The ACFB Fund

ACFB Psychological Assessment Program

Seeking clarity about ADHD, autism, and/or general mental health concerns for yourself or a loved one? Our Psychological Assessment Program provides comprehensive, professional evaluations tailored to your unique needs.

With fully online services and pop-up in-person clinics in areas of high need, we’re committed to making high-quality mental health support accessible across Aotearoa.

Whether you’re seeking a diagnosis, workplace or educational accommodations, or guidance for treatment planning, our team is here to support you every step of the way.

What Makes This Program Different?

Our program combines convenience, flexibility, and affordability:

  • Fully Online Service
    All assessments are conducted online, making them accessible to individuals across New Zealand, including rural and remote areas. This approach eliminates the need for travel or physical office visits while maintaining the same high standards of care and professionalism.

  • Pop-Up In-Person Clinics
    To support communities with limited access to online resources or mental health services, we also offer in-person assessments through pop-up clinics in areas of high need. These clinics provide the same comprehensive evaluations, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to access quality care.

  • Affordable Sliding Scale Fees
    We use a sliding scale fee structure based on your financial situation, making high-quality assessments affordable and equitable.

  • Streamlined Process
    Our process is tailored for efficiency and accuracy:

    • Pre-appointment questionnaires and observer reports are provided for you and a trusted support person to complete.
    • This thorough pre-assessment preparation ensures our team has all the necessary background information, reducing the time needed for the appointment interview while maintaining a comprehensive evaluation.
    • Most appointments last approximately one hour to 90 minutes. Multiple appointments may be needed for those needing a fuller assessment.
  • Detailed Reporting
    After your assessment, you’ll receive a detailed written report summarising findings, recommendations, and next steps. Reports are typically delivered within 6-10 weeks of your session and can include insights for educational or workplace accommodations or referrals to other relevant professionals.

Is This An Official Diagnosis?

Yes, we are qualified to conduct psychological evaluations and grant official diagnoses when a client meets the diagnostic criteria. With the appropriate release, we can forward your assessment to others on your treatment team (counsellors, prescribers, et cetera), and we are happy to answer any questions they have about our team’s qualifications as well.

Please understand that if your goal in getting an assessment is medication, you will still need to have this verified by a licensed Psychiatrist prior to being prescribed meds for ADHD outside of Canterbury. Canterbury has a different process, please speak with your GP prior to applying.

We do not have a private in-house Psychiatrist at this time. If you are a Psychiatrist offering this kind of service and want to be part of The ACFB Fund, please email us at: info@acfbfund.org.nz to organise a meeting to talk more.

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Psychological Assessment Team

Dr. Natalie Peart

Dr. Natalie Peart

Co- Clinical Director

Natalie holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Auckland. She has many years of experience working with ADHD and autism in the community and private organisation, working across all age ranges. Natalie is also a member of the Board of Directors, representing the Clinical Team.

Kiia Naidoo

Kiia Naidoo

Educational Psychologist

Kiia comes with a wealth of experience running ADHD and autism assessments at her role with the Ministry of Education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Psych), Masters of Applied Social Work, Post Graduate Certificate in Educational and Developmental Psychology, and Post Graduate Diploma in Educational and Developmental Psychology.

Kate Nitschke

Kate Nitschke

Educational Psychologist

Kate has nearly ten years experience as an Educational Psychologist working with the Ministry of Education and within a girls’ secondary school. Kate holds a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and Education), a Postgraduate Diploma in Child and Family Psychology, a Masters in Educational Psychology, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Psychology Practice.

Sarah Harrison

Sarah Harrison

Psychologist/ Clinical Support Lead

Sarah has 4 years experience in special education, providing behaviour support and psychological services to children and youth with existing diagnoses.

Sarah is also the Clinical Support Lead, having helped to build the program into what you see today.

Can I Get A Prescription for my ADHD?

We employ Psychologists, Counsellors, and Occupational Therapists, not Medical Doctors or Psychiatrists. As such we are unable to prescribe medication for ADHD or any other diagnosis. We can provide information about whether or not you meet the criteria for a diagnosis of ADHD.

Many people with ADHD benefit from medication intervention for their symptoms. However, a psychologist does not determine which medication (if any) is appropriate for an individual. With your consent, we can forward your diagnosis to your GP, psychiatrist, our preferred referrer, The Nelson Clinic, or other healthcare provider. However, we cannot and would not tell a prescriber what they should or should not prescribe.

In other words, we cannot guarantee what options your prescriber will or will not offer you based on our diagnosis (stimulant-wise), however, we can refer you successfully with this official diagnosis to the appropriate medical provider.

If you have questions about your medication options, we strongly encourage you to talk to your GP first about who would prescribe medication if you were diagnosed with ADHD and if they have special requirements for a psychological report to access medication options.

