Chaminade Assessment Center

Compassionate Care and Comprehensive Psychological Assessments in Hawai‘i

Mission of the Chaminade Assessment Center

The mission of the Chaminade Assessment Center (CAC) is to provide timely and comprehensive psychological assessments that serve the Chaminade University of Honolulu community and the surrounding community students, while also offering an exceptional training environment for PsyD students. Guided by licensed clinical psychologists from Chaminade’s PsyD program, the CAC is dedicated to meeting the community’s assessment needs with professionalism, compassion, and cultural sensitivity.

Psychological Assessments: What We Offer

Our assessments address a wide range of concerns, including:

Dyslexia and other learning difficulties
Attention and concentration problems
Emotional distress (e.g., anxiety, depression)
Trauma-related difficulties (PTSD)
Neurodevelopmental conditions

Types of assessments offered:

Comprehensive psychological evaluations
Psychoeducational evaluations
ADHD evaluations
Learning Disorder evaluations (including dyslexia)
Autism evaluations

Final reports include:

Test results
Diagnostic impressions
Personalized recommendations

All results are confidential and provided directly to the client.

What to Expect in the Process

Initial Interview & Testing – Clients begin with a clinical interview and testing session.
Follow-Up (if needed) – Additional testing may be scheduled based on initial results.
Feedback Session – Within a few weeks, clients return for a final meeting to review their confidential psychological report.

When the CAC May Not Be the Best Fit

Although it is our wish to help everyone who needs a psychological evaluation, and we are well equipped to handle most evaluation needs, there are certain situations when we might not be the best place to help. These situations are often due to 1) the need for more specialized assessment and 2) the need to conduct assessments that are outside the limits of training for our providers. These variables include:

Urgency: Evaluations at the CAC are comprehensive and can be a long process, so situations that are urgent are best handled by emergency and crisis services (e.g., calling 911 or 988).
Age: We are able to assess people from age 3 to 22 (with age exceptions for Chaminade University students). If you are outside of those parameters, please talk with your insurer to see available network providers that work with your age group.
Primary issue(s): Using psychological assessment tools, the CAC psychologists and practicum students are trained to assess for many, if not most, psychiatric diagnoses. However, there are some limitations associated with complexity and/or the need for specialized assessment. Here is a general list of issues/diagnoses that we are likely to refer to other psychologists. They include but are not limited to: psychotic disorders (e.g., Schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder); substance-related and addictive disorders; eating disorders (e.g., anorexia nervosa, bulimia), sleep disorders, sexual dysfunctions, gender dysphoria, and paraphilic disorders.
Fitness and Custody Evaluations: Evaluations that determine fitness to return to school/work/residence, to access weapons, or to adequately parent a child are not services we provide at the CAC. We recommend contacting the person requesting the evaluation for the specifics of their request (e.g., who they recommend to conduct that type of evaluation, what is expected to be in that type of evaluation).
Disability Determinations: Evaluations that determine disability are not a service provided by the CAC, with the exception of learning disabilities requiring accommodations. The focus of CAC evaluations is on identifying strengths and weaknesses, needs and recommendations. The “disability” of a person is not determined by a CAC evaluation. Similarly, we do not provide recommendations for support animals or non-educational accessibilities (e.g., not having to wait in line at an entertainment event).

Frequently Asked Questions

A comprehensive psychological evaluation typically involves one full testing day (approximately 6 hours).

Depending on the referral concerns and scope of the evaluation, testing may extend to two or more days.

Younger children can be expected to be seen for shorter testing blocks (2 hours) over three or more days.

Partial or more focused evaluations generally require only one day (several hours) of direct contact.

Currently, the Chaminade Assessment Center accepts HMSA insurance plans (including HMSA QUEST). If you do not have either of those plans, please indicate as such in your email to [email protected], and we’ll see what can be arranged. See Fees and Insurance section below.

Preparation should include:

Ensure your child gets a full night of sleep
Provide a nutritious breakfast
Bring glasses, hearing aids, or other necessary supports
Avoid framing the appointment as a “test they need to pass.” You might say: “You’ll be meeting with someone who wants to learn how your brain works so they can understand how to help.”

