Independent, private-pay clinical evaluation conducted by secure telehealth across Minnesota.
A DWI charge in Minnesota usually means you will need a substance use assessment, either for the court process, for getting your driver’s license back, or both. That report helps decide how your case is handled, whether treatment is recommended, and the conditions attached to your release or your license. So the independence of whoever writes it matters.
Arlucent provides independent, private-pay DWI evaluations for adults, done by secure video anywhere in Minnesota. They follow the ASAM Criteria, Minnesota’s DHS 245G standards (formerly Rule 25), and standard DSM-5 and ICD-10 diagnoses. We only evaluate: no treatment, no therapy, and no referrals to any program. That separation is what makes the report independent.
After a DWI charge, an assessment is usually needed in two separate places, and it is easy to miss that they are separate. The first is the criminal case, where the court, often through your attorney, the prosecutor, or a probation officer, wants an evaluation to inform sentencing, probation conditions, or whether treatment is required. The second is getting your driver’s license back. That process runs through the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, and an assessment is often required for reinstatement after a revocation, especially on a second or later offense or where the alcohol concentration was high or other aggravating factors were involved.
What exactly is required depends on your case, your history, and the deadlines the court or the licensing authority has set. Many people do not wait. Some get an evaluation early because their attorney recommends it, to help with negotiation or sentencing. Others do it on their own, to get a clear and neutral read on where they stand before anyone else starts making decisions about treatment, programming, or their license.
The evaluation is a structured conversation, guided by the ASAM Criteria. We go through the circumstances of the DWI itself, your history with alcohol or other substances, any past assessments or treatment, your mental health, and relevant medical and family background. We use standard screening tools where they help. With your permission, and where it is relevant, we may also review records such as the police report, prior assessments, court records, or treatment records.
The ASAM Criteria look at six areas: withdrawal risk, physical health, emotional and behavioral health, readiness to change, risk of returning to use, and the person’s recovery environment. These are used as a structured way of reasoning, not a checklist or a scoring formula, to build a clear picture of severity, risk, and what kind of help is needed. When it fits the picture, the report may include an opinion on the level of care. That is a clinical opinion at the time of the assessment; it is not an approval, an insurance decision, or an order to enter treatment.
Where the clinical picture supports a diagnosis, we document it using standard DSM-5 and ICD-10 conventions, including severity, and we show the evidence it rests on. The evaluation does not reach conclusions about guilt, intent, or any other legal question. Those are for the court, not for a clinical assessment.
In Minnesota, many substance use assessments are done by clinicians who work for, or are paid by, the same treatment programs that will provide the treatment being recommended. That is legal and often fine, but it raises an obvious question: is the recommendation based on what the person needs, or on what the program stands to gain?
Arlucent removes that question. We provide no treatment, no therapy, no referrals to any program, and no ongoing care. We have nothing to gain by recommending one level of care over another. Our job ends when we hand over the written report. That is not a slogan; it is how the practice is built, and it is what lets the report stand as an independent document in court, licensure, and other high-stakes settings.
There are three levels, from a standard evaluation up to a full comprehensive one. Which fits depends on how complex the situation is and what the report is for, and you do not have to work that out yourself; it is settled at intake. The three levels are laid out plainly on the How it works page.
It starts with a short, confidential questionnaire that tells us whether an independent evaluation fits your situation. If it does, we confirm the details in writing, ask for any records we will need, and schedule the session. The evaluation is done by secure video, and the written report follows. If you have a court date, a licensing deadline, or any other deadline, tell us at intake so we can plan around it. Appointments are private-pay and confirmed once payment is received.
Your evaluation is done by Rafael Lewis, M.A., LADC, the founder of Arlucent Assessments and a licensed alcohol and drug counselor in Minnesota. He is a doctoral student in counseling psychology at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and the creator of the Arlucent Seventh Dimension™. He has held leadership roles in licensed substance use treatment programs, so he knows first-hand the standards, the paperwork, and the real-world pressures these evaluations have to meet.
More on his background is on the About page.
People choosing an independent evaluator tend to want the same handful of answers: is the evaluator tied to a treatment program (no), what method is used (the ASAM Criteria, plus the Arlucent Seventh Dimension™ where the assessment includes it), what the report contains and how it is organized (documented evidence, analysis, and conclusions, kept clearly separate), who does the evaluation (below), and how contact with counsel or other parties is handled (limited to clarifying the findings, never advocacy or testimony).
Whether an independent evaluation fits your situation starts with the short questionnaire. It is brief and confidential, and it is how we confirm the case is a fit and identify the right level. Scheduling, documentation, and payment are confirmed in writing afterward.
Arlucent Assessments · Independent Evaluation
Minnesota
© 2026 Arlucent Assessments™. All rights reserved. A division of Arlucent.
Arlucent Assessments provides independent clinical evaluation services only and does not provide therapy, treatment, clinical care, advocacy, referrals, or ongoing professional services.
Inquiries are handled in accordance with applicable confidentiality and privacy standards.