Q: What age groups do you work with?
A: We work with children, teens, and young adults, typically ages 4 through 22.
Q: Do I need a referral from my pediatrician to become a patient?
A: No referral is needed. Families are welcome to contact us directly to schedule an appointment.
Q: Do you accept insurance?
A: Yes. We are currently in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Tufts (commercial plans only), Harvard Pilgrim (HPHC), and Optum.
Q: Do you verify my benefits in advance?
A: Families are responsible for confirming their own benefits. We will submit prior authorization requests if required, but we do not verify details such as copays, deductibles, or coinsurance on your behalf.
Q: How are evaluations conducted at KPS?
A: Our evaluations are team-based, meaning there are almost always two professionals present—for example, a licensed psychologist with a testing assistant or a postdoctoral fellow. This approach ensures accuracy, efficiency, and a supportive experience for your child.
Q: What concerns might suggest that my child needs an evaluation?
A: Common reasons include struggles with learning, attention, emotional regulation, anxiety, behavior, or big changes in school performance. If you’re wondering whether testing could help, we’re happy to talk it through with you.
Q: How long does the testing process take?
A: Following an initial intake appointment, most evaluations are completed over two sessions, each lasting a few hours.
Q: How do you share results and recommendations with families?
A: We meet with you to review the results, answer questions, and discuss next steps. Then, we write a very comprehensive written report that you can use as a tool for advocacy. With your permission, we can also share information with your child’s school or care team.
Q: What is the difference between a school evaluation and a private neuropsychological evaluation?
A: School evaluations focus on whether a child qualifies for special education services. Our evaluations take a deeper look at learning, attention, memory, emotions, and behavior to give a full picture of your child’s strengths and needs.
Q: How much does a neuropsychological evaluation cost?
A: The average cost of an evaluation in Massachusetts is around $5,000-6,000. At KPS, our rates typically range from $4,800–$5,400, depending on the complexity of the case.
Q: Does insurance cover all the fees for testing?
A: Typically, insurance only covers 8–14 hours of time, which is not enough for the comprehensive evaluations and detailed individualized reports that we are known for at KPS. Because of this, there are out-of-pocket costs associated with evaluations. Our practice manager will review all fees with you in advance so there are no surprises.
Q: What are my options if part of the evaluation is not covered?
A: Families use HSA/FSA funds or out-of-pocket payments to cover what insurance does not.
Q: What should my child bring on the day of testing?
A: Just snacks, water, glasses (if they wear them), and any comfort items they may want.
Q: Should my child take medication on the day of testing?
A: This depends on your child’s specific situation and the type of medication they take. We recommend speaking with your clinician before testing to determine the best plan.
Q: Do you offer school observations?
A: Yes! We love helping families and schools gather detailed information about a child’s participation, learning, and behavior in school or other community settings. Observations provide valuable insights that can guide recommendations and support strategies. Please note that school observations are not covered by insurance, but our practice manager can explain the associated fees and help you plan accordingly.
Q: What kinds of therapy do you offer for children and teens?
A: We provide evidence-based therapy to help children and adolescents struggling with anxiety, depression, OCD, school avoidance, social challenges, and emotional regulation. Sessions are tailored to your child’s needs and strengths.
Q: Do you include families in the therapy process?
A: Absolutely. We know children thrive when families are involved. Parents are often included in sessions and always kept in the loop.
Q: Do you offer parent behavior management training for children with neurodevelopmental disorders?
A: Yes. For children with neurodevelopmental disorders who experience more significant behavioral challenges at home, we offer parent behavior management training. These sessions are designed to give parents practical, evidence-based strategies for supporting positive behavior, reducing stress, and improving family routines. The coaching is collaborative and tailored to your child’s needs, helping you feel confident in managing challenging behaviors while fostering growth and independence.
Q: What happens at an annual wellness visit?
A: Annual wellness visits are a proactive check-in on your child’s social, emotional, and learning needs. We’ll review progress, answer questions, and provide recommendations to support your child’s growth each year.
Q: Do you provide parent coaching? How is it different from therapy?
A: Yes! Our parent coaching is designed for families who want guidance addressing typical day-to-day developmental challenges or supporting their child proactively before difficulties become more serious. In contrast, therapy is intended for children with diagnosed behavioral health concerns or clinical-level symptoms, providing targeted interventions to address those needs. Coaching is parent-centered and collaborative, giving you practical tools and strategies to strengthen routines, communication, and overall family functioning at home and school.
