A question about educational access
The assessment examines how anxiety, withdrawal, school refusal, emotional dysregulation, or behavior are affecting attendance, participation, work completion, and learning. It documents that in the school record.
Evaluations
Social and Emotional Assessment (ERMHS)
Districts call this an Educationally Related Mental Health Services assessment, or ERMHS. Parents usually arrive asking a simpler question: is something going on emotionally that is getting in the way at school, and what would help.
What this is
What an ERMHS assessment is.
An educational question, answered with data the school team can act on.
Eligibility and educational need
Findings can address whether a student meets special education eligibility criteria, including the emotional disturbance category, and what the data supports in terms of educational need.
Recommendations written for school
Recommendations are written for the school setting: counseling as a related service, behavior supports, accommodations, placement considerations, and goals a team can actually measure.
What this page is not
An ERMHS assessment is an assessment, not treatment. Crescent does not diagnose or treat depression, bipolar disorder, or psychotic disorders. Those belong with a treating provider. What I assess is how functioning is affecting school.
Who it’s for
Who this is for.
This assessment is usually requested when the emotional side of a child’s school life has become the thing that decides the day: whether they get through the door, whether they stay, whether anything gets turned in. Trust your instincts. You are not overreacting.
It may fit when:
- Your child is missing school, or getting onto campus has become a daily crisis.
- Anxiety is showing up as stomachaches, shutdowns, or refusal rather than as worry your child can name.
- Your child holds it together at school and comes apart at home.
- Counseling is written into the IEP (Individualized Education Program) and nothing has changed.
- A psychoeducational assessment described the learning profile but did not address the emotional side.
- The district is considering a more restrictive placement and you want the reasoning examined.
- Your child is working with an outside provider and the school and that provider are describing two different children.
What to expect
- 1
Tell me what’s happening
Start with the free 15‑minute consultation. You describe what school looks like now, and I tell you whether an ERMHS assessment answers your question or whether another assessment fits better.
- 2
Records and history
With your consent, I review the school file, prior evaluations, attendance and discipline data, work samples, and relevant provider records, and take a developmental and school history from you.
- 3
Direct assessment
Rating scales across home, school, and your child’s own report; interviews with you, your child, and school staff; observation in the school setting; and review of how your child is performing.
- 4
Report and review session
A written report with findings and school‑based recommendations, then a session where we go through it together and prepare you for the meeting where it is discussed.
Our approach
Independent means independent. We don’t soft‑pedal findings for the district and we don’t inflate them for the family. On an ERMHS assessment that matters in a particular way. The question is not how much a child is struggling. That part you already know. The question is whether the struggle is reaching their education, and what the school is required to do about it.
The work stays where a Licensed Educational Psychologist practices: learning, behavior, and the way emotional functioning shows up in a classroom. I assess educational impact. I do not treat psychiatric conditions, and I do not take over the care of a child who is already working with a treating provider. Where the findings point to needs outside that scope, I say so plainly in the report and tell you what kind of provider handles it. That is not a hand‑off to get rid of you; it is the accurate answer, and an accurate answer is what the school team can act on.
The emotional disturbance eligibility category is often the hardest part of this conversation for parents, and it deserves a straight explanation rather than a gentle one. It is an educational classification under IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), not a medical diagnosis and not a description of who your child is. It exists to open access to services. Families are usually more troubled by the name than by the finding, and once they see what it makes available, the name loses most of its weight.
Who you’ll work with
Marcia Miller, Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP #3015), Nationally Certified School Psychologist.
You’ll work directly with the person who assesses your child, and that same person writes the report and goes through it with you. Twenty‑plus years as a Licensed Educational Psychologist, twenty‑one years in school psychology, ten‑plus years leading special education departments, and ten‑plus years teaching graduate‑level assessment. I have written these assessments from inside districts and reviewed them from outside, which is why I know what a team can implement and what only sounds good on paper.
Logistics
- In‑person assessment: Fresno, Madera, Merced, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties.
- Virtual components: available anywhere in California.
- Crescent cannot serve families outside California.
- School observation is arranged with the district and requires your written consent.
- Keep the details off the public form. Reports, evaluations, health information, and your child’s full story should not go through the contact form. Tell us what’s happening in a sentence or two and we will set up a secure way to send the rest.
- Call or text: (559) 287‑8351
Fees
Fees and insurance.
Crescent is a private‑pay practice. Cost is discussed with you before anything is scheduled, starting with the free 15‑minute consultation. A comprehensive assessment is arranged by request and coordination, not booked online.
Scope is worked out on the consultation call. After that call you receive a Good Faith Estimate in writing that names the areas to be assessed and what the work involves, before anything is scheduled.
Common questions
What does ERMHS stand for?
Educationally Related Mental Health Services. It is a special education term for services a school provides when a student’s emotional or behavioral needs are interfering with their access to education. The assessment is what establishes whether those needs exist and what the school can be asked to provide.
Is this therapy, or a referral for therapy?
It is an assessment. If the findings point to counseling, that can be written into the IEP as a school-based related service, or a family can choose counseling outside school, including counseling at Crescent where the concern sits within learning and behavior. If a child needs treatment for a more serious mood or psychiatric condition, that belongs with a treating provider.
Does an ERMHS assessment diagnose my child?
It establishes educational eligibility and educational need. Special education eligibility is a school classification, not a medical diagnosis, and the two do not always line up. Assessment within a Licensed Educational Psychologist’s scope covers learning and behavior, including autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities. Serious psychiatric conditions are diagnosed and treated elsewhere, and this report will say so where it applies.
What is the emotional disturbance category?
One of the eligibility categories under IDEA. It describes a pattern of emotional or behavioral functioning that has continued over time, to a marked degree, and is adversely affecting educational performance. It is a legal and educational term with a specific definition. It is not a judgment about your child or about your parenting, and it is not permanent. Eligibility is reviewed.
Can I request an ERMHS assessment from my district?
You can make the request in writing to the school. The district decides whether to assess and must respond to you in writing. If the district assesses and you disagree with the result, you have the right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at district expense; the district can grant that request, or deny it and file for due process to defend its own evaluation.
Can this be done as an independent evaluation?
Yes. When a family disagrees with a district ERMHS assessment, this assessment can be conducted as an IEE. The framing and the cost question are covered on the IEE page.
Related pages
- Related evaluations: IEEs · Psychoeducational assessments · Autism evaluation · Behavior assessment and behavior plans
- Related services: Counseling · Parent coaching · Special education consultation
- Related concerns: Anxiety · ADHD · Autism · Dyslexia
- About / contact: About · Contact
Start with a conversation
Restore your peace.
You do not have to carry this by yourself. Tell us what’s happening, and let’s figure it out together.
Prefer to talk? Call or text (559) 287‑8351.
Marcia Lynn Miller, LEP #3015 · Independent practice
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