Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology

 

Assessment

 

Intervention

Psychotherapy: Neurorehabilitation:

 

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Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology

What is clinical psychology?

Clinical psychology is one of the branches of psychology that specializes in assessments, therapies, interventions, and prevention based on scientific evidence. It aims at promoting psychological/mental well-being through cognitive, emotional, and behavioral health care among different individuals/families/agencies/organisations/communities.

What is clinical neuropsychology?

Clinical neuropsychology is a branch of clinical psychology that focuses on the understanding between the relationships between brain and behaviours. It specializes in scientific evidence-based assessments, interventions, and rehabilitation for individuals with brain disorders and concerns in brain functioning.

What is the difference between clinical psychologists and psychiatrists?

Clinical psychologists and psychiatrists are both trained to assess and treat individuals suffering from mental health issues. Clinical psychologists apply psychological theories and methods to assess and treat psychological problems. Assessments and treatments are done through behavioral observations, clinical interviews, psychological testing, and psychotherapy. Psychiatry is a branch of medicine. Psychiatrists prescribe medications while psychologists do not.
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Assessment

What is neuropsychological assessment?

Neuropsychological assessment evaluates an individual’s cognitive and emotional functioning. It involves clinical interviews and standardized testing procedure to examine different domains of cognitive functions, including processing speed, attention, memory and learning, visuospatial skills, language, and executive functioning. Neuropsychological assessment is crucial for identifying changes in brain functioning and also for timely intervention and monitoring of neural recovery. Neuropsychological assessment is recommended when there are doubts about cognitive dysfunction related to neurological disorders (e.g. stroke, brain tumor, epilepsy, dementia, etc.) or behavioral changes (e.g. decline in attention or memory that interferes with daily functioning).

How can neuropsychological assessment help with the understanding of concerns on developmental/achievement issues?

Result of neuropsychological assessment would be compared to normative data that is from the same age and educational background as the patients. This standardized procedure enables comparison between the patients’ performances and those of other people who have similar background. The comparison could also be done intra-personally, in which the first assessment as a baseline and compare to those afterwards at different time points. These comparisons are not only helpful for understanding the patients’ strengths and weaknesses, but are also useful for monitoring the changes in performances and developing tailored intervention based on the diagnosis.

How long does a neuropsychological assessment take?

A comprehensive neuropsychological assessment usually takes about 3-4 hours to complete.
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Intervention

Psychotherapy:

What are psychotherapy sessions?

Psychotherapy sessions are designed by clinical psychologists according to patients’ psychological concerns. These treatment sessions include therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Stress Management, and Relaxation Training, which enable patients to cope with and work through their concerns. Treatment sessions require collaboration between the patients and clinical psychologists, and patients’ participation and adherence are essential.

How can psychotherapy help with stress and mood management?

During psychotherapy sessions, clinical psychologists would help patients to identify and understand their issues that related to stress and mood management by applying psychological theories and skills. Through bringing awareness on the issues and guidance from the clinical psychologists, the patients may release their concerns and learn progressively how to cope with stress and manage emotions effectively.

How long does a consultation/psychotherapy session take?

It depends on the complexity of the case. Clinical consultation usually lasts for 45 minutes. Subsequent psychotherapy sessions are about 45 minutes per session, and usually 6-8 sessions are recommended.
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Neurorehabilitation:

What is neurorehabilitation consultation?

Clinical psychologists would review the medical/psychological/neuropsychological assessment reports provided by the patients and listen to them in order to understand their needs and concerns caused by the changes in brain functioning. The clinical psychologists would then discuss with specialists to design individualized and evidence-based training/treatment sessions for the patients with the aim to improve their quality of life.

How long does a neurorehabilitation consultation take?

It depends on the complexity of the case but the consultation usually lasts for 45 minutes in general.

What is neurofeedback attention training?

Neurofeedback attention training is non-invasive and evidence-based training for attention improvement through real-time biofeedback of brain activities. Patients’ brain activities would be collected and recorded by using electroencephalography (EEG). The EEG signals would be displayed on a monitor and the level of difficulties of the tasks/games that the patients need to complete through a computer set would be adjusted based on the signals. They could learn their performances through the display of the monitor. This learning-based training is a safe and effective intervention for those with concerns on attention.

How can neurostimulation enhance cognitive performance and emotion regulation?

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) are non-invasive and safe neurostimulation techniques that could improve cognitive performance and alleviate depressive symptoms.

tDCS generates constant and low direct electrical currents to induce anodal and cathodal stimulations which are delivered through electrodes placed on the patients’ heads (e.g. areas related to emotion regulation). These brain stimulations modulate neuronal activities through excitation and inhibition, which in turn, the brain activities.

TMS includes a magnetic coil as a stimulator to generate electrical currents in order to induce magnetic field at a specific brain area (e.g. areas related to emotion regulation). This induction further induces electrical charge to that brain area which helps with adjustment to the brain activities.

TPS generates single ultrashort ultrasound pulses to produce focal brain stimulation (e.g. areas related to cognitive functioning). To adapt to patients’ brain anatomy, TPS uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as navigation during stimulation, which also enables real-time monitoring on the areas of the stimulation to the brain.

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