Q: Do you work with community groups or offer presentations?
A: Yes! We love partnering with schools, parent groups, and community organizations to provide practical, evidence-based presentations and workshops. Our goal is to give families and educators actionable tools to support children’s social, emotional, and academic growth proactively. Some of our favorite workshops include:
We tailor each presentation to the needs of the group and provide actionable tips that families and educators can start using immediately.
Q: Do you offer telehealth appointments?
A: Yes. Some services, like therapy and parent coaching, can be offered virtually. We can also do evaluation intake and feedback meetings virtually if desired. Testing with the child is always done in person.
Q: Where are you located?
A: We are located in Franklin, Massachusetts, just a few minutes off I-495. There is parking available on-site for families who drive, and the commuter rail station is just across the street, making it easy to reach us by train.
Q: Are there places nearby to get food before or after appointments?
A: Yes! There are several great options within walking distance of our office where you can grab a meal, snack, or coffee. Some favorites include:
There are also a few other local cafés and quick spots nearby if you want to explore while you’re in the area. It’s easy to plan a little time before or after your appointment to grab a bite!
Dr. Kuehnel translates best practices into meaningful strategies for parents and students. Her expertise and deep understanding of complex learning profiles drive the day-to-day interventions that improve overall functioning for families. With the big picture in mind, Dr. Kuehnel can break down the skills your child needs into manageable steps to support lasting change.
Educational Advocate
Dr. Kuehnel attended my daughter’s special education eligibility meeting and everyone at the IEP table remarked how helpful Dr. Kuehnel’s report was in understanding our daughter and how to support her. When I shared the report with our pediatrician, she said it was the best and most thorough one she had ever seen!
Neuropsych Client
The testing is very thorough, and the comprehensive reports Dr. Ballou provided to our family were very detailed and easy to follow. Our behavioral health team at our pediatrician’s office and our IEP teams at school have also commented many times about how professional and helpful the comprehensive reports have been. It has assisted our family in developing appropriate action plans to help our children become the best version of themselves.
Neuropsych Client
Carolyn conducted a school observation as part of my daughter’s assessment, which was so impactful! My child’s presentation is particularly nuanced and Dr. Kuehnel was able to detect and highlight her struggles that were going under the radar. Her carefully synthesized observation report, combined with her very thorough and thoughtful formal report of my child’s presentation, proved critical in helping the public school system see our daughter’s needs.
School Observation Client
The report is a work of art! So beautifully captures our son and I think will be really helpful, most importantly for our understanding of him as a learner, but also over the next year as he prepares for high school. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Neuropsych Client
I cannot thank you enough for your presentation last evening. It was informative, engaging, and useful for the targeted audience. We had SEPAC members from three different towns represented in our small group last night, so I would definitely call it a success.
SEPAC Board Member
Thank you so much for sharing her neuropsychological report. We are beyond grateful for the time, care, and expertise that went into this evaluation. The report is incredibly comprehensive and provides a deep and thoughtful understanding of her unique learning profile. Your report not only affirms many of the strengths and challenges we have observed, but also offers new insights that will be instrumental as we move forward in planning the most effective supports for her.
Neuropsych Client
I thought you did a great job conveying the testing results combined with direct observations to help us understand what we are dealing with. We sincerely appreciate your diligence and efforts!
Neuropsych Client
I just wanted to tell you that we had the meeting to determine eligibility and the Team agreed that he should get services! We will be putting together the IEP in the next couple of days. We can’t tell you how relieved we are! Your excellent, thorough report had a lot to do with it. Thank you so much!!!
Neuropsych Client
Supporting a child with social, emotional, behavioral, or academic challenges can be an overwhelming experience for many parents. It’s not uncommon for families come to us with questions about whether testing is warranted, if the school is providing the most appropriate services, etc. Others desire some support with understanding Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Section 504 Plans, progress reports, behavior support plans, and/or neuropsychological test results from other centers. In these cases, we are happy to meet with families for consultation. We’re also happy to connect with school Teams to share evaluation findings or other relevant information.
