General Information
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Guidelines for Referring Patients
for a
Neuropsychological Evaluation
When to Refer
Referral should be made for patients with any of the following conditions:
Assessment and management of neuropsychological disorders; including memory disorders, dementia, brain injury, ADHD, etc.
Assessment for legal purposes, e.g., civil competency, forensic cases of head injury, toxic exposure, etc.
Approaching the Patient
Openly discuss the reason for the referral with the patient/family. An excellent approach is one advising the patient that you are requesting a second opinion on a particular medical problem.
Assist the patient with making an appointment by calling the office for them.
Tell the patient to expect the first office visit to last approximately two-to-four hours. To maximize success, it is important that patients adhere to the recommended treatment plan.
Send relevant medical records, such as imaging, history and physical and cognitive complaints to the office from the referring physician.
After the Evaluation
The referring physician, psychologist, or attorney will receive a full neuropsychological report or consultation note if in the hospital from Dr. Moore, outlining impressions and recommendations.
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What is a clinical neuropsychologist?
A clinical neuropsychologist is a professional within the field of psychology with special expertise in the applied science of brain-behavior relationships. Clinical neuropsychologists use this knowledge in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and/or rehabilitation of patients across the lifespan with neurological, medical, neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions, as well as other cognitive and learning disorders.
The clinical neuropsychologist uses psychological, neurological, cognitive, behavioral, and physiological principles, techniques and tests to evaluate patients' neurocognitive, behavioral, and emotional strengths and weaknesses and their relationship to normal and abnormal central nervous system functioning.
The clinical neuropsychologist uses this information and information provided by other medical/healthcare providers to identify and diagnose neurobehavioral disorders, and plan and implement intervention strategies. The specialty of clinical neuropsychology is recognized by the American Psychological Association and the Canadian Psychological Association. Clinical neuropsychologists are independent practitioners (healthcare providers) of clinical neuropsychology and psychology. (National Academy of Neuropsychology 2001)
What are the qualifications a clinical neuropsychologist must possess?
The clinical neuropsychologist (minimal criteria) has:
A doctoral degree in psychology from an accredited university training program.
An internship, or its equivalent, in a clinically relevant area of professional psychology.
The equivalent of two (fulltime) years of experience and specialized training, at least one of which is at the post-doctoral level, in the study and practice of clinical neuropsychology and related neurosciences. These two years include supervision by a clinical neuropsychologist.
A license in his or her state or province to practice psychology and/or clinical neuropsychology independently, or is employed as a neuropsychologist by an exempt agency. Board certification is a formal credentialed verification of competency in neuropsychology; resulting in a Diplomate in the neuropsychology. The Diplomate is the highest degree attainable and is evidence of advanced training, supervision, peer review and wealth of knowledge in clinical neuropsychology.