Parents are welcome to remain in the office during testing sessions. In some cases, portions of the evaluation may be conducted one-on-one with the child to ensure standardized testing procedures and accurate results. The psychologist will explain when and why this is necessary.

Final reports are typically completed 2–3 weeks after all testing sessions are finished.

A feedback session is then scheduled to:

Review results in detail
Answer questions
Discuss diagnostic impressions
Provide personalized recommendations

You will receive a written or digital report following this meeting.

Schedule Your Appointment

Our center is open by appointment only; we do not accept walk-ins.

To schedule an appointment, please email us at [email protected].

Before your first visit, you’ll complete a brief intake screener so that we can better understand your needs and tailor the evaluation process:

Completing these forms in advance helps ensure that your evaluation is focused, efficient, and responsive to your unique situation.

Fees and Insurance

We strive to make our services accessible and affordable. Here’s what to expect regarding fees and insurance:

Chaminade Students: No charge for referred and actively enrolled students
Non-Chaminade Clients: One-time $75 intake fee (payable by credit card at your first appointment)
QUEST Patients: Intake fee waived
Insurance: We work directly with your insurance provider for coverage. Currently, we are only taking HMSA and HMSA-QUEST, although other insurances might be accepted based on staff availability.
Financial Hardship: Payment options are available—please discuss with your intake specialist

About Us

We are licensed clinical psychologists who have been practicing in a variety of clinical settings and have conducted a wide range of psychological assessments in our careers. We created the Chaminade Assessment Center to provide much-needed assessment services to the community and high-quality psychological assessment training for clinical psychology doctoral students.

Jeffery D. Stern, PhD

Clinical and Training Director

Dr. Jeffrey D. Stern was raised in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. He obtained his PhD in Clinical Psychology in 2003 from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Dr. Stern has been licensed in Hawaiʻi since 2004 (PSY-858) and has been conducting evaluations of children and adolescents in Hawaiʻi (initially, as a DOE psychological examiner for children with hearing and/or vision loss) for more than 30 years. His specialization is children with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities. He is also an Associate Professor at the Hawaiʻi School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University as well as the Clinical Director of the Hawaiʻi MCH-LEND program through University of Hawaiʻi’s John A. Burns School of Medicine. Dr. Stern is available for pediatric clinical, neuropsychological and psychoeducational evaluations, primarily, as well as more targeted ASD evaluations, exclusively through the Chaminade Assessment Center’s ASD Training Initiative.

Marita Padilla, PsyD, ABPP

Clinical Supervisor

Dr. Marita Padilla is an Assistant Professor at the Hawaiʻi School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu. She is an alumnus of Chaminade University of Honolulu, receiving her B.A. in Psychology. She received a Master’s in Education for School Counseling from Grand Canyon University, and Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from Midwestern University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Hawaiʻi Department of Education- School Based Behavioral Health. Previous work experiences include working in school settings, forensic, crisis intervention, sport/performance settings, and community mental health centers both in Arizona and Hawai‘i. She has served on multidisciplinary teams and supervised doctoral students, interns, and postdoctoral residents. She also worked in private practice providing forensic and psychological assessment, as well as psychotherapy services to children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Padilla obtained certification with the American Board of Professional Psychology in Clinical Psychology and served as an examiner for others seeking board certification. In addition to supervising at the Chaminade Assessment Center, Dr. Padilla conducts psychoeducational evaluations at ʻIolani School.

Sean W. Scanlan, PhD

Administrative Director and Clinical Supervisor

Dr. Sean Scanlan earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and is licensed as a clinical psychologist in the State of Hawai‘i (PSY-910). For over 25 years, he has worked with hundreds of Hawai‘i’s children, adolescents, and young adults as a therapist, behavioral consultant, parent trainer, treatment program director, teacher, and coach. Dr. Scanlan is also an Associate Professor and the Director of the Hawai‘i School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University of Honolulu.