Virtual Evaluations $195
DUI or COURT ORDERED ALCHOHOL & DRUG EVALUATIONS

State Certified Alcohol & Drug Evaluations
Administered by Mike LaTella, Master Addiction Counselor DBHDD #3241

At LifeSwitch, we understand how stressful it is to get a DUI. Suddenly, you are required to accomplish several unexpected and unwanted tasks to satisfy the court, a probation officer or the attorney you just hired. These are unfamiliar waters and the consequences for not doing all of this right is scary indeed. Let us help. We do evaluations every day. We know the process, the rules and how all this works. When you hire LifeSwitch, you not only get a professional, accurate and timely evaluation, you also get our expertise and a commitment to do whatever we can to help.

So, let’s start out with the rules. In Georgia, DUI recipients are required to complete an alcohol and drug evaluation. This is different than the NEEDS assessment that is part of the DUI / Risk Reduction Course that offenders must complete. Georgia law requires the evaluation be administered by a counselor who has been specifically certified to do this work. These certified clinicians have been vetted by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and have the education and experience necessary to effectively administer these assessments. The link below will take you to the state website that lists all approved evaluation clinicians.

https://dbhddapps.dbhdd.ga.gov/MOPAS/ProviderSearch/SearchDUIIPProvider.aspx

Whomever you choose to use, please make sure they are on this list or you will likely be wasting your money.

Completing the evaluation. At LifeSwitch, you can complete the evaluation completely online from anywhere in the world. At LifeSwitch, the alcohol and drug evaluation have two parts: participant testing and the clinical interview.

For testing, the individual will be given four tests of multiple choice and true / false questions. In total, the testing takes about 30 to 40 minutes to complete. Afterward, the participant will meet with the counselor virtually via ZOOM. During the interview, the counselor will ask about the circumstances of the DUI charge, past and present drug and alcohol habits and other relevant topics. The clinical interview takes approximately 20 minutes.

Evaluation Results. Once you are finished, the clinician will analyze all of the information gathered from the test results and the clinical interview. He puts the determined outcomes along with his recommendations into a comprehensive report. That report is then sent to your probation officer, the court, your attorney – whomever you have designated as the required recipient, with a copy to you. If you have any questions about the results, feel free to reach out to us and the counselor will be more than happy to talk with you about it over the phone. You also have the option to set an appointment via ZOOM, to fully discuss the results and implications. The more detailed review is available for a nominal fee.

How much does it cost? The state mandates the lowest price an evaluation provider can charge but does not put a limit on how much can be charged. Currently, the state of Georgia puts the minimum charge for an evaluation at $150 and again, there is not maximum. Below is a list of LifeSwitch rates along with a few ancillary options should you choose to employ them.