Additional FAQs about the Program

Please note: The ranges within the income scale are to account for personal circumstances. Income is household family income, not just the applicant. If you do not wish to submit your financials, we will assess at the top price ($1,500 – $2,000). Even if your household income falls outside of our funding limits, we still encourage you to apply – our program is not limited to the income brackets specified. We will look at ANY and ALL referrals.

We do offer discounts for multiple family members. Please contact us at: info@acfbfund.org.nz for more information. Please have your applications for all family members completed prior to reaching out.

Complex: An application may be considered more complex if there is an indication of other diagnoses or inconsistencies in the results. If it is revealed in the assessment process that your application is more complex, there will be an additional charge as stated above. Reports will not be generated until this additional charge has been paid so please try to give us all the information relevant to assess your fee appropriately. Please note that complex assessments may take more time to complete than other assessments. A team member will discuss this process with you if your application is identified as complex.

Urgent: Urgent or emergency appointments are available for those choosing to pay an additional fee. This ensures a video appointment with a Psychologist and completed reports back to you within 3 weeks from completing your questionnaires and work with Clinical Support . These appointments are on a first-come, first served basis and are limited weekly. Please email: info@acfbfund.org.nz prior to applying to check availability. With this option, no financials are needed, however, the fee needs to be paid in full before we confirm any appointments or send any questionnaires. You will need to complete your questionnaires prior to your scheduled appointment to allow the process to keep moving quickly.

Brief: A brief report is one used for the purposes of self-exploration and validation. You will not meet with our Psychologist but you will complete many of the same questionnaires as the full assessment but will not be given an official diagnosis. You will get a letter summarising the findings, we will advise if we believe a further, fuller assessment is needed. Should this be recommended and you wish to upgrade to a full assessment, the amount you have already paid for the brief report will be credited to the assessment amount (see pay scales for those assessment amounts) and you will only need to pay the difference.

In-Person Autism Clinics: For a small subset of clients with an autism diagnosis, it may be appropriate to apply for funding for services like respite, individualised funding, etc. These are through what are called “NASCs” (Needs Assessment Service Coordination). Each region uses a different NASC and each NASC is overseen by Whaikaha (the Ministry for Disabled people which is being absorbed into MSD).

Whaikaha, in consultation with one of the NASC providers, recently decided that there was no further need to divert from the Autism Guidelines for the diagnosis of autism and allow telehealth diagnoses, although this has been standard since 2020. Although updated in 2011, this old, outdated document with old research is what is used as the “Gold Standard” for funding purposes. This doc forces usage of outdated in-person assessments and a multidisciplinary approach not required by the DSM for diagnosis.

Our new in-person clinics helps solve the following:

– Telehealth: We offer in-person clinic testing by the OT and Psych in addition to the work you do with the clinical team online.

– Multidisciplinary: By the end of your journey with us, you will have seen a: Counsellor, a Psych (or 2), and an OT. Meeting the criteria from the Autism Guidelines.

– Observations across multiple contexts: We will see you online in your home and in-person in our Clinic.

This is the best we can do to navigate the new hurdles put in place. From here, we cannot guarantee that your NASC will provide funding or what reason they will decline next. We can guarantee you a diagnostic assessment that meets all the outlined criteria in the Autism Guidelines. Also know we are lobbying in the background to bring change so that telehealth diagnoses are accepted and are working with various players and organisations. If you would like to be a voice for change, please reach out to the email below.

Clinics will be in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch and will expand with need. 

Making Mental Health Support Accessible

At The ACFB Fund, we believe that everyone deserves access to mental health support and resources, regardless of their circumstances. Our mission is to break down barriers and foster a society that embraces inclusivity, resilience, and well-being.

If you are looking for autism related funding through NASC/ Whaikaha then this is not the assessment for you at this time.

Whaikaha have changed their minds after years of accepting telehealth diagnoses and have said our diagnoses no longer meet their long list of strict criteria. We will be providing support to those who already received a diagnosis with us but are not sure about going forward if we will continue the higher requirements now set forth by Whaikaha. 

In the meantime, we are advocating to anyone and everyone who might be able to help us and would love your support as well. Please make a complaint. You can find more information on the Whaikaha website here.

The ACFB Fund is not a crisis counselling centre, and we cannot provide emergency services for active or prospective clients.

If you’re in a life-threatening situation or experiencing a mental health emergency, this service is not appropriate for you at this time. Instead, use the following helplines to get the support you need:

  • Lifeline New Zealand: 0800 543 354 (call or text)
  • Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
  • 1737 – Need to Talk?: Free call or text 1737 to speak with a trained counsellor (available 24/7)
  • Healthline: 0800 611 116 (available 24/7)

These contacts are available for immediate crisis support and can help connect you to further assistance.