We have lots of experience with running parent-assisted intervention groups, where children and parents work together to learn strategies to improve social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. This approach blends the benefits of parent training and individual support, and groups are structured with both components offered simultaneously to increase accessibility for families. As these programs become available, more information will be listed here and sent out via our newsletter.
When children are displaying challenging behaviors at home, behavioral parent training can be a very effective intervention. In fact, some research shows that for children under the age of 10, parent support is more effective than individual therapy for the child. Behavioral parent training involves teaching parents specific strategies, which are grounded in behavioral psychology, so that they have more successful tools to manage behavior on a day-to-day basis. We have lots of experience working with parents of children with autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, attentional challenges, and oppositional and defiant behaviors. Sessions are held with the parent(s) only, though it may be appropriate on occasion for us to meet your child.
When tweens and teens are experiencing significant symptoms of anxiety or depression, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be a very effective treatment modality. In short, CBT is an approach that makes the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors more explicit, so that individuals become more capable of shifting negative thoughts, viewing situations more clearly, and responding in ways that foster improved day-to-day functioning. While we work directly with children and adolescents in CBT, we do also feel strongly that parent involvement is important for generalizing strategies outside of therapeutic sessions, and we welcome the opportunity to collaborate closely.
Solution-focused therapy is an approach that centers on current circumstances, future hopes, and solutions that will directly foster progress towards those goals. There is less of a focus on past problems or causes, and a more explicit focus on solutions. This approach aims to minimize the time spent in therapy, as well as the time spent struggling. Often, it involves 5-8 sessions. Please note that solution-focused therapy is not a particularly effective approach for complex mental health conditions, but can be a good fit for some with anxiety, stress, adjustment challenges, family conflict, or children with behavioral issues.
We greatly value the opportunity to collect real-time data on a child’s functioning in the classroom or other community settings, such as a preschool center, afterschool program, extracurricular activity, etc. When used as a prevention tool, these observations can lead to incredibly helpful recommendations for parenting and behavior management. When paired with a comprehensive evaluation, this add-on service can allow for an even more exhaustive analysis of your child’s day-to-day functioning, and can lead to more detailed, high-quality recommendations for intervention and supports.
The frequency/duration of an observation is determined on a case-by-case basis, often informed by a review of relevant clinical information and input from other relevant stakeholders (e.g., parents, teachers, therapists, etc.). If you are interested in having your child observed, please contact us and we can discuss the specifics of the case, so that you have a clear understanding of the process. Please know that these observations are not considered “medically necessary” and are not covered by insurance.
Although a complete neuropsychological and educational evaluation is most appropriate for the large majority of referred clients, there are some cases where a thorough, educational evaluation is most suitable to specifically identify a learning disability or monitor progress. For example, if a complete neuropsychological evaluation was previously completed and recommendations were offered to address social and emotional issues before a learning disorder could be ruled in/out, a follow-up educational evaluation may be warranted after the child has responded to social and emotional interventions. This service can be offered on a case-by case basis, and we encourage you to contact us for more information.
Our comprehensive evaluation approach pairs developmental, psychological, and/or neuropsychological testing with an educational evaluation, in order to obtain an in-depth understanding of the child’s performance across domains. The evaluations that we conduct typically involve about 25 hours of professional time, some of which is billable to insurance and some of which is not. More information about billing procedures can be shared by our practice manager when you call to book your appointment – it is our aim to ensure that you have a complete understanding of the process and options available to you.
The evaluation process begins with a clinical intake, which is typically about an hour and involves both the parent and the child. Following the intake, we review supporting documents (e.g., medical records, school records, and other information about the child’s developmental and educational history). This information allows us to determine a) if testing is warranted and medically necessary, and b) what specific tests are needed in order to effectively answer the referral question(s).
The next step is for the child to participate in formal testing, which may range from four to six hours of direct, face-to-face administration. In addition to formal testing, evaluations also typically include some combination of social, emotional, behavioral, and adaptive rating scales.
After all relevant information is collected, we then spend time scoring tests and developing the conceptualization that will inform our impressions and recommendations to the family. A feedback meeting is scheduled for approximately one to two weeks after the final testing session. Feedback meetings are typically for parents and any other relevant adult professionals (e.g., educational advocates), though in some cases, it may be appropriate to have older teenagers participate. Most often, an additional feedback meeting is scheduled to provide evaluation information directly to the child or adolescent, if desired and appropriate. At the conclusion of an evaluation (i.e., after the feedback session), a clinical report is written to document the evaluation findings.
