is usually apparent if a child has had some specific test prep, and this can impact the validity of the results, and will be discussed in the feedback and report.
- If your child has already taken a Wechsler Intelligence test, please note that the same test cannot be re-administered for a full year.
- You will receive a detailed written report, usually within a week of the appointment.
- Copies of the report will be sent to any school(s) for which you sign a Release of Information, at no additional cost.