At times, a comprehensive neuropsychological and educational evaluation is not necessary, and a brief, targeted evaluation is more appropriate. Perhaps your child has already had an extensive amount of testing done elsewhere, and you’re looking for a second opinion or diagnostic clarity. As another example, maybe your prescriber wants confirmation of a diagnosis before making medication recommendations. If our clinical team feels that a comprehensive neuropsychological and educational evaluation is not warranted, we will offer more targeted, individualized evaluations. However, please note that this is not an a la carte service where families can pick and choose what tests they want; our assessment protocols will always be informed by evidence-based practice and aligned with our ethical guidelines for professional practice.
The assessment and identification of behavioral health challenges is not always clear-cut! At times, data may suggest that your child falls in the borderline or the at-risk range for a particular condition, and waiting multiple years for a follow-up evaluation is unhelpful. Similarly, for those who do meet criteria for a particular diagnosis, it is often reasonable to expect some meaningful progress within four to six months, if the right interventions are in place. Without more frequent progress monitoring though, many children and adolescents wait years before any formal data is collected to examine responsiveness to intervention. To address this gap in service delivery, we are now offering progress monitoring appointments.
Specifically, when there’s reason to believe a child is at-risk following an annual mental health wellness exam, we can schedule a six-month follow-up appointment to assess progress over time and determine if further assessment or intervention is warranted. Additionally, for those who have had a comprehensive evaluation at KPS, we offer six-month check-ins to assess whether your child is demonstrating an appropriate response to intervention.
We strongly believe that prevention is the best intervention. We’re in the process of developing a number of primary prevention workshops to support parents of young children, with the aim of lessening the likelihood of future challenges. As these programs become available, more information will be listed here and sent out via our newsletter.
Anticipated Topics:
• Becoming a Child Behavior Detective – Tools for Understanding Why Kids Do What They Do!
• Sticker Charts, Schedules, and Signs, Oh My! – Structuring Your Home for Positive Behavior
• The Screen Time Battle – Strategies Proven to Decrease Meltdowns and Improve Family Functioning
• Anxiety Pitfalls – Identifying and Avoiding Common Parent Behaviors That Reinforce/Exacerbate Anxiety
• Supporting Kids with Social Weaknesses: A Crash-Course in Evidence-Based Practices
In addition to these primary prevention workshops hosted by KPS, we are also available for community workshops and presentations (e.g., with SEPACs, preschools, or other parent groups). If you are in need of a speaker and feel that we could potentially be an appropriate fit, please don’t hesitate to contact us with specific questions.
We love working with parents, especially those who are proactive about learning best practices for supporting their child’s development. On the very best days, parenting can be exhausting, confusing, and overwhelming. Parenting support should not be reserved only for those who are experiencing clinically significant challenges, and we welcome the opportunity to support parents before problems become more severe or suggestive of a diagnosable disorder.
If you’re a new parent, a tired toddler parent, or the parent of a preschooler with big feelings, we would love to work with you. There are so many research-supported strategies for parenting in the early years that foster healthy emotional and behavioral development in the elementary years and beyond. Let us help you with parenting for the future!
If you’re already through the early years and your child is now searching for more independence in the elementary, middle, or high school years, we can help with that too. Need some guidance on best practices for managing screentime, supporting extracurricular participation, navigating peer/dating relationships, talking to your kids about alcohol and substance use, etc.? These years are challenging, and you don’t have to navigate it alone – we can help!
Insurers are now required to cover an annual mental health wellness exam, in order to improve patient access to behavioral health care. This exam may be completed by your pediatrician as part of the annual physical, but you have the right to seek care with a licensed behavioral health clinician, if you wish. Without any significant family history of behavioral health challenges, the annual visit with your pediatrician may be sufficient. However, if your child is at higher risk for social, emotional, behavioral, or learning challenges, we can help!
Once per year, we can meet with you to discuss your child’s developmental progress and any related social, emotional, or behavioral concerns. We will have you complete some evidence-based screening tools, provide recommendations for strategies/supports that can foster healthy development, and inform you if more frequent progress monitoring or detailed assessment seems necessary. If/when appropriate, we can provide referrals for further prevention, assessment, or